Monday, January 09, 2012

Jimbo Hook Give-away and AUCTION is OVER ... THANK YOU ALL!

CONTEST WINNER IS JACKIE S. (SEE HER ENTRY, THE LAST POST IN THE COMMENT SECTION BELOW)

It's been awhile since I gave a hook away and I'm feeling guilty for waiting so long, so I made one of THE most beautiful hooks evah to give away in a contest that starts today. The HOOK? It's at the top of the page. Talk about chatoyance, this one is the MOTHER of chatoyance. You can see so deep into this hook and the grain figure just dances as your turn it in the light. Oh its a beauty alright. Its made of figured Maple and it's a K sizewise (6.5mm) if you're ever able to stop staring at the grain and actually use it to crochet.
Ok, how to do the contest. Of course I'll end up doing the thing by random number drawing but to make it more fun, how about if we ask our entrants to tell us all about their most embarrassing crochet moment. Now don't think you HAVE to tell us anything, simply posting a comment or emailing me will get you into the contest, but those who have a little story (please keep it short)will get entered twice.
Enter (one entry per person, please) by commenting below here or by emailing me at

jimbocrochetwhittler@yahoo.com

We'll run the contest for one week, till Monday, January 16.

Now for the auction part, more beauties! Lets start with the next hook down from the contest hook, and number it hook #1

Hook #1 is made from the venerable Deadman Crick Apple tree and it's a beauty. It's made with a flat foot so it will stand on it's own. It's signed and labled with the hook size...I (5.5mm) and some of the cambium layer remains at the foot to keep the old Apple Tree's character. This is an extraordinary hook, and is all the more special to me because it's been made in partnership with the old tree. The tree made the wood, I made the hook. Oh and it's a nice length..8" long.

Hook #2 (the next one down from the Deadman I) is another I (5.5mm) and is also made from the famous Deadman Crick Apple tree. This one is also a beauty, but a little shorter at about 7 1/2 inches and a bit thinner. A real beauty!

Hook #3 is not from the Crick. It came up here all the way from South America. It's a long ways from its parent Panamanian Rosewood tree, but I'm glad it came my way and decided to become a beautiful size F (3.75mm). This wood is very hard but reasonably light weight, plus it's beautiful. The hook is 7 inches long.

And we come to hook #4, and unless I don't rember correctly, it's the smallest size hook I've ever made. If not, it's a VERY rare Jimbo hook. It's made of the same Panamanian Rosewood as Hook #3, but from a more colorful part of the wood. The finish is also glossy. And the size? Well just a D is all (3.25mm). Tiny and like I say.... VERY rare for a Jimbo hook. Oh and it's also 7 inches long.

Ok here's how we do bids. You can bid on any one or more of these hooks simply be e-mailing me at http://www.blogger.com/jimbocrochetwhittler@yahoo.com , and letting me know your bid. I'll post bids as they come in and run the auction until Monday, same as the contest, Jan. 16. The auction will close at 10pm Pacific Std Time on that date. Please bid in $5 increments. Ties will be broken by the time the bids are received. The first bid received in a tie wins.

Bids:

Hook #1
Christie bids $10
Carla up's it to $25
Georgiana bumps it a little to, oh, just $50!! WOOOHOO!! SOLD

Hook #2
Sheri bids $5
Karen bids $25
Andrew goes $35
Karen bumps it up to $40
Andrew is back with $45 SOLD




Hook #3
Rita bids $20
Debbie goes $30 SOLD


Hook #4
Barbara bids $30
Lani goes to $40 SOLD


Thanks, everyone for dropping by... hope you enjoy the contest!
Jimbo

49 comments:

Yvonne said...

I can't think of any embarassing story (at least crochet related). I love the hooks and would be so excited to win one!

amore2 said...

I love your hooks there amazing.at age 13 i could not get the hang of crochet, then at age 29 and pregnant with my second child i new i had to learn, i then got the hang of it and as they say ive been hooked ever since,6 years later i still love to crochet. Ruth.

Andi said...

So stunning! I really want to buy one of your hooks, but would LOVE to win one! Just love your work...

Cheryl said...

Simply beautiful! I've had more than my share of embarrassing crochet moments but, at the present, can't come up with anything. Just tired from a long day of work. Would love to be entered in the contest, though, please.

Maureen said...

Hmmmm....well the most embarrassing crochet moment for me occurred during the course of one of your previous contests! - the one in which you had "cleverly" hidden the hook in full view, and I still couldn't see it - I spent hours and hours with a magnifying glass, blowing up EVERY SINGLE PICTURE in every last one of your posts - (as instructed) - before giving up.
You kindly emailed me to tell me I was just trying too hard, and that some things are right in front of one's nose.....I was mortified!
Maybe the random number thing will be kinder to me.

