NEW AUCTION, this time for a Hookus Pokus

Ok so a few weeks back I had a request from a vary famous and good lookin crocheter, for a magic wand / crochet hook for her daughter who is a fan of a certain wizard who is the central character in a series of books and recent movies.  I won't mention  character's name because I have no affiliation with the owner of the character and no wish to provoke a spell on my little business. 

Ah but there may well be those who would like to be able to cast spells and crochet at the same time.... so.......

See, from this side, it's just an ordinary everyday magic wand, made especially magic by the fact that it was borne of the famous old apple tree on the Jimbo ranch and was selected from dead branches that have been pruned from the generous old tree by either a deer or a bear collecting apples.   Ah but turn it 90 degrees and you get....

sorry about the color change.  I NEVER can get two pictures the same color!

A Hookus Pokus! 

I'm going to auction this hook off and end the bidding on Friday the 20th just to add a little more superstition in the mix (did you know that Friday, January 20 is a magical day?)  Me either.  heh  So cast aside your doubts, conjure up your bid and send it to me, not by owl (way too slow for out of country bidders), but via the e-magical way at jimbocrochetwhittler@yahoo.com , and letting me know your bid. I'll post bids as they come in and run the auction until Magic Friday at the wizardly hour of 10pm Pacific Time. Please bid in $5 increments. Ties will be broken by the time the bids are received. The first bid received in a tie wins.

OH and did I mention that the pokus end is roughly a K sizewise and without an expandus alongus spell, it's roughly 9 3/4 inches of hooky magic.
And did I mention that I crocheted with it and it works like a charm!

Bids:
Shazam!  A bid appears!! 

Sharon goes $25
Grace conjures up $30
Carla:  $35 and a little pixy dust
Medora: $40
Georgiana :  $50











.

And the winner is.. ... ......

(Granddaughter Chloe showing off her crocheted mittens and cap, while at the same time congratulating the winner of this contest)

With all the double entries for some really great stories of embarrassing crochet moments, we had entries by email and posted comment (only one entry per person was counted and of those, the folks who related embarrassing stories got an extra entry each). So I used a random number generator to pick a number from the total number of entries. The number picked, and I didn't believe it at first so I had it run again to see, because it picked the very last number.

So the winner is the contestant who said if she won she hoped there would be someone around who knows cpr. Well Jackie, I hope you have a very good looking cpr caregiver handy because YOU WON!!!

Please email me, Jackie and let me know an address where the hook should be mailed.

And thanks everyone for your entries and stories.

I promise more contests in the future, so please don't despair.

Oh... and the auction is now ended as well. I'll be in touch with the high bidders.

Thanks again entering my contest.  I really appreciate your participation!

Jimbo

Jimbo Hook Give-away and AUCTION is OVER ... THANK YOU ALL!

CONTEST WINNER IS JACKIE S. (SEE HER ENTRY, THE LAST POST IN THE COMMENT SECTION BELOW)

It's been awhile since I gave a hook away and I'm feeling guilty for waiting so long, so I made one of THE most beautiful hooks evah to give away in a contest that starts today. The HOOK? It's at the top of the page. Talk about chatoyance, this one is the MOTHER of chatoyance. You can see so deep into this hook and the grain figure just dances as your turn it in the light. Oh its a beauty alright. Its made of figured Maple and it's a K sizewise (6.5mm) if you're ever able to stop staring at the grain and actually use it to crochet.
Ok, how to do the contest. Of course I'll end up doing the thing by random number drawing but to make it more fun, how about if we ask our entrants to tell us all about their most embarrassing crochet moment. Now don't think you HAVE to tell us anything, simply posting a comment or emailing me will get you into the contest, but those who have a little story (please keep it short)will get entered twice.
Enter (one entry per person, please) by commenting below here or by emailing me at

jimbocrochetwhittler@yahoo.com

We'll run the contest for one week, till Monday, January 16.

Now for the auction part, more beauties! Lets start with the next hook down from the contest hook, and number it hook #1

Hook #1 is made from the venerable Deadman Crick Apple tree and it's a beauty. It's made with a flat foot so it will stand on it's own. It's signed and labled with the hook size...I (5.5mm) and some of the cambium layer remains at the foot to keep the old Apple Tree's character. This is an extraordinary hook, and is all the more special to me because it's been made in partnership with the old tree. The tree made the wood, I made the hook. Oh and it's a nice length..8" long.

