CarlMichael Almqvist is a Swedish knifemaker based in Gävle. Born in Ethiopia in 1963, he moved with his family to Sweden in 1976 and made his first knife at the age of 15. What began as an early interest in craft developed into a long-term practice focused on individually made knives, traditional Scandinavian materials, and functional art.
Almqvist’s knives are strongly influenced by Swedish and Sámi craft traditions. He frequently works with curly birch, reindeer antler, mammoth tusk, Damascus steel, and other natural materials, combining them with carefully shaped handles and hand-fitted leather sheaths. His approach reflects the individual character of handmade custom knives, where material selection, proportion, finish, and decorative detail are developed as part of a single composition.
A distinctive feature of Almqvist’s work is the lion-and-cM mark used on his handmade sheaths. The lion refers to his childhood in Ethiopia and has become a personal symbol associated with his work. His portfolio includes Nordic knives, horn knives, utility knives, art knives, folding knives, Damascus pieces, and one-of-a-kind collector projects.
Almqvist has been active in the Swedish Knifemaker’s Association since the 1990s, serving in several leadership roles and becoming chairman in 2024. In 2022 he was inducted into the association’s Ärans Hus, or Hall of Honor, in recognition of his long contribution to Swedish knifemaking and his work sharing technical knowledge with other makers.
His competition record includes numerous Swedish Championship awards across art, traditional, horn, folding, hunting, and collaborative knife categories. Among his more recent achievements are second place in the 2022 Swedish Championship Fantasy class and first place in the Full Antler Knife category in 2024. His work has also been featured in the French knife publication Excalibur.