CrochetnQuilt said...

My most embarrassing crochet moment that I can remember would have to be when I pulled out all my yarn stash from everywhere I had put yarn. I really didn't know I had that much yarn. But it is all good, cause I can crochet and crochet and crochet!

All of your hooks are beautiful.

Traci said...

For me its not really a moment but more of an embarrassing bad habit. I never crochet a gauge swatch. Ever. And although usually its okay sometimes I end up with the size being way off.

Skoggy said...

I suppose my most embaressing crochet moment would be when I was asked to make an amigurumi of... errm... a white tadpole (to be polite. Its on my Ravelry projects if you want to see it). After giggling and blushing, I got to it.

Thanks for the giveaway. Your hooks are fantastic!

Skoggy

Sandie said...

I'm"hooked" on your beautifully unique crafted hooks.I especially love the one with the sparkle jewel on the end.My best friends in England turned me on to your site.
Your photos are lovely also.I'd be honored to win but will hopefully purchase in the very near future.

Keeper

Maggi said...

I would LOVE to own a Jimbo hook!!!

I recently felted a hat for the first time, a white cloche. I spun it in my "hand" crank portable washer and it came out felted and gorgeous but I could still see too much of the stitches (I thought) so I hand cranked that sucker for ANOTHER 30 minutes and alas, it shrank too much and I now look like a Q-Tip. :D

Jessica said...

well I LOVE Jimbo's hooks and would love to be considered.

My most embarassing crochet story still makes me smile (and turn red). I was at work and it was break time. I always pulled out whatever project I was doing at that time for a few minutes of crochet. We had just gotten a new manager. I was working on making crochet candles to be put on a doll for my daughters birthday bed doll. All I can say is that the candles resembled a part of a male...the new manager looked at me and made a funny remark. From then on he and I had a good work relationship-- thankfully.:)

Jacq said...

Wow, the auction hook is gorgeous! I guess my most embarrassing crochet moment...because this was in public and most happen in private (if no one sees it, it doesn't count). I was sitting in the airport waiting for a flight for a much awaited girl trip. I'd finished and block a new scarf for the trip and decided the flight would be the perfect length of time to get a pair of fingerless mitts made. I pulled my yarn out and stuck it in my sweater pocket and started to chain, join...I'd just gotten started when the plain arrived. Being a SW flight that means it's time to stand in line. I maneuver into my designated spot in line with hook in hand to stand and crochet. As a walk up behind the sweet older couple that had been seated across from me, they alert me to the fact that I'd been dragging said yarn the hold way. Luckily it was brightly colored, so nobody tripped over it. ;-)

Jimbo said...

Rita would like to enter (via email)

Anonymous said...

Love the hooks. No noteworthy stories to tell, but thanks so much for the contest! ~Dana

kittyloverdeb said...

What an amazing hook! Would love to win this beauty!!! My most embarassing crochet moment has to be when a co-worker asked me to crochet her boyfriend a very personal piece of "clothing" in a size extra large! Needless to say I never made it!

angelfire said...

Most embarrassing ,moment was when i made some rather small thread wreaths for a Christmas present and the recepient asked wheat the mini c**k ring was for. I about wet myself as it was for my stepson and family

Jimbo said...

This email entry from Madu:
I will win this beautiful hook!!!
Now THAT is positive thinking!

jmo said...

OOOH. Let's see. I too have amigurumi stories (more than 1) where things looked more.. um.. phallic... than intended,(Let's just say don't put a dinosaur neck and head onto a child's hat) but I think the thing that embarrassed me more was making an R2D2 beanie- and I was so proud of it- and someone saw it and said "Wow- you made an igloo with windows! Cool!" Really????? I felt like the hat was such a FAIL, LOL. Ok- now to the serious. Your hooks are amazing- and I'm utterly craving winning one! Come-on Random Number Generator!!!

Shar said...

Embarrassing story : I was crocheting a filet tablecloth. I was marking the chart off with a yellow high lighter. After about 3 inches in, at over 200 stitches a row, I noticed the highlighter had rolled into the table cloth, cap off, totally turning a section yellow . I had to throw it away. :(

mireya said...

love your beautiful hooks. my embarassing story happend last year as I was getting ready for an art show, I was carrying a huge shoebox filled to the brim with all my crochet hooks and various small projects I had been working on. i was so excited and wasn't paying attention and tripped right as i was at the door so the box, my project, and all the hooks went flying in the air covering the hallway. (i even managed to get about 3 hooks in my hair?)Honestly i could have sobbed right then and there but a nice boy helped me pick up every single thing from the floor,i thanked him and i eventually noticed the hooks in my hair about 20 minutes later

Jimbo said...

