I had an unusual childhood and its morphed into an interesting adult life so far. One of my things is I always have at least one knife on me. Our society today looks at that as threatening and almost criminal action and it's very sad and irritating.

Love this. My father always had one as well, and when I was about 7 or 8 she bought me a Barlow knife, which I still have somewhere. I think he thought it was a good idea for a lady as well ;-))

I carry a tiny Swiss Army penknife with me everywhere but through TSA. I think it's small enough to qualify for flights, but I don't want to risk losing it.

Lots of dumb mistakes in my post above, but I'm sleepy.

My dad always has a knife on him. It is more of a utility knife, to cut string, strip electrical wire or help opening an overly-taped present. My grandpa did too. I think my brother has carried on that tradition as well.

I always know if I need something cut when I am around my family I only have to say "can I have your knife" and one will be presented to me. :)

"I suppose in this day and age, a man who always has a pocketknife on his person would be a prime target for Homeland Security."

This reminds me of an incident in Japan in the recent past. A man in his 70's was visiting his son in Japan and he went to a police kiosk to ask for directions. They asked him if he had a knife and he said yes and willingly showed them his pocket knife. They arrested him and detained him for 10 days because the Japanese have been paranoid about knives since there has been a rash of mass stabbings over the past year or so.

Though all of the stabbings were carried out by Japanese people, they inspect foreigners more so than natives because the police think it's okay to harass anyone who doesn't look Japanese. They've harassed me as well - accused me of stealing the bicycle I was riding because I didn't happen to have the receipt for it on me at the time - who carries a receipt for their bike around with them every time they leave the house?!

Anyway, homeland security has nothing on the Japanese, who arrest 70-something-year-old tourists for making the mistake of having a 4" pocket knife and not knowing that the Japanese have no laws to protect people from unlawful search and seizure, no writ of habeas corpus, and no right to an attorney if you are arrested (and that they can hold you for 21 days without charges of any kind).

Next time people want to rag on the U.S. for what appear to be draconian regulations, you might want to learn that it can be very much worse in other places.

Charlotte, no knife is small enough to pass TSA regulations. I had that lesson reinforced the hard way when I tried to go through airport security after completely forgetting that I had a little mini-Swiss Army knife in my bag. Needless to say, I no longer own that knife.

I feel the same way about the romanticism of a pocketknife. Unfortunately, I live in an extremely restrictive state when it comes to that sort of thing (you need a concealed carry permit in order to carry pepper spray!), so the Swiss Army knife my uncle gave me for Hanukkah several years ago remains in the house.

Like so many others, memories of my dad always include a pocket knife. Although as a beekeeper his use of the device was less gentlemanly and more practical, he also used it for tasks like pencil sharpening and splinter removal. He had a small whetting stone, which I loved for its smoothness, that he would take out once a week to ensure a sharp blade.

Thanks for the unexpected memories!

I always carry a knife. In my childhood it was a Boy Scout practice, and in my undergrad time it was something upheld by most of my peers (engineering school).

Later, I was surprised to see people surprised (scared?) when I pulled my knife out. It is purely a utility item to me, but I never stop hearing things like "wow!" or "that's a scary knife" or even "what neighborhood did you grow up in?"

Of course, sometimes I have people ask me if I have a knife, and still look surprised... I really don't get it. I do consider it a very important item to have on my person. I use it rather often, and try to keep it sharp and clean so it can be used for anything from food to electrical work (with cleaning in between, of course).

My husband carries a knife at all times except when he's flying...I've never thought of it as particularly dashing or romantic, but now that you mention it it does seem like a holdover from an earlier time! He also carried handkerchiefs and wears work boots every day...so maybe he was just born in the wrong decade!

My dad always carried, and still carries, a pen knife in his pocket. It belonged to his father before him. He carries it as a gentleman would.

My uncle, on the other hand, could gut a fish with his. I remember visiting him and my aunt when I was a teenager, watching in awe/horror as he castrated lambs with his pocket knife, wiped it off on his jeans, and put it back in his pocket. Later that evening, he produced it again to cut into his elk burger, and once again to clean under his fingernails.

I find that I emulate these men in my life, and I carry a pocket knife with me at all times, even though I am neither elegant like my father, nor rugged like my uncle. But there's security it knowing that if I needed to, I could.

I have my late father's knife in my pocket at this moment. It is carbon steel and rather worn and I love it. Reminds me of a Seamus Heaney poem:

1,1,87

Dangerous pavements.
But I face the ice this year
With my father's stick.

from 'Seeing Things' c. 1991

Mt stepfather is a WV hillbilly who was, I kid you not, named after Daniel Boone. He, I, and my two brothers always have a knife. While I was teaching I kept it in the glove compartment in my car, since I couldn't bring it into the building, but now it lives in my bag. It's more of a multitool than just a knife, but I've found that I use the knife way more often than any other feature. It makes me sad that some people are afraid of a utility knife. What has the world come to?

I forgot to mention that the quote is from the book The Supper of the Lamb, an amazing meditation on food and life by a Episcopalian priest, first published in 1969.

I'm a woman, but I usually carry a Swiss army knife, except when I'm traveling by plane. It has knives, scissors, screwdrivers, a corkscrew, and even a tiny flashlight. I love it, it makes me SO happy every time I get to use it!

A man who carries a Swiss army knife? Oh yes.

i suppose the grandfather would never sit down to supper with his baseball cap on his head (in fact, i am certain he did not own such a hideous item) and treated everyone with respect. what a lovely notion; how sad, by contrast, is our world today.

thank you for a charming post.