Hook #2 (the next one down from the Deadman I) is another I (5.5mm) and is also made from the famous Deadman Crick Apple tree. This one is also a beauty, but a little shorter at about 7 1/2 inches and a bit thinner. A real beauty!

Hook #3 is not from the Crick. It came up here all the way from South America. It's a long ways from its parent Panamanian Rosewood tree, but I'm glad it came my way and decided to become a beautiful size F (3.75mm). This wood is very hard but reasonably light weight, plus it's beautiful. The hook is 7 inches long.

And we come to hook #4, and unless I don't rember correctly, it's the smallest size hook I've ever made. If not, it's a VERY rare Jimbo hook. It's made of the same Panamanian Rosewood as Hook #3, but from a more colorful part of the wood. The finish is also glossy. And the size? Well just a D is all (3.25mm). Tiny and like I say.... VERY rare for a Jimbo hook. Oh and it's also 7 inches long.

Ok here's how we do bids. You can bid on any one or more of these hooks simply be e-mailing me at http://www.blogger.com/jimbocrochetwhittler@yahoo.com , and letting me know your bid. I'll post bids as they come in and run the auction until Monday, same as the contest, Jan. 16. The auction will close at 10pm Pacific Std Time on that date. Please bid in $5 increments. Ties will be broken by the time the bids are received. The first bid received in a tie wins.

Bids:

Hook #1
Christie bids $10
Carla up's it to $25
Georgiana bumps it a little to, oh, just $50!! WOOOHOO!! SOLD

Hook #2
Sheri bids $5
Karen bids $25
Andrew goes $35
Karen bumps it up to $40
Andrew is back with $45 SOLD




Hook #3
Rita bids $20
Debbie goes $30 SOLD


Hook #4
Barbara bids $30
Lani goes to $40 SOLD


Thanks, everyone for dropping by... hope you enjoy the contest!

Jimbo

COMING SOON TO A JIMBO'S FRONT PORCH NEAR YOU... A CONTEST AND AUCTION!!

[the Ranch this Christmas.. not a lot of snow but purty just the same]



JUST A WORD OF WARNING. ITS BEEN AWHILE SINCE I HAD A CONTEST FOR A JIMBO HOOK, AND EVEN LONGER SINCE WE HAD AN AUCTION. I'LL BE DOING BOTH THIS COMING MONDAY (JAN.9). PLEASE MAKE IT A POINT TO DROP BY AND ENTER THE CONTEST OR BID ON A HOOK OR BOTH. TILL THEN, HAVE THE BEST WEEKEND EVER!


Jimbo

A Jimbo Family Christmas

Christmas 2011 was the first I've spent at the Ranch since I lived there back in the early 50's. It's been something I've looked forward to for lots of years so you can imagine how special it was to spend it there with Karol, the kids and grandkids.
So, the morning of the eve of Christmas Eve (one of my favorite days), we went on a mission: the Christmas Tree hunt. All of us wanted to cut a tree on the ranch. None of those store-bought trees for us!

Here are my son, Clint and grandson Clinton discussing the attributes of the tree selection. Twas almost disappointing finding a tree because it was so much fun trudging around in the snow looking for one. We ran across lots of deer and bunny tracks.

We found one! Now Clinton gets the honor with his shiny new folding saw. He's so scrunched up under the tree that you can hardly see him. Look hard, he's there. And he made short work of the trunk. In no time at all we have....

The hunters with their trophy tree, now all's left is the happy trek back to the cabin where a warm fire and hot chocolate wait.

Twas a short hike over the spring and across the meadow to the cabin. And the result....

A truly old fashioned REAL Christmas Tree. No fancy plastic made in China tree for the Ranch... oh no. We have a real genuine Deadman Crick Fir tree with all the Christmas smells and scarce branches along with a few pine needle decorations donated by a neighbor pine tree, envious of the little fir, but probably a bit proud too. So we added a few decorations of our own....

And, on Christmas Eve, we had a gathering of family. Don't remember a happier Christmas Eve...