Sheri (via email) said:
It's my first contest entry (I think), and I would LOVE one if your hooks!

My embarrassing crochet story: last week I had a great idea to make an awesome (and nerdy) storm trooper beanie for a friend. I told everyone about my idea, and took pictures as I completed the pieces, and I was SO EXCITED! Then I went to sew the pieces to the beanie and it just looked AWFUL! So then I had to share my atrocious beanie with all of my friends, who had been waiting with baited breath for this work if art!

I swear, some day soon I WILL revisit this project and make it work!

mrspao said...

I've not been crocheting long enough to have an embarassing story yet but I'm sure there will be one eventually. Your crochet hooks are gorgeous and I'd love to win one.

Akua Lezli Hope said...

I am unable to recall any embarassing crochet stories. So I'll just note how much I admire handmade tools for my own handwork. Happy New Year!

Unknown said...

I just started crocheting at 61 and did not even know there were hooks like yours.

Jimbo said...

This one's from Andrea:
Ever since I have saw your beautifully made hooks, I have been entranced. I think about all the wonderful things I could create. The most embarrassing memory I have with crocheting was when I started my first project, it was with this hideous green yarn. I couldn't read patterns at that time, nor did I understand the difference between a single crochet and a double crochet stitch (I was VERY new). I am self taught and had no one to show me the neat little tricks. I gave this first project to my husband. It was a hideously green scarf that was around 6 feet long. I could tell that he hated it, I even hated it myself. I just didn't want to give up on it while I was learning. Since then (3 years ago), crocheting is everything for me. I am glad I got over my embarrassment of the first project and I still have it to remind me of how far I have come. I hope to own one of your beautiful works of art.

Barbara said...

I was a bit embarrassed this past weekend when a friend asked me if I had yet used the lovely alpaca yarn he had graciously given me. I had to tell him that I had made it half way through a sweater just to find out that it's too small and will have to be frogged. I'd love to win one of your hooks and I'm so glad I logged in today to see you offering one. What form of payment to do you accept and does the bid include shipping?

Jimbo said...

Georgiana (via email) says:
The funniest crochet story that I can think of at the moment is when I crocheted a scarf for a family member as a Christmas gift. It was a very nice scarf. The only problem was that I had crocheted one just like it for the same person the previous Christmas. Doh!
Thanks for the beautiful work that you do.

Lilly Pillys Fancy Frillies said...

Your hooks are all lovely!

My embarrassing moment was probably when a group of friends and I were crocheting and someone referred to our group as "the hookers". My dad over heard and was aghast. I had to explain to him that hookers means we used crochet hooks. Not the other definition.

Unknown said...

I hope I win!!

shannie_nae said...

I love you Jimbo! No embarassing story, I just love your hooks!

shannie_nae said...

Come to think of it I do have an embarassing story to tell. I was making a filet piece for a wedding gift and was working on it during a football game. I put in my last few stitches and noticed the R was backwards. oops.... It was ripped out and redone before anyone other than my husband, sister, and brother-in-law, noticed anything.

CrochetBlogger said...

Would be thrilled to win this terrific giveaway! Like many others, I can't seem to think of a good embarrassing crochet story - which is probably a good thing!

Jimbo said...

From Tammy via email:
I know that one day one special Jimbo hook will be mine! I learned to crochet 17 years ago, and have since taught my Mom and my daughter. The embarrassing thing is how much faster my daughter can crochet than I!
Tammy

Bellen said...

I recently started crocheting again. I don't have any embarassing crochet stories but do have a number of knitting stories - which is why I'm sticking with crochet. Thanks for the chance to win a beautiful hook.

Stephanie B. said...

I love all of your hooks in the picture and the handles are beautiful!

KatieQ said...

My embarrassing crochet story really belongs to my husband's aunt, although we will never tell her. Shortly after we were married she crocheted us 2 ugly brown sweaters as a Christmas present and even wrote a poem to go along with them. When we tried to put them on Christmas morning to take a picture, we couldn't get our heads through the neck opening. Upon closer examination, it was obvious that the arms were about 6 inches too short. Luckily, she hasn't made us anything since.
Thank you for offering the lovely giveaway.

Jimbo said...

Debbie, via email says:

Can I be entered in the giveaway, too? Unfortunately, I can't think of an embarrassing crochet moment (although life is full of other embarrassing moments)

Jimbo said...

This by email from Grace:

I have to tell you I am in love w/ your Harry Potter hook.....
I belong to and the current pres of the HHCC, Dee brought
in the hook you created for Mini Dee, love it!!!!! I would be
very proud to own one of your hooks....you do beautiful work!
Sorry I can't remember an embarassing crochet moment, I have
crocheted for more years than I would want to admit to, and
loved every moment. Turning string into something useful,
beautiful and loved, is a true art!
Grace G
HHCC Pres.

