Two extraordinary hooks are SOLD auction is closed

Cathy gets the Cosmos
Ada gets the Lacewood!



Click on the image to enlarge and be amazed at the grain of the Cosmos hook (top and the Lacewood Beauty (bottom)


(an end view of the Cosmos in the Cosmos Hook)


On a whim, I decided to give Lacewood a try as a hook material. Lacewood is one of my favorite woods, probably because I really favor the Arts and Crafts movement which was afloat with quarter sawn woods, especially white oak. Lacewood has natural radial grain fleck that reminds me of the good old days. Beautiful grain that will take you back to the old schoolhouse. And its a really nice lightweight hook to boot. Its an H and is 6 3/4 inches long.


In the beginning.....(que the opening symphony from "2001 a Space Odyssey") an unpretentious little tree in an unassuming corner of the U.S. on the blue planet Earth, grew a branch that was destined to become....... THE COSMOS HOOK ook ook (those are echoes if you didn't guess). Many things that aspire to greatness have humble origins (didn't someone say that once?) and so it was with this incredible hook. Humble beginnings....I ALMOST put this hook in the scrap bin because it has a hairline crack that runs through a tiny knot near the thumbrest. But something, intuition maybe, suggested that I sand it down anyway to see if I could smooth the wood to a point where the crack couldn't be felt. That happened, and it was good. The crack is still there but you have to look for it and I can't feel it. Anyways, that taken care of, I started looking closer at the grain, especially the grain at the end of the handle. And what came to mind as the end grain image began to appear, were those impossibly beautiful pictures sent back to us from the Hubble Telescope. Primal soup... all on the end of a little unassuming crochet hook.
And on top of that.. what's amazing too is the shape of the hook. Sure it looks to you like an ordinary old Jimbo style hook in the picture. But if you roll the hook on a flat table, the pointed end will move closer to and further from the table surface...indicating that the hook has a slight bend (about a 1/4 inch along the length). Now I don't know about you, but I've found that hooks with a slight bend handle vastly better than straight hooks, IF the hook is properly oriented with respect to the bend. Must have been fate.. because I was able to place the hook in the right spot, and I tell you what... well you just have to experience it for yourself.
I could go on... but the Smithsonian might get wind of this and try to talk me out of selling to a crochetier... so I'll just end by telling you that technically, this little chunk of the cosmos is an H and is 6 5/8 inches long.


Bids... I'll take them till this coming Monday (May 12) night 10pm. Bids can be emailed to me at



jimbocrochetwhittler@yahoo.com

And don't forget chophooks are still available and will be till i can't whittle or a cure for FA is found.. so please consider buying one or several. Just email me of your intention, use the paypal donation button and add "ataxia" as your middle name* and bingo you get a chophook.
*some who have paypal accounts can't add the "ataxia" but if you just let me know about your chophook order by email, all will be well.

And thanks once again for visiting!
Jimbo

Bids:

Cosmos Hook:
D.D. bids $20
Cathy sees the nebula... $25


Lacewood Hook:
and for balance in the Cosmos..D.D. bids $20 on this one too
Ada takes us to $25
Heather goes $40
Ada's back and bumps her bid to $42










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Let the Bidding End, eh? Auction is over, Kathryn gets the hook!


(click image to enlarge)

If you were involved in the Traveling Hook III project, you'll know this wood and how nice it feels. Its Redheart and for a store bought wood, its by far my favorite hook wood. Its beautiful to look at, silky smooth to the touch, and VERY lightweight for a hardwood.. all qualities of a great hook.
This is a J hook and is oh maybe 6 3/4 inches long.

So here's the deal.

This is a very short auction... twill be done tomorrow night!! (Wednesday May 7 , 10pm Pacific Std time) So think fast!


As always you can email your bids to me at

jimbocrochetwhittler@yahoo.com

And don't forget chophooks are still available and will be till i can't whittle or a cure for FA is found.. so please consider buying one or several. Just email me of your intention, use the paypal donation button and add "ataxia" as your middle name* and bingo you get a chophook.
*some who have paypal accounts can't add the "ataxia" but if you just let me know about your chophook order by email, all will be well.

Have a great week end!
Jimbo

Bids:
Kathryn's the first (and only) bidder so far... $25
Tracy's back for more.... $30
Kathryn counters with $35!



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Gotcher Jimbo hooks here!! Auction Is CLOSED!! see high bidders below

(wanna see detail? Click on the image)


Besides chophooks, which are selling well thank you and please buy more, PLEASE, we have for your consideration, 4 hooks of some merit up for bids to help put a roof over Jimbo's whittlin porch up on the Crick.