I remember sitting down to lunch on the college campus, and a woman sitting next to me was complaining no one should bring knives because the school has a no weapon policy, something about how she was a pacifist and she would rather not carry a knife or pepper spray and just Believe she would never get raped than carry things to defend herself. I believe five of us were sitting there, and the rest of us whipped out knives, and started comparing/discussing them. She looked put out, and argued we shouldn't have weapons on campus. I think the rest of us agreed at the table, having a knife on your person just comes in handy. I don't carry a knife on me with the intent to do malicious deeds with it, and I'm sure the rest of the people sitting at the table didn't either. Most of the time I use my knife to cut brownies or apples in half to share with my son.

My favorite quote from Jules Verne's Clipper in the Clouds- ‎"An American who has not a bowie-knife is no longer an American." Something about that sentiment is just so charming to me.

Knives- especially small utility knives - are just so darn useful. I have one with a knife, scissors, and a screwdriver on it, and it gets used more often than you would believe.

Humans are tool users. It's worth carrying a bit of that history around in your pocket.

I once bought a 18th-century-style penknife at a reenactment and used to use it quite a bit - for cutting sticks and apples and just to have, just in case. But now I can't seem to find it and this article reminded me of this! I'll have to go search for it now. Or maybe just buy a newer, sleeker, vintage-styled one. :)

Having a pocket knife always on you is like always having pieces of string or a flashlight or tape somewhere nearby. You never know when you're going to have to cut, tie, illuminate, or fix something!

I loved this post. My father still carries a small knife similar to the one in the picture with him at all times (except the airport). It's a beautiful antique that used to belong to his father and has a mother of pearl handle. He uses it for cutting things in the woods or for cutting an apple up on a car trip, like a gentleman as many described. It's funny that this post should appear because my husband and I have been talking about this subject on and off for the past several months and he recently bought a sleek stainless steal knife and carries it with him (today he used it to cut a pumpkin off the vine). I'm now on the lookout for my own, only I want an antique one like my dad's.

what a lovely post, and so true. My Dad and grandpa, as do almost all my uncles, cousins and brothers carry pocket knives. Some with polished wooden handles, other steel/graphite. It's just plain handy. and I'll admit, as a girl I've carried the mini-swiss army knife in my purse for years. Super handy that knife, sissors, nail file, tweezer device. (though the tooth pick is long gone)

I've carried the same well-worn and well-loved pocket knife for almost 20 years (I'm female). I get twitchy when it's not with me (such as when I travel by plane--I don't check any luggage)! In the last 24 hours I've used it to dig a carrot out of the ground, open a box, cut packaging tape, split a keyring to add a key, remove a sliver, and cut an apple in half (after "cleaning" it with spit). If I ever get married, the guy will absolutely HAVE to be a pocket knife believer...

Love Robert Farrar Capon, and this particular book--one of my favorites! Thanks for pulling out this particular gem of a quote. Reminds me I've been meaning to get a nice knife for myself.

I was in college before I encountered a man without a knife. I was completely baffled. In my family, a man without a knife is like a man without a...uh, other basic equipment. Anachronistic, yes. Class & regional, too. But handy!

My dad grew up in a similar era and gave me a very small (rather benign) Swiss Army knife when I was about 7. I was kind of shocked that he'd trust me with such a thing, but he taught me to use it and I felt really strong and capable carrying it around. I felt so grown up tromping around the woods with him, helping to cut branches fallen in the walking path or strip wood into small twigs for a fire. Much later, probably for Christmas around age 20, he gave me a more serious and multi-faceted Leatherman knife. I still use it, all the time. I think it's important to have a reverence for the pocketknife, which is always useful, and a respect for the traditions tied to it.

dude, that apple has seen better DAYS!

I carry a small knife with me in my bag wherever I take it, and it has been handy on a number of occasions. It's only a 3" blade, which is the maximum permitted under UK law, but that's all you need.

I don't understand why people think they're dangerous. When it comes down to it, anything can be used as a weapon. I have on me now a set of keys, a belt, a decent pen, a tie, and a pair of good leather shoes. I could quite conceivably kill a person with any of these things, or my bare hands even! I choose not to use these to cause harm, and by carrying a knife, I am no more likely to assault someone!

Can anyone tell me what the brand of the pictured pocketknife is? When my father passed away last year, the one thing of his I wanted to keep was his pocketknife, which he had carried for as long as I remember. It has the same crown logo as the knife in the picture, but with a metal handle.

What he used it for - sharpening pencils, cleaning his nails, taking cuttings of interesting plants, shredding wood for tinder, removing splinters, cutting ties on strawbales, slicing cheese...

helianthemum- looks like a robeson crown knife to me?

Oh nevermind.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Small-Pocket-Knife-/180569908868?pt=Collectible_Knives&hash=item2a0ace2684

http://cgi.ebay.com/Imperial-USA-an-emblem-Crown-2-bld-pocket-knife-/140461957136?pt=Collectible_Knives&hash=item20b42f6010

Really it is rather beautiful.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Nice-Imperial-Fishing-Knife-/270643064271?pt=Collectible_Knives&hash=item3f03956dcf

Thank you! I checked the blade and it's definitely an Imperial. It looks a lot like this one:
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_7mCb9xZAae8/ScTG1EWhYLI/AAAAAAAAAJ4/_2Z0A7-Pogc/s1600-h/imerial-pocket-knife.jpg

Meanwhile, I have my 20-year-old Victorinox "Scientist" model in my pocket. The magnifying glass isn't much use but it amuses me.