Wendy said...

I was embarrassed when my friend was teaching me how to crochet my first afghan. It took me forever to chain stitch the right number just to begin. I couldn't count for the life of me and I had yet to learn about markers.

Jen said...

I can't think of an embarrassing crochet moment, but would love to be entered in your contest. The hooks are beautiful!

annie said...

I can't think of an embarrassing crochet moment, but I love your beautiful hooks and would love to be entered in this contest!

Jimbo said...

This (slightly edited) from Ashlynn email:
Hello Sir Jimbo, I guess my most embarrassing crochet moment is when i made Easter baskets for my youngest daughters p-k class and miss counted the boys and girls. I made the boys frogs and the girls bunny's. Well i made one too many frogs and was short one bunny. What happened is i didnt pay really close attention to the names and had made a girl that was named Micheal a frog. I was so embarrassed but she was happy to get the frog as she liked frogs. Thank you for you time and you hooks are beautiful. Sincerely, Ashlynn

Jimbo said...

Bo is entering via email:

Just came across your blog and saw that you are having a drawing for one of your beautiful hooks.....they are sooo beautiful ......please add my name.....Thank You

Juliana27 said...

Just learning at first was embarassing. Having to ask more than once on how to start the slip stich, having to ask, "wait, is the yarn over where you go over twice, or once" and my favorite, "wait, the double crochet goes how (again)?"
It just took waaaaay to long for it all to click for me.

I'm somewhere between a beginner and a....well, whatever the next step is now. I'd love to have such a beautiful hook to get to the next level!

Jason J. said...

What could be more embarassing than being a 35 year old male and having to explain to people that you crochet? Not that I'm ashamed or anything, but it's an awkward explanation sometimes! The hook sounds awesome, good luck to all.

Jimbo said...

By email from Keesha:

I would like to enter the contest for the beautiful hook, please?

I don't have any big embarrassing crochet moments, but a couple things stand out to my husband and I as having stood out re: my crocheting. Last month I had to go to the dentist once a week for dental work, and I took a crochet project along in case they ran behind schedule. I have gone to this small dental office for more than a decade, and they've had the same staff this entire time. The office manager/secretary greeted me one day and asked if I "brought some crochet" along, and of course I said yes. She said she was also working on a project, a knitted sweater. After looking at her pattern, I shared how lovely I thought it was, and how I tried to knit but to my disappointment it never seemed to "take." Imagine my surprise when she started bashing crochet, all because "crochet only has ONE STITCH." Now that just made me shake my head and make me go, "Huh??" But indeed, I couldn't get two words in edgewise as she continued her 10 minute rampage against ONE STITCH CROCHET. I can only take comfort that I have shared the love of crochet with many...but this situation sure was an odd one.

My husband has come to appreciate all the differences in yarn: what it's made of, color, weight, etc. He even has claimed my yarn winder, making cakes for me because it's so much fun. When he was in need of a scarf to match his uniform for the cold nights on duty outside, he picked the yarn and the color, and then designed the scarf itself. It turned out just like he planned! A couple months ago while at work and on break, a co-worker was crocheting. He asked her about what she was making. She was a new crocheter, and figured the scarf she just started would be done in all single crochets. He encouraged her to try a particular repetitive but simple pattern adding in another stitch. Lacking confidence, she wasn't sure how it would be, but he convinced her. She stuck with it, and soon she saw what he knew would look great! So, this isn't an embarrassing crochet story, but a crochet story that I love. It reminds me of how crochet can be a family activity, even if others at home are just doing things like winding yarn, giving pattern advice, or helping to pick colors. It all matters.

Laurinda Reddig said...

Hey Jimbo! I featured your lovely Shawl Pin in a blog post about my latest design this weekend & included a link to tell people about your Auction & Give Away.

Was so great to meet you at CLF!
http://rememberingrowan.blogspot.com/2012/01/10-ways-to-wear-sharf-shawl-scarf-in.html

Oh, and would love to enter for a chance at another of your beautiful hooks. Most embarrassing crochet moment was working on a white blanket square on an airplane & ordering cranberry juice to balance on my tiny tray, which promptly spilled all over the square.

Jimbo said...

Entered via email...
(and I have to say this is just the sweetest note...)

Hi Jim, just saw an article about you in the latest Interweave, Crochet Accessories, and had to shout out.
Although primarily an obsessive knitter, I do also love crochet, and although not presently in a position to purchase having recently relocated.
I do so admire the pursuit of excellence, and you definitely qualify in that race. Your work is admirable and I am now a fan.
Hopefully in the not-too-distant future, I will be able to contact you again and you will still have that Siam Rosewood beauty, or some other stunner that will turn