And then of course, Santa somehow got wind of the change in location from our city homes to the Ranch, and got extra good cookies and milk for his effort. He must have been pleased because he remembered us all...

I'm hoping you had a wonderful Christmas too. Thanks for letting me share ours.
Jimbo

A Custom Order (showing off)

Just finished this custom hook. First time I've inlaid a stone. Pretty eh? That reflection is actually sunlight! The wood is Panamanian Rosewood.

Hooks and news

Welp, we're back from the SUNNY Caribbean.  That's our boat in the distance, Jimbo feet in the foreground, and in between; Karol frolicking in the most amazingly blue water I've ever seen.

  It was a fun cruise, but I missed my whittling blades.  Ah but all was not lost in the sand and beautiful blue water.  I crocheted!!  Yup, I actually made a couple of scarves.  Well I call them scarves.  Some might call them something less than scarves, but hay, I gave them my full attention for like hours.  I'll show you the result along with the hook I used.   And let me say this about my crocheting.  I LOVE that hook!  It certainly wasn't the hook's fault that the scarves look like fishing nets that "Jaws" got tangled in.  No, the hook actually works amazingly well for a totally hand carved hook.  Why, then, you ask, are you selling it?  Look at what I made.  That hook deserves better.  But you can see what open lacey work it might be able to do in the right hands..

Here's one of the hook with my "artwork"....

I know, I know... stick to hook making.  I agree.  But the hook is a beauty and it's for sale.  It's made from the bramble bush up on Deadman Crick; whittled from a dead branch with lots of little bug trails.  Evidently little bugs don't mind the thorns.  I left their tracks and filled the deeper ones with the white filler you see.  I thought the bug trails were interesting enough to leave and besides, I wanted a big hook.  Plus the shape of the stick just fit my hand so well that I just couldn't bring myself to cut deeper.
So the hook ended up at 15.6 mm.  That's in the Q neighborhood.  big, eh?  Nice for FAST gift making.
I'll let this well traveled "Carib" hook go for $35. (SOLD)

Now for something totally new.

A spiffy shawl pin.  I've been tossing around idea for novel shawl pins and this is what I came up with.  Actually it's not totally new.  I came up with the idea while getting ready for my button and shawl pin carving class in October, and liked it so well that I've made several.  You see one here, but there are others.  I have an inventory well into the fives.  Not all look exactly like this one, but they're all similar in the captured post aspect.  All are made of spalted Aspen from the crick.  Different pins though.  This one is made from Montana Juniper.  Beautiful!  You see it in action above, trying really hard to make my crocheted scarf look good.  These beauties are a little over 2 inches in diameter, and the post in the center is shy of a 1/2 inch in diameter.
Price:  $25 (Two sold but more left)

And here's another, of the standard Jimbo freeform variety shawl pin.  It's made of wood from the venerable Apple Tree from up on the ranch, and is oh about 5 1/4 inches long.  So smooth I don't want to put it down.  But for YOU?  $20 (Sold)

Tis the season to be jolly, and here come some more Jimbo Crimmis hooks.  This time with a little more variety, as you can see....

These Jolly little hooks are here to get you into the spirit and make your Christmas gift making all the more fun.  They're fully functional hooks with a little bit of Christmas added. 

Lets start with the standard old run-o-the-mill Jimbo Crimmis hook at the bottom.  This hook is made of maple and has a genuine Christmas tree light removably attached to the foot.  You can take the bulb out if you like, or leave it in while you're making auntie Flo's Christmas scarf.  It's a 7mm, and without the bulb, is 7 1/2 inches long.
Price:  $35

Next up is the Green Ball hook.  It's also made of Maple, but has a decorative green glass ball on the foot.  The ball can be removed should you like, for off season crochet.  It's an N (10mm) and is about 7 3/4 inches long without the ball. 
Price:  $35

Now here's a really special hook.  It's made of maple, but has an intricately turned Christmas tree on the foot.  The tree is an integral part of the hook.  It's all one piece of wood.  No dowels, no lamination, no glue... just one stick of wood.  I was thinking of painting the tree, but Karol thought it would be a shame to cover that pretty wood, so I left it.  It's an L and is 8 1/2 inches long.  Unique.
Price:  $45 (SOLD)

