I NEED a new camera!

The camera that took all the pictures in this blog finally gave up. It just gave up, after a long life taking some really good pictures. However, it doesn't have features that I'd like if I was to buy a new one. I need better macro capability and a real need to do quality photos with available light. Anyone out there who can give me an idea of the camera I should have? I'd appreciate your input.

Driving me crazy, it is, to have hooks made and ready for sale but no way to take pictures!

Please give me your suggestions. You can leave a comment below or email me at

jimbocrochetwhittler@yahoo.com


Jimbo

ps.. the camera that did so well for so long is a LUMIX by Panaxonic. And of course, money is an object.

Novel Crochet Accessory

click to enlarge image


Here is another result of my search for interesting oddities in the Crochet world. This is a tool used to aid crocheters in making "looped yardage". Very interesting and I wonder if this kind of tool might be useful in making bullions or a bullion-like stitch. Take a look. What do YOU think?

Pretty interesting. Could there be a market for such a thing?


Please, lets see your comment. If Blogger won't let you comment, you can email me and I'll copy and post comments for you. Oh yeah.. here's my email address:
jimbocrochetwhittler@yahoo.com


Thanks for dropping by!
Jimbo

A new Jimbo's Front Porch Feature.... interesting crochet developments

(click image to enlarge)

The above image is of a granted United States Design Patent for a, and get this, a "KNITTING CROCHET HOOK". What the!!?? And if you can enlarge the image, you'll see that this patent belongs to the "Clover Mfg. Co. Ltd". So answer me this. How do you suppose the Clover company expects to use this hook for knitting?? Now in reality, it may not matter much what they call it. A design patent is granted to the ornamental design for the article shown in the drawings. But what amazes me is that a company as large and as deep in the knitting and crochet industry as Clover would call a crochet hook, a "knitting" crochet hook.

This is the first feature of others that I hope to add to my blog for crochet reader entertainment. I intend to focus mainly on interesting patent disclosures, but might do other stuff from time to time.

If you like the idea, or on the other hand, if you think its not something you'd like to see in my blog, please comment. I'll still be doing hook sales here and the stuff you're used to seeing. Just thought it might be fun to look at unusual crochet related stuff once in awhile.

Happy Hooking!
Jimbo

And the WINNER of the 2011 Jimbo Valentine HOOK is...

We had a grand total of 144 entries this time!! That's the most entries, I think, for any contest I've ever done! Thank you everyone who entered and who are now registered as Followers! I honestly wish I could give everyone a heart hook, you all deserve that and more... but alas, I don't have the time or the wood to do such a thing. So I must pick just one. And I did just that, by using a random number generator. The winner was number 111, and that just happens to be a lovely and talented crocheter from Merry Old England. She goes by Debsydoo in Crochetville. Congratulations Deborah! Please contact me with a mailing address.
And thanks again to everyone who entered!

Jimbo
Oh, and stay tuned, please. I'll have a group of hooks up for sale very soon. I've also been taking orders, so if you have a special hook in mind, please email me with your request.





Isn't she a Beauty!! I'm such a lucky guy!

Happy Valentine's Day Sweetie!!!

Jimbo

Prehistoric Kauri Hook Auction is OV ER, Thanks!

Just think of it! Back somewhere in New Zealand 30,000 to 45000 years ago the tree that gave birth to this crochet hook was alive and growing. Then what some say was a tsunami fell the tree and buried it under layers of mud. That was a time when saber tooth cats roamed the earth and humans were just beginning to show up in Europe. Before the Ice Age. This is the world's oldest known workable wood.
There are folks in New Zealand who dig up these huge trees and cut the wood into workable pieces. So when I found out that there were pieces available at my local Woodcraft store..... Let me tell you it seemed to be an almost reverent event, shaping this wood into a crochet hook. I was revealing layers of wood that had not been exposed to light for maybe 45,000 years!
And what's incredible too is that the wood is entirely workable and beautiful to behold. It has "chatoyance", a sort of sparkle when very carefully polished. So the wood in this hook has been polished, starting with 200 grit sandpaper (medium fine) to remove the tool marks, then worked with 400 grit, then 600, then 1500, and so on, all the way to 12000 grit. For hours. And it was worth the effort. Of course the picture can't show the effect, because you can see how the light dances only by turning the hook in bright light.
I have enough of this wood to make only 4 hooks. What you see here is hook #1. The other three will come as time allows. But for now, it was decided that I should auction this hook, possibly to a collector, although I think it will crochet very well. In fact I did a short chain and it worked just fine. However, if you crochet really tightly and have a tendancy to break hooks, please don't bid; or if you do, consider keeping the hook as a collector's piece.
When making the hook, I paid very little if any attention to size. My only concern was to make a useful hook, and not risk making one with a tiny head that would break easily. So when all was done, I measured the shank and it's right at 8mm (an L). Normally when I let a hook just find it's own size, it turns out to be between actual sizes, but this one is right at 8mm! And it's a good length (8.25 inches or 21 Centimeters). I decided too, that I would wait to carve a thumb rest pending the buyer's preference.

To the auction..

This auction will run 10 days, and will close on Feb. 21 at 10pm Pacific Std Time.

To new bidders: I try to post bids as they come in. I'll not be here ALL the time... so if your bid doesn't show up right away, not to worry. Your bids will be posted as soon as I'm able to get to them. Identical bids are entered by first bid posted, so if your bid is the same as another, I'll go by which ever one mailed. Also please increase bids by $5 minimum. email bids, if you like, to me at


jimbocrochetwhittler@yahoo.com


Thanks for visiting!
Jimbo

Bids:

Carla starts with $35

Emily takes it to $50

Diana says $65

The graduating class of Feb. 10, 2011

The graduates pictured here attended my crochet hook whittling class at Woodcraft in Spokane Valley last night. The rest of the class got away before I remembered to grab my camera but here is what we found after clearing away that pile of nice curley shavings; a good lookin bunch of very patient and talented students and the hooks they whittled. Very astute and apt whittlers, these. AND we made it through the 3 hour class without needing a single bandaid!

Thanks for being such good students!
Jimbo

BE JIMBO'S VALENTINE CONTEST 2011

Will YOU be my Valentine? If you will, make a comment here or E-mail me at

jimbocrochetwhittler@yahoo.com

And you'll be entered in my BE MY JIMBO VALENTINE contest to win this Heart Wood Hook. Oh and its an L, for the, uh you know, the "L" word.

I'll close the contest on Feb. 14, Valentine's Day!


Hope you have a warm and special Valentine's Day!
Jimbo