FOUR AND A BIT MORE AUCTION IS OVER

HIGH BIDDERS PLEASE CONSIDER USING THE "MAKE A DONATION" BUTTON FOR PAYMENT OR CONTACT ME FOR OTHER ARRANGEMENTS.
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

Pretty but Dangerous

no, i'm not talking about Karol.. True, she's pretty. But dangerous?? Not MY sweetie.... ooooh nooo (and that'd be true even if she DIDN'T read my blog). No, I'm talkin about this>



fog has been hanging around Spokane for days now...along with freezing tepmeratures so you get some pretty but potentially dangerous results.

(click for more detail)

This is my back yard in Spokane this morning. Got back from the crick last evening (all's well up there except its coolish (around 18 degrees F). But here in Spokane, we've been getting a fair amount of fog that freezes on the branches, wires, old hook whittler's ears, etc. Really beautiful to look at but if we get much more, power lines will start coming down like wet spiderwebs. hmmmmmm...downed branches....Could mean lots of hook material coming available. Always a silver lining eh?

Still, although worrisome, its sooooo beautiful. The ice crystals are just amazing.

So I thought I'd share.....

Now back to the contest.....

VALENTINE HOOK AUCTION is over but the CONTEST IS STILL ON!

The Valentine hook for FARA goes to high bidder, Debora. Deb selected the bottom hook for her bids, so that leaves the little heart hook to be given away come Valentine's Day! Thanks to Debora and all who bid. FARA will be $60 closer to a cure!
Don't forget, we still have the contest for the little heart hook. The give away is also intended to raise awareness of FA, so please take the time to watch the video and enter the contest. We'll draw a name from the qualifying entries on Valentine's day.

(Still no entries from outside the US..... I'm a little disappointed. FA knows no boundaries, you know. In fact I think its a little more prevalent in Europe than here.)

Thanks again, and good luck!!


JIMBO


(click on the image to see detail)

Ok... so now the auction is over, the bottom hook is going to Debora, and the little heart hook is going to the winner of the contest.

Before getting started, if you're not aware of what Friedreich's Ataxia is, please take a few minutes and watch this video:


montekids.org

In fact you'll need to watch the video and pay close attention, because the video contains information that is critical for entry in the contest.

So here's what you do....

Sit down with a box of tissues (I'll admit i cried like a baby so I'm guessing you might too), and watch the video linked above. While you're watching and listening, find out:

1. What Samantha, Mary Caruso's daughter, said she wants after she says "I don't know what I did to deserve this but i want ___ ___________.

2. What words does Alex Orth have tattooed on his arm?

3. 10 year old Donovan is quite the baseball player, and a joker too. What is Donovan's first base buddy's name?


There you go.... you can enter the contest FREE, there will be no further bidding on either hook.

Please send your contest entries to me at:


jimbocrochetwhittler@yahoo.com
Valentine's Day (Feb. 14th)is when the winner will be drawn from all those who have the correct answers to the three question quiz.


OK? That sound fair? I know I'm making you work for your entry, but I think you'll agree that the video is worth watching and the LEAST you'll get is a better understanding about FA and that funding research for a treatment or cure is a very worthy cause.

Please DO NOT post your contest answers in the comment section of this blog.. you'll make it too easy for other entrants. However please feel free to post comments about the video, the hooks, how handsome Jimbo is, etc.


The hooks? Well of course they HAVE to be made of RED HEART. Both are fully functional hooks but the little fella requires a unique grip style... its only 3 inches long. I'd thought to make the little hook into a pendant or a brooch, but decided not to interfere with it's hookness because it DOES crochet, and whatever you make with it you can say "It came from the heart".

When I made the hooks, I realized that i didn't have my trusty vernier caliper handy, so I just let the hook sizes find themselves. But I've had inquiries about size so I checked, and they both almost identical sizes.... 6.25mm. That's just a wee bit bigger than a J and a wee bit smaller than a K. Perfect for making totally unique projects straight from the heart.


Hope this isn't too complex or much to ask, but on the other hand, these are some pretty unique hooks and are hopefully worth your efforts.

Good Luck!!
Jimbo

Contestants:

Contest Entries:
Debora is also the first entrant, with answers to all three questions correct!

Dawn is in the running too.... with a %50 chance of winning!! Beats the lottery eh?

Kathy brings the odds to 33.3%... still a hunnert thousand % better than the lottery!

Maureen from Brisbane Australia answered correctly and has a good chance (1 in 4 at
this point) to win.

Kelly E is in with all three correct, and

AnaMaria is too, making the odds one in six.. STILL not so bad, eh?

Diane got all three too!

Miss Erin got'em all! We now have 8 entries!

Maryann's in with all three and then some!

And Molly makes it 10

Maryah got'em

As did Marty

Kris too!

Kro Shey (gotta love that name, eh?) got'em all!

BONNIE is here! Cried through the video but got them all!!

