The Sound of a Hammer and Anvil

I have been doing lots of smithing. I love the sound of the hammer hitting hot metal on the big old anvil, that nice bright ringing sound. I ought to be using ear protcetion, and I do on heavier things. But I'm doing double pointed knitting needles now, in both silver and bronze. All size #1. I've got other sizes in the works too, but today its size #1's. Which are slender.
Heating and pounding on metal is fun. It becomes as ductile as, say, modeling clay. I hammer on the rod...make, lets see, a squared off design in cross-section. Then when I heat up one little spot with the oxy-propane torch I can twist the metal in just that spot. And it makes such wonderful patterns. I can stop and spot heat and twist the other way. I can do layers of patterning, one over the other, to get more complex and interesting designs. Or I can keep it simple. The twists in the middle of the needle shafts keep the yarn from sliding off too easily. Since what I do is just like jewelry work, the final shine I put on, with jeweler's rouge, is really shiny.
While I'm on a flagrant 'brag' here, my poetry is on my web site, and John has recorded me reading a number of them. You might like Interisland Ferry. http://www.celticswan.com/poems.htm is where you can find them.
Back to the smithy! Ding, ding, ding!!!