JULY '08 Auction is CLOSED Thanks for bidding!!

Mary, Kate, and Beth are high bidders!!





Ok ok... I've been spending way too much time on the World's Largest Hook project and shouldn't ignore biddness. Hard to find time for both. Ah but I got lucky and came across some really amazing wood... all from up on the crick. So lets get to'em.

The top hook is a fancy turning. I did that just to see if I could do a more traditional style hook.. and it worked just fine. It's fun to make the intricate designs. The hook is made of Deadman Crick Aspen,is a J sizewise, and is about 7 1/2 inches long. This will be the Jimbo hook that will stump hook collectors and appraisers in the November 3007 "Antique Road Show", because the owner will tell the appraiser that this is a Jimbo hook and the appraiser will say, "Jimbo, was a crusty old crochet hook maker who produced many hooks from beautiful wood harvested from his ranch near his cherished 'Deadman Crick'. His hooks were developed in a unique ergonomic style that is easy to spot. Hooks of his, when in good original condition will bring easily $765,000 in today's market. Unfortunately, the hook you have here is not the unique Jimbo style." To which the owner replies, "Ah but look at this copy made from his blog archives! This IS a Jimbo hook!" To which the appraiser will faint dead away and the picture will fade, then after a brief pause..opens again to the appraiser and owner shaking hands and a caption reading "Rarest one-of-a-kind Jimbo Hooks... valued at $842,000.57"
Of course the above is speculation. Results may differ. heh.

Ok.. now on to hooks of the "Uniquely Jimbo Style".

The middle hook up for bids is a knock out gorgeous beauty, made of spalted Deadman Crick Hazelnut (at least that's my story and I'm sticking to it). Whatever kind of wood it is, its just drop dead beautiful. And it came from a dead branch of the Hazelnut (or whatever) that I've passed countless times on the way to the crick. I'd look at the branch and think... Nah, It'd never make a hook. Too old and dried out. But finally I decided to go ahead and take a chunk to try. We can all be glad I did, because the hook turned out to be just amazing. I could fill up my blog picture space allotment with shots of this hook, and every view would be purty. This hook is a 7mm (between a K and an L), and is 7 1/2 inches long and there's a dainty thumb rest, padded with a little bark area that decided to stay along for the duration. A truly amazing hook!

And the bottom hook. This is an M hook sizewise and is made of Bush Maple (conjecture again. but hopefully accurate). Another gorgeous piece of wood with one area having grain that made me think of mother of pearl. This hook, like me, has a flaw (ok ok, I have plenty of flaws, but this hook only has one). There's a crack in flared handle end. I could have kept on cutting it down to eliminate the crack, but figured hay the hook should work well and besides..the crack adds character, like that birthmark on that famously beautiful actress Wasserface. Oh and its 7 1/2 inches long too.

Also... PLEASE keep buying chophooks (scroll down to the Dec 06 '07 post for details. I still have chophooks available and FARA is still willing to accept research capital. Chophooks work well, they're not expensive (just a $10 min. donation) and they'd make really cool gifts. Think about it.

Ok so lets run this auction till next Wednesday, July 30th, 10pm Pacific Standard Time.

You can email your bids to me at

jimbocrochetwhittler@yahoo.com

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

Thanks for dropping by!

Jimbo



Bids:
Fancy turned hook (top):
Claire from Merry Old England bids $40
Mary goes $45



Spalted Hazelnut (middle):
Kate from Mass bids $20
Jessica raises to $30
Kate's back with $35
Jessica raises the bid to $40 (sorry this is posted late but Yahoo's been giving me fits.
And as Diplohookticus Jimbosei lies cracking in my garage.. Kate comes back with $45




Bush maple M (Bottom):
Jane and Beth both bid $10 which would have been a problem, cept
Kathy eliminated the tie problem with her bid of $20
Beth's got a great husband... he told her to go ahead and bid $25











<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
A bunch O Crick Hooks AUCTION IS OVER!!

Thanks for bidding everybody!! There'll be another auction soon... and hopefully an announcement that might be kinda fun. Stay tuned!
High bidders can use the "Make a Donation" button in my blog to use PayPal for payment or contact me for other arrangements.

Thanks!!


Please click the image to enlarge.. the wait's worth it

Here's a gob o hooks that mainly come from the ranch, with the exception of the bamboo hooks. Wood from up on Deadman Crick!
Theres a good few here so lets get started from the top, left to right.