And heeeerrr's TAMMY with all the answers!

Cheryl got'em and she's IN!

JoBug had the answers!

Local Spokane friend, Julie M got'em!

Deb is in with all the answers!

Genevieve got'em all the way from France!

Amanda is IN!!

Susanna dropped me a note with the answers too!

Sherri I. is here with the right stuff!

Serena makes it three S's in a row... with the correct answers!

ANOTHER S! Sandra got all three!

Manda's from Canada! And she got them too!

three that flowed.... Auction Over!!!

Thanks to you all for bidding! What a fantastic auction! High bidders are JoAnn, Dawn and Suzan.



(supplimental entry, Star Date 1/12/09)We're back from the crick... finally. Long story, and one that involves me and a shallow coat pocket and a bumpy time plowing snow and truck keys that WERE in the shallow coat pocket..... and us being a hunnert miles from another truck key.. then follow up decisions to maybe get phone service at the crick and maybe sign up for Triple A. But we're back. Still feeling a little disgusted with myself, but hay stuff happens, right?

Had a great time with really great friends, Jim and Mickey though.

Anyways on to the auction and hooks and such......




(for scale, I leaned my trusty snow shovel against the berm along side our driveway. If you want to get an idea of scale, that shovel is 12 feet 7 inches long......... ok ok I exaggerated just a little)



And now in a bald face play for your sympathy, I give you the RECORD SPOKANE SNOW.... as seen on TV. It's all true. We've been snowed on and blowed on and snowed on again. And for dessert how about a few more inches of snow. Main course, snow a la snow. Oh and did I mention cold? Cold too. All that makes for sore shoveling muscles and few chances if any to make hooks. Ah but the weather got up to 34 degrees F. today (although its STILL snowing) so i ventured out to make hooks... and I managed to do two BF (before frostbite). The third hook I did a week ago in the warmth of my basement. Don't you just feel soooo sorry for me?
heh. Well it could certainly be worse. We have power, and shoveling snow is good exercise, right?
Anyways, so much for my attempt to get you to lather sympathy on me...

Here are THE HOOKS for your bids:




(you can click on the image to see detail)

Two of these hooks (can you guess which?) are made from VERY exotic hardwoods that were a Christmas gift from my sis, Sandy (who is responsible for getting all this started) And yes, I'll be making her a hook or two from the turning blanks she got me, but not these.... THESE are going up for bids!

okok here we go

The top hook is double rare. Its a size 7 (4.5mm), which you don't commonly find on every corner. AND its made of EBONY!! This is the very first hook I've ever made from Ebony. Why, you ask? Ebony is VERY expensive. The turning blank so generously given my by Sandy probably cost her.. well she wouldn't tell. But I'm too cheap to buy ebony myself so you KNOW it must be expensive. Ebony is a very hard wood, as you may know, and its the stuff that is used to make the black keys on your Steinway Grand. This rare beauty is 7 inches long.

The middle hook is another exotic wood that I've never tried before. Maybe that's cause I cain't pronounch it... its Jicarillo, which I think comes from Honduras or someplace down south of here where they don't have to shovel every 10 minutes or get 75 inches of #$% snow.... (a little whine interlude there).... Jicarillo, as you see, is as pretty as it is hard to pronounce. Another really beautiful wood, as you can tell from the photo. Been wondering how it is that South America and Africa get all the most beautiful woods (the old apple tree excepted, of course). Anyways this lovely figured hook is an H (5mm) and its 7 1/2 inches long.

And the bottom hook. No its not an exotic hardwood, and no it wasn't turned... it was hand carved and from a fir tree branch straight from the crick. Amazingly comfortable and oh does it smell good!! In fact i left the handle without finish just to share a little eu de forest with the high bidder. All's you need do to be swept away to the forests of Deadman Crick is rub the handle hard with a clean cloth, hold the hook under your nose and wooooosh, you're swept away into the woods.
I've a hunch you could crochet some nice things with this little guy too. Its an I (5.5mm) and only 5 3/4 inches long.

So....lets run this auction till next Wednesday, Jan 14th; 10pm Pacific Std time if my roof makes it that long (roofs have been caving in under the snow all over Spokane) Just kidding of course... mine won't likely cave in because I shoveled it off.

And as per usual, you can email your bids to me at


jimbocrochetwhittler@yahoo.com


So thanks for your patience... I'll try to get unthawed enough to make more hooks soon, and in the meantime.... you have a VERY happy and prosperous New Year!!

Jimbo

Bids:

Ebony 7:
Kelly goes $30
Tine goes $35
Alice takes it to $45
JoAnn is in for $50




Jicarillo H:
Kelly here too.. $30
Dawn says $35
Candice sent in her bid for $40
Dawn takes it to $50



eu de Forest I:
Dawn again with $35
Kari's here!! And with $45
Suzan likes eu de Forest... $55