THANKS TO ALL WHO PARTICIPATED!! AND DON'T FORGET TO ENTER THE VALENTINE HOOK CONTEST (TWO POSTS BELOW THIS ONE)
(PLEASE CLICK ON IMAGES FOR GREATER DETAIL)
Got some beauties here for bids! But please don't forget the Valentine's contest is running in the post below this one, and the odds are still way better than the lotto, so you might want to enter.
Back to this auction:
Lets look at the hooks from left to right.
First on the far left (not politically speaking... this is a politically neutral hook... is a Zebra wood hook, made from one of the turning blanks my Sis gave me for Christmas. Lots of folks are nuts over Zebra wood because of its stark grain contrast. Well it IS interesting.... and the wood is nice to work with. But what's really pretty about the hook you can't see in the photo. There's some tiny grain patterns that are really amazing... looks a bit like the sworls of finger prints.
Anyways this beauty is an M, and is 6 3/4 inches long.
Next up is an absolutely beautiful hook from the wrong side of the tracks. You see, last spring I was taking some refuse to our local "waste to energy" plant (which is what we used to call "the dump". There i was hauling stuff out my truck bed when this truck pulled in next to me. The couple inside got out and started unloading all these branches with really dark bark and even darker leaves. Then i got a glimpse of the wood color under all that dark exterior, and instantly started thinking of ways to get them to give me a chunk or two. I started by asking them what kind of tree or bush it was that they were throwing away. Oh they really didn't know but it was an ornamental tree/shrub that you see around the Spokane area. So I boldly asked if they'd mind if I took a piece or two... for turning on my lathe. They were very nice and let me rescue several branches from being converted to maybe a watt of electricity. The wood was BEAUTIFUL under the grain but very freshly cut and wet. I'd have to wait a goodly spell before liberating any crochet hooks from such wet wood... VERY trying on my patience, but I dutifully sawed the selected branches into 9" chunks, coated the exposed end grain with sealant, and stashed them away. Then I researched to see what this remarkable tree was called. Welp, its a THUNDERCLOUD PLUM, folks. Probably from its dark shell... but the wood, you see is not a bit dark...
Now here it is months later and EVERY ONE of those Thundercloud Plum blanks cracked, big time... but they're dry, so I split a piece along the fault line, and you see how it ended up. Its hard to see in the photo, but this hook has a pink tint that's just intriguing. The little hook that shook off her sorry past and became a true beauty... A Cinderelly hook!!
Sizewise, little Cinderelly here is a K and she's a shapely 7 inches long.
Next up (3rd from the left) is one of the most figured applewood hook that I've seen the old Deadman Crick apple tree deliver. Beautiful! What more can I say? Its from the tree that started my hook carving career, and just a beautifully figured hook. Its an H sizewise, and is 7 1/2 inches long.
Lastly is one of THE most unique hooks I've ever made (can you tell?) Its totally hand carved from a chunk of wood that I just couldn't toss into the firewood bin. At first I was going to condemn the poor stick to heat and ashes, but when i held it in my hand, it fit so naturally well that I took a second look. No, it wouldn't do to whittle it down to a small hook size. That would make the hook too awkward to hold. Leave it big? YES!! And short?? YES, with that little downturn that fits the hand so nice and snug. So here it is! And I seriously doubt you've ever seen one even remotely like it. Its 5 3/8 inches long, a Q+ (maybe 16.25mm). I left a fair amount of bark so you can best appreciate the character of the tree this was taken from (I think it's from one of the hazelnut bushes from up the crick).
So there you have it.. 4 more hooks up for bids!
And as per usual, you can email your bids to me at
jimbocrochetwhittler@yahoo.com
We'll end this contest next coming Tuesday night Feb. 3rd (my Mom's Birthday!) at 10pm Pacific Std Time.
I'll try to post bids as then arrive (with a brief two day break this Friday and Saturday)
And thanks for stopping by! I really appreciate visitors!
Jimbo
Bids:
Zeeba wood M:
Marty puts $15 on the Zeeba wood hook
Lu Lu goes $25
Cinderelly Hook (thunder plum K):
Genevieve likes Cinderelly $15
A. Nonymous goes $25 (Its entirely ok to request that your bid be anonymous.)
Rachel bumps it up to $30
Full Figured Applewood H:
Dawn likes her an H... $50
Chunky Q:
AnaMaria is quick with a bid of $15
Sherri is here with $20
Genevieve is here too...$25
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