Starting at the bottom we have a Cherry Egg hook, a beauteous thing, that's five inches long and a K sizewise. This is such a comfortable hook for overhand hookers that, well you just have to experience the thing.

Next up the column is another Cherry hook... this one in the trademark Jimbo style and WAY lightweight and comfy. Its an H, is 7 inches long, and it fits MY hand like a glove.

Third up from the bottom is a Salmon colored chunk of Pacific Yew that decided to become a drop dead gorgeous K hook, standing proud at 7 5/8 inches long. You might know that Pacific Yew is famous for helping treat cancer. Taxol, a chemical found in Yew, is now synthesized but used to be that Yew was harvested and processed for cancer treatment. It was also and still is used for bowmaking (archery), and now this remarkable piece has broadened the usefulness of Yew into the vast reaches of the Jimbo Hook industry ("vast" meaning my pants size). I mean afterall... it HAD to become a hook. Look at it this way. Its Yew.. Yew is pronounced the same as Ewe, where wool comes from. Wool makes yarn. Yarn gets made into wondrous things by crochet hooks. I rest my case.

And finally, sitting on the top is another K hook.. this one made from good ole Deadman Crick Briar (or Hazlenut.. can't remember). Its very close sizewise to the Yew hook, as you can see. The wood in this one is a Whitetail Deer color.. and even has a little white chunk on the handle end like the deer. Little flecks of dark grain and a knot or two (with beautiful surrounding grain flowing around the dark center) make this a really pretty hook.

And don't forget chophooks are still available and will be till i can't whittle or a cure for FA is found.. so please consider buying one or several. Just email me of your intention, use the paypal donation button and add "ataxia" as your middle name* and bingo you get a chophook.
*some who have paypal accounts can't add the "ataxia" but if you just let me know about your chophook order by email, all will be well.

Ok on to the auction. Lets close this one next Wednesday, April 30 at 10pm. And as always, you can send your bids by email to me at...

jimbocrochetwhittler@yahoo.com

I'll try to post bids as they come in.

And thanks for stopping by. As one of my favorite old coot relatives would say, "Come on back when you can stay longer!"

Jimbo

Bids:

Cherry Egg:
Cathy wants another Egg Hook...$10
Joann: $20

Cherry Trademark Jimbo (2nd up from the Egg hook):
Pat bids $10
JoAnn's BACK! $25


Yew Beauty:
Erin bids $15
Tara raises to $18
Cherri goes to $25
Susan raises to $31

Whitetail Hook:
Barb J bids $15
Christina bumps it to $20
Jane goes to $25






















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HOME SPUN HOOKS auction over..Kathryn, Valerie and Kathy get the hooks!


Three more up for bids, kids! All three of these are from branches of trees in my back yard, that have cured oh so long (at least it seems that way when you're anxiously waiting). But they were worth the wait.

The top hook is one of THE most interesting pieces of wood I've come across. Its from a decorative tree in my back yard and I've no clue what its called. But the wood is just amazing. The dark part you see would normally be what I call punk.. you know that soft center you find especially in like rose bushes? Well this might be called punk, but its not soft at all.. plus it has this little red tint around the edges. And the grain is very pronounced and tight. Just a beautiful hook. Oh yeah..its an H with a thumb rest, and is 6 3/4 inches long.

The middle hook is another interesting one. Ever see "blued" pine... you know the stuff with the wood grain that has turned a sort of grayish blue? Well this is the birch equvalent. The darker streak you see that takes up the shank and hook tip also runs the length of the handle, next to the usual creamy white maple color. The hook almost floats away, it's so light and it just seems to cuddle with my hand. It's an H too, and has a thumb rest. It too is 6 3/4 inches long. I don't plan these things folks... they just come out this way sometimes.

Now the bottom hook... the baratone of the bunch. Amazing grain eh? Well this is an egg hook (haven't done one for a spell so i thought i'd make one to refresh your memory. This style of hook is held in your palm and is gripped by the pinky and ring finger... leaving the index and middle finger free for yarn manipulating. If you want an idea of the grip size, grab an extra large AA grade egg, its about the same size. And the grain contrast is, well you can clearly see how fascinating THAT is. Oh yeah, and if you look close in the picture you can see a filled crack down toward the bottom of the image. Kinda cool, i think... I filled it with "bondo" which is a filler used normally for filling dents in cars. Works good on hooks too.
This hook is a little shy of 5 inches long and is a snug M on my Bates gauge.

So there you go. Lets do this one kinda quick too... and close the auction this Thursday April 17th at 10pm Pacific Std time.

You can send bids, as always to me at

jimbocrochetwhittler@yahoo.com

I'll try to post bids as they come in.