#1 is an Apple Wood semi egg hook, made from a chunk of the old apple tree up on the crick. I have good reason to believe the branch that donated this hook was pruned by a black bear. Neighbors out on a hike told me thay spotted a bear up in the tree shaking out apples for her baby below. Wisht I'd been there to see. But this branch was up there, broken in the tree, so I pulled it out and we're making the best of it. This hook is a dream to hold if you're a overhand gripper. The indent and ball make the hook sooooo easy to palm... I think even better than the egg hooks. Anyways this one is a size 7 (4.5mm) and is 5 1/2 inches long. The little white line you see is a filled crack that had to be left to keep the integrity of the ball part in proportion. The crack is filled and should have zero affect on the utility or life of the hook.

#2 Is another apple wood semi egg hook that's a little shorter (5 inches long) and is an H sizewise. Same chunk of wood as hook #1, just taken from a different part of the branch. Beautiful grain. That bear has good taste!

#3 (and hook#6) Have a real history. Lets call this first one (Hook #3) the Log Cabin Hook K. These hooks (#3 and 6) are made from one of the Fir logs that came from the wall of an honest to goodness log cabin that was next door to our house when we lived up on the crick in the early 50's. I found this piece of log that was really well preserved, so I cut away a piece, then sat down on the porch looking out over the meadow and that very same old log cabin site, and carved these hooks. These hooks know even more of the past life on the Crick than I do. I think the cabin was built in the late 1920's, way before I was born, and was shelter to several of my family members before it fell from the weight of snow and dis-use sometime in the 70's. These little pieces of wood have been through lots of history. They were there hiding in the log, through lots of Christmas mornings, holding the snow out while wonderous aromas filled the little cabin from the meals being cooked inside. They were there evenings for family sing alongs, and times when we gathered around a car battery powered radio to hear Fibber Magee and Molly. And they were there when my cousin Gene Moore, who was raised in that same cabin, went off to war in Korea; and they were there when the government car came up the road with the dreaded telegram telling us that Gene was killed in action. But these little pieces of wood are survivors. The wood has seasoned well, and is every bit as strong as it ever was... maybe stronger since its been tempered through so many seasons.... I tell you all this in hopes that these hooks will be an inspiration to their new owners. I made both hooks with absolutely no regard as to size. I just let them come out as they decided. But just now checking the gauge, I was pleased to see that hook #3 came out right at a K. Oh and it's 6 1/2 inches long. Read more about hook #6 below.


#4 Is a younger hook, albeit just as much a Deadman Crick native as the Log Cabin hooks. Hook #4 is made from a seasoned dead branch from a really pretty flowering bush that has the sweetest smelling flowers. The air up on the Crick is better than perfume anyway... but these little bushes... well they offer such a treat to your senses as you hike along.. This hook harks from the North Fork of Deadman Crick (there's a North and a South Fork of the Crick just up from the ranch. The North Fork is where I prefer to go, because the road there is much less traveled-by than the South Fork road. Its a beautiful hike if you get a chance, and every once in awhile you'll come across a downed branch that just might make a hook.... and this one did that and more, with its highly contrasting BEAUTIFUL grain. Its an H and is 6 3/4 inches long.

#5 Is a Hazelnut Hook, from a Hazelnut Bush just across the driveway from our present cabin. This is just beautiful white wood with really subtle but no less beautiful grain than darker woods. Velvety smooth and feather light. It's and I on the Bates gauge, and is a smidge over 7 inches long.

#6 Is another hand carved Log Cabin hook (lets call it Log Cabin P), made from the same chunk of log as the Log Cabin Hook K. This was a little larger hunk of the log, so I made the hook larger. It also has more of a hand grip, mainly because its a much larger size and might like a firmer grip when being used to hook rugs or heavy yarns. This one was carved on the front porch as well, and has all the history as the Log Cabin K above. It also was made without regard to size, but as I check, its right at a P on my Bates gauge. Its 7 inches long and is like a little piece of heaven to hold.

#7 Is a stick with a hook on one end. As a lark, while I was whittling on the porch, I picked up this littls Aspen branch and made a hook on one end, figuring It would never make it as a real hook because the pith or core of small branches like this is usually really soft. Well guess what? No soft punky core! It came out just fine! Totally unique! You don't want to leave this one outside or it'll blend right in with the landscape! Its a G and is 6 1/2 inches long.