And now the Red Ball hook.  This one is made from a wood that looks strikingly like Mahogany but isn't.  Might be a cousin of mahogany, but this is Lyptus, a very nice hardwood used in fine furniture and what's nice is that it's a sustainable hardwood.  Beautiful and unique grain with lots of "chatoyance".  It's a 7mm size and is 8 inches long including the ball.  Oh and the ball is glued in because the base was slightly smaller than the mounting hole, so a friction fit wasn't possible.  In short, the bal and hook are inseparable.
Price:  $35 (SOLD)

And how about these......

MORE!!  And they're all for sale!

Let's start at the top with this HUGE but very functional hook.  This monster is made from Deadman Crick Red Fir so it's fairly light for the size.  It's a whopping 1.5 inches in diameter.  The idea in making this hook was to provide a useful HUGE hook that wasn't Tunisian, so you can crochet with it in a normal fashion.  This biggie welcomes multiple strand, super chunky yarns without even a whimper.  And smooooooth?  Man oh Man!  Oh, and it's 9 1/4 inches long.  This is a REALLY unique hook that will definitely turn eyes at your crochet clutch.
Son of Dippy Price: $45 (SOLD)

Moving down from Son of Dippy, we have a succession of Beech hooks, three to be more specific.  Beech is a beautiful but tough wood that is often used in tool handles and wood working benches.  I like Beech for it's strength to weight ratio.  Very light, very strong.
The top Beech is a J (6mm) and is 7 1/4 inches long (gifted)
The middle Beech is an H and is a little over 8 inches long (SOLD)
The bottom Beech is an F (3 3/4 mm) and is 7 1/4 inches long
Price:  $25 each or $70 for the set

Down from the Beech group, we have a little hook that's a bit of a mystery to me.  I know the wood came from up on the Ranch, but I don't know the species.  Frustrating.  Anyways the wood is pretty, light weight, and is 7 1/4 inches long.  Slender, for a Jimbo hook, eh? 
Price:  $20 (SOLD)

The bottom hook is one of the most strikingly beautiful woods just ever.  It's , (Dalbergia cochinchinensis of the family Leguminosae)  and is also known as Siam Rosewood.  It's just amazingly beautiful. Color  and grain pattern with chatoyance is the most breathtaking.  A big drawback to a hook like this is that you'll loose crochet time just turning and looking at the hook instead of your project.
It's an H (5mm) and is 8 inches long.
Price:  $50 (SOLD)

Ok now lets move to the left side of the photo where we find a size 7 stand-up hook and a 7.5mm egg hook.
The size 7 stand-up hook is made of  a beautiful Deadman Crick Apple Wood and can stand on it's flat foot to become a little piece of sculpture.  While standing, this little hook reaches a whopping 7 inches tall.  And believe it or not, when it's laying down, its 7 inches long!  heh
Price:  $20 (sold)

The egg hook is made of good ole Deadman Crick Maple and is of the "Egg" hook variety.  Frankly, this is my favorite hook style because the bulb fits so well in my hand.  I especially like the little dark oval, which is really part of the cambium layer.   This hook is so comfortable using that you'll probably become mesmerized and crochet right through your private polo lesson.  Size is 7.5 mm (between a K and L) and it's 5 inches long.  If you're an over hand crocheter and experience hand pain, this style hook could be the answer to your dreams.
Price:  $30 (SOLD)

Last, we have the hook on the right side of the picture.  Lets call it Right Hook.  This hook is made from Thunder Plum, a wood I've made several hooks from and that I rescued from certain cremation at our local "waste-to-energy" waste disposal plant.  An iinteresting cambium layer and bark pattern helps make this stand up hook a totally unique look.  It's an H (5mm) and stands 7 inches tall.  Lay it down and it sure enough becomes 7 inches LONG.  ha  got you again!
Price: $30 (SOLD)

So there you have it.  Everything you need to fill your Christmas list!  All hand made.  All unique.

If you'd like to purchase one or more of these items. please drop me an email at 

jimbocrochetwhittler@yahoo.com

Thanks!  and Happy Thanksgiving!!
Jimbo