Dollieh Sanctuary

What should I look for in a carving knife to work on pine and basswood?

And it would be very helpful if the knife is good for small hands. I have a palm set and the cheap a$$ strait handled set they sell with a block of wood at the hobby store. I'd like to have a good knife to work on wooden dolls with.

I like Warrens. The handle felt good in my hand and they have a number of sizes and shapes to choose from . The handles are separate from the blades. http://www.littleshavers.com/CatalogPage29.html More important than the knife is good hand protection. I suggest a Kevlar glove and a thumb protector.

I was able to find the Darice (less pricey) version of the Xacto multi head 3 handle knife set at the local hobby store (real model train, cars, dollhouse place so I trust them). I tried them out yesterday and got good enough results. If I get more serious I'll look in to a Warrens set, the prices aren't bad.

At the moment I'm at the level of not sure how in to this I am but I'd like to try and finish at least one. It's running in to my lack of skills and experience so it'll take awhile.

Also got a vice grip hand drill to make joint holes. I feel I can control that better for joint holes.