#8 Is a chophook. These are hooks that I make from bamboo for FARA, and all $$ from these hooks go to research to find a cure or treatment for FA (Friedreich's Ataxia). These little hooks are getting more and more popular as folks find out that they're not just a novelty hook. They really do work well! They're not up for bids, but are given in exchange for donations ($10.00 minimum) to FARA. You can read more about FA and how to order Chophooks by scrolling down to my blog post of 12/06/07. I am building a supply of these hooks so hopefully orders can be filled more quickly than in the past.

#9 (the long hook at the bottom of the picture) This is a bamboo hook made from an H knitting needle. I made a "bullion" hook head at one end and a cherry bulb at the other, and bingo you have a really cool 7 1/2 inch long (measured along the shank, not including the bulb) for doing some really cool tunisian dish cloths or granny squares, or freeform work. Cool! Or when you're not crocheting, you can use it as a baton to direct your orchestra!

So there you have it! Hope these were worth the wait.

I'll keep this auction open till next Wednesday night (June 25) and close bidding at 10pm Pacific Standard time.

You can email me bids at

jimbocrochetwhittler@yahoo.com



BIDS: (I'll try to post them as they come in)
#1 Danielle goes $20

#2 Nikki is starting this one for me at $20
Cathy bumps it to $25
Susan comes in with $30

#3 Andi bids $25
Danielle bumps it to $35
Andi's back with $45

#4 Cindy goes $15
Patty raises to $20
Kelley E is here and brings $25
Ann's here! with $30
Cindy goes $33

#5 Cindy again for $15
Claire, from a place in England where foxes bathe in her birdbath, bids $30
Tam goes $35
Claire again from across the sea...$40

#6 Andi bids $25
Tristi's here with $30
Here's Andi again with $35
Woo!! Debora bids $50!

#7 Savannah says $20
Tam's here too with $25

#8 (no need to bid on chophooks... you can order them directly)

#9 Tam, feeling bad for the hook / conductor's baton without a bid, goes $15



And thanks for stopping by, bid or no, its great to have visitors!

Jimbo













<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<






Blooming Hook and Pinto L.5 are SOLD (auction over)




At last another auction. I hope you hadn't given up on me but there's lots of stuff going on that demands my time such as it is.

Here we have two hooks, both totally unique.

The detail picture at the top is the end view of the hook you see at the bottom of the second picture. It's an amazing and one of a kind thing that is unique in the known universe. This hook started off as a seemingly dead piece of Hazlenut from up on the Ranch. But was it really dead?? As this hook was being made, an incredible event occurred. It blossomed!! Yup, a bloom formed at the end of the hook! Now what kind of odds would you give a seemingly dry chunk of Hazlenut bush to sprout a blossom that has absolutely no resemblance to any known kind of flar (that's "Crick-ese for flower)? Ever hear of such a thing? But hay, there's porch funds to raise so here it is up for bids. The other, slightly more normal end of this wonder is an hook that fits a little loosely in the I hole of my Bates gauge, and its 7 1/2 inches long if it doesn't sprout more flars.

Now the next hook is a VERY highly figured Deadman Crick Bramble. I liken it to a Pinto (no, not the bean... the horse). Its also unique in that it refuses to slide into the L hole of my Bates gauge, but rattles around a bit in the M hole, so I'm calling it a L and a half (L.5). Its about 7 1/4 inches long, and has a handle end with it's very own artwork, brought to you by Mom Nature... beautiful (albeit not pictured). Take my word for it.... it looks like a kind of abstract landscape.

So! Lets have some bids on these marvels! I'll keep the auction open till this coming Thursday night (June 5) and close bidding at 10pm Pacific Standard time.

You can email me bids at

jimbocrochetwhittler@yahoo.com


AND As always, you can still get a bamboo chopstick hook for FA (please scroll down to read details about FA and the "Chophook" sales. They're getting more and more popular as folks find out that they're not just a novelty hook. They really do work well! (I'm a little late in sending out the latest chophook orders... sorry guys... but promise to be more prompt in the future)

And thanks again for stopping by!


Jimbo


Bids:

Flar Hook:
Samina starts with $10
Cheryl says $30
Sheri loves flars.. $40
Lani raises to $45
Sheri comes back with $50


Pinto Hook:
Ann starts with $10
Margaret bids $15
Ann bumps it to $20
Genevieve from the Land Down Under raises to $25
Traci M goes 5 more to $30
Joyce goes to $32