Rope and Knot Work One day in the summer of 2012, I was watching YouTube videos on survival skills. When I was searching in sugested videos, I found how to make a bracelet and sell them. I started looking more and more and found "kevingg2000". He made all sorts of bracelets and I learned how to tie them on a few other of his videos. I found his site (paracordist.com). Having recently set up a facebook, I searched him on facebook and found his updates and liked his page. I was inspired even more to make and sell bracelets. To this day trying to get a business licence and have a business like his.
Knives Later in that year I found "epicfantasy." (Looking back he IS NOT the recommended teacher as I find him quite annoying and he unintentionally gives misinformation.) He had videos about blacksmithing and bladesmithing (both by forge and by stock removal methods). He provided most of my basic knowledge for about a year while I continued to look for more sources. In 2013, I made my first knife. I used a 1x30 grinder, Home Depot welding steel, and a "forge." (Burning charcoal without an air source in a cube of bricks doesn't really qualify to me as a forge anymore.) The edge was at a 45 degree angle... per side. This, of course, would be unacceptable now. I highly recommend the following YouTube Channels as good sources for blade/blacksmithing;
Purgatoryironworks
3riverblades
Gavko (Gavkoknives)
Cutlerylover (For sharpening)
PaveCustomKnives
Green Beatle
Pave Custom Knives
and of course my channel, Paracorder, and many more that I either don't have the name to or I saw in passing.