And don't forget that you can still order Chophooks. You gotta have a chophook (and make something really kewel with it) if you ever plan on being selected for the incredible honor of being the CHOPHOOKER OF THE WEEK OR WHENEVER. JUST 4 EASY STEPS:

1 GET A CHOPHOOK (BY MAKING A $10 MINIMUM DONATION TO FREIDREICH'S ATAXIA RESEARCH ALLIANCE... WHICH YOU CAN DO BY USING THE "MAKE A DONATION" BUTTON IN THIS BLOG, AND WRITING IN "ATAXIA" AS YOUR MIDDLE THERE IS TO IT! SO HURRY AND GET YOUR CHOPHOOK AND START COMPETING!

2. MAKE SOMETHING REALLY KEWEL WITH YOUR CHOPHOOK, THEN

3. EMAIL ME A PICTURE OF WHAT YOU MADE, ALONG WITH YOUR CHOPHOOK.. AND PREFERABLY WITH YOU IN THE PICTURE AS WELL..AND REMEMBER THE DECENCY RULE.... YOU MUST WEAR SOCKS.

4. WAIT PATIENTLY AND CHECK BACK OFTEN TO SEE IF YOU BECOME ONE OF THE CHOSEN FEW(TRACY IS VERY FIRST CHOPHOOK GIRL... YOU COULD JOIN HER ON THAT LOFTY PERCH).
AND THAT'S ALL

thanks for dropping by!
JIMBO


Bids:
Top hook
Ms Erin bids $15
Valerie goes $20
Kathryn ups it to $25


Middle Hook
Jane goes 10 bucks on the middle one
Kathy S goes to $15
Valerie bumps to $20


Egg hook
Kathy S says $15 here too




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AMAZING APRICOT (AUCTION CLOSED SALLY IS HIGH BIDDER)
Thanks for bidding, everyone!

(please PLEASE click on this image and check the grain of this amazing hook up close!)

This K hook is made from Apricot. I "liberated" the wood from my old boss's neighbor's firewood pile. Say what you will about exotic woods; the Bubinga, Cocobolo, Pink Ivory... this humble chunk of firewood has them all on their knees! The figure in this hook is so distinctive that you catch yourself looking for little images in the grain.... i found an image of a Loon swimming toward me in a little spot on the shank.
Just can't say enough... and if you're high bidder, you'll see what I mean.

So lets make this a short auction, and after this I'll have a few more beauties for your collections.

I'll announce details in a little while. Please check back.

Ok i'm back! Had to go turn a bowl for my sis Sandy's Birthday. Turned out pretty nice.. i made it from a chunk of aspen that blew over up on the Ranch. She loves anything that comes fromt the ranch.

ok back to biddness:
Lets run this auction till Sunday night (April 13) 10pm Pacific Std time.. so bid away. Oh yeah, where to send your bids. Email them to me at

jimbocrochetwhittler@yahoo.com

I'll try to post bids as they come in.



BIDS ON APRICOT HOOK:
Tracy...$20
Sheila sees Tracy's $20 and raises to $25
Jane raises to $30
But here comes Sally with $35



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THREE FOR THE PORCH (AUCTION OVER)


(click image to see detail)

Three more up for bids!!
Here we have some really pretty woods, one exotic and two from the crick.

The top hook, (hook A) is made of Pink Ivory. This is just beautiful wood and the hook came out just right. Its well balanced at 6 3/4 inches long and is an I sizewise. Very interesting sort of ribbon grain and smoooooooth.

The middle hook (hook B) is some of that purty Deadman Crick bramble. Fabulous grain figure. Its an L sizewise and is a wee bit over 7 inches long.

And last but far from least is hook C which is made from a fallen fir branch. This is one of my most favorite woods because there are so many firs up on the crick and they add such a woodsy perfume to the air. This one did too while it was being made. Fir is normally not a good hook wood, but branches like this one have very tight grain so there is more strength than you'd expect from fir, but very light weight. Trouble is the photo can't really show you the grain which is almost luminous. Just a pretty PRETTY hook. Its an I sizewise, and is about 7 inches long. Oh and it has a carved thumb rest if you can't see it in the photo.

Ok so there you have it.
Lets do bids till this coming Sunday night at 10 pm Pacific Std time.

You can send bids by email to me at

jimbocrochetwhittler@yahoo.com

I'll try to post bids as they come in.

Thanks for dropping by!
Jimbo

BIDS:

Hook A
Tracy $20
Jessica R. $25
Tracy $30
Kathryn bids $40 (just picked up her post at the last second!)

Hook B
Tracy $20
AnaMaria bumps it up to $25
Tracy comes back with $30


Hook C
and yes, Tracy $20
JoAnn.. $30
Tracy comes back with $35