attention!! July '08 Hook Auction is ON..scroll down to the post below "Amazing Hookeological Find" post

I'm keeping Diplohookticus on top because it's an ongoing story.. HOWEVER there IS a new auction immediately below the Dippy story... added by way of edit to the May post.


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Amazing Hookeological Find.... Diplohookticus Jimbosei
Chapter I



Deep in the primal forest up Deadman Crick, an amateur hookeological search has lead to an exciting discovery that's about to rock the Fiber Arts world..... Diplohookticus!

Yes friends... this premature announcement based totally on conjecture comes to you from an overly excited Jimbo who has high hopes that it all comes true... a discovery from what is believed to be the Cro-shea Era (a period thought to be significantly earlier than the Knit-eolithic Era), is hoped to be revealed to the public on Sept 12, 2008 at the Portland Oregon CGOA conference. Amazingly, this date coincides with International Crochet Day!!

In the picture above you see is the "tell" or site where Diplohookticus Jimbosei was discovered. Stay tuned for further developments as this colossal hook is carefully freed from its fir tree environment.

Chapter II



Here we have the initial, painstaking removal of detritus that had built up in the e-yawns since the Cro-shea Era. Can you see the Diplohookticus revealing itself? If you don't, please don't feel bad.... it takes the slightly red eye of a paleohookologist to spot at this point. More will be revealed as the HOOK emerges.

I would be totally remiss if I didn't give credit to my 8 year old Grandson, Clinton, who pointed out the Diplohookticus bearing tree. "Papa" he said (he calls me by my formal name), "I found the perfect tree for your World Record Hook! (kids say the darnedest things! NO idea where he came up with that.)" To which I astutely replied: "huh?". He then took me to the "Tell" you see in the first picture. I have to be a bit careful here not to give Clinton too much credit. I think he's been seeing a lawyer about royalties.

A note and credit to my son Lance who made the special tool you see in the picture, from a discarded truck leaf spring. The tool was an invaluable aid in removing the coarse growth that has camouflaged the hook over these many years. And I also acknowledge Lance for assisting with the name. At an early age, Lance decided to be either a paleontologist or an F14 pilot. His training from that period shined through in time of need. "Dad," he exclaimed, "that thing doesn't look a bit like an F14!"

Chapter III




Log, stardate 7/10.. Another day has gone by and my hands are aching, not to mention my shoulders, arms and whatever other body part there is that gets sore from Diplohookticus recovery. Beginning to wonder if I'm up to this project. Way to early in project to begin burning out. Trying to think of ways to make the hook lighter. Maybe bad attitude came from looking at my bruised toes, just desert from a careless slip and an effort to catch Dippy (new nickname) with my foot as it fell from a chair. No matter. Small price to pay..
Must find asburn.
More to follow if muscles hold out.


Chapter IV

Pathos in Part 4


Heartbreak!! Dippy is a little cracked in the head. Not mentally challenged, mind you, since it is well known that Diplohookticus Jimbosei had no brain to speak of. No it's physical cracks! Discovered last night as I went to cover ole Dippy with a moist towel, with intentions to avoid exactly what you see in the photo. A little crack in Dippy, a big crack in my heart appeared (that's the pathos part if you didn't notice..intended to pull at your heart strings and keep you riveted on my blog to find out what happens next).
But to every silver lining there's a cloud. Dippy's also loosing weight. That's unfortunate since part of Dippy's goal other than create VERY interesting swimwear, was to provide the user considerable freeweight exercise. Dippy's gone from somewhere in the area of 60lbs to a trim 48. That's a shocking weight loss unless you consider the amount of non-diplohookticus materials that have been removed thus far.
Keep your fingers crossed! Dippy's going through a critical stage and needs all the support we can muster.

With hope... better news to follow.

Chapter V



Dippy's got a big mouth! In a daring move, I chanced a demonstration to show the size of what I'm beginning to conclude is a fully mature Diplohookticus Jimbosei. Now I know that this hook is not alive, yet I get this image of a lightning chomp, and loosing most of the fingers of my left hand. So I took this picture quickly before placing a cool wet towel over Dippy to reduce the sudden exposure to sun and dry air.... all with high hopes of minimizing checking.
Work is slowing, unfortunately, as other duties call. One wonders though just how relatively important a mere kitchen remodel can be compared to uncovering such a monumental discovery. Must try to sneak work on Dippy while Karol is sleeping. Will cost precious sleep but MUST go on.
Thank goodness our future Diplohookticus tamer, The Crochet Dude http://blog.thecrochetdude.com/ is game for the task of taking Dippy out for a test spin. His very words upon seeing what's evolving..... and I quote are: "Holey Crap!" The Dude is such a modest guy. I can't wait to see what magic he performs with ole Dippy.
More to follow....


Chapter VI

(Warning: Not for the squeamish due to graphic content.. may be unsuitable to those with sensitive stomachs).

Considering those who might wish to attempt actual use of Diplohookticus Jimbosei, a form of Diplosuction has been performed, in keeping with the ancient Egyptian practice of removing viscera for mummification. The operation was performed with the able assistance Harlan F, and with blessings from Nick and Rosemary, owners of Woodcraft in Spokane Valley (a plug for Woodcraft is entirely in order here). The operation involved an entire resection of Dippy from head to tail, followed by a frantic if unprecise removal of internal organs. Rather than show graphic sensational detail of the body cavities, I simply show the evidence:

Again,viewing graphic detail of Diplohookticus internal organs may be repulsive to some... viewer discretion is advised.



Dippy is now back together and recovering under moist towel blankets in order to minimize checking (commonly known as cracking). Hopes for a speedy recovery remain high. Several days will be involved in this process and I already grow impatient to test the results.

Report to follow.


Chapter VII

Still not a lightweight, but we've been giving Dippy a trim...

Dippy Curls:


Yes those handsome manly legs (i can say that cause you can't really see) are mine, and the attached feet which you can't see are buried under that pile of pretty shavings... all taken from Dippy's handle area. If you're interested, the coarse shavings you see on the right are made from my drawknife, and the finer shavings on the left are from my spokeshave. Still not down to sanding yet.
Oh and the report from the hollowing experiment is as follows. Conclusion: Hollowing out a Diplohookticus Jimbosei carcase does nothing to stop cracking and little to remove weight. However we're finding that Dippy is indeed loosing pounds, probably through the drying process and partly by removing all those pretty curly shavings.
In the process, I've devised a way of positioning Dippy to let me use my trimming tools. I set Dippy across two saw horses, then sit on him like a horse. No saddle sores, yet.
Been trying to contact the Dude about his involvement in using Dippy to actually crochet and in the process, possibly set a world record. Haven't heard much from him thogh. I attribute it to the fact that the guy's incredibly busy what with the CGOA conference in Manchester and prep for the upcoming one in Portland Oregon where Dippy is set to be unveiled. CANT be that he's having second thoughts, can it?
Ah but another STAR has tentatively signed on as well!! Who???? Well you'll have to wait and see.






More later...

Jimbo