i haven't done any good carving in a while, and while sitting at a yard sale, i thought i would do some carving using my Rough Rider stockman knife. i carved a nice face in the cedar wood, but soon after i realized i had created a huge blister on my left thumb. i used my thumb to apply pressure to the spine of the knife while carving. 

is there a way to avoid this? did i do something wrong while carving? any solution, or suggestion would be appreciated.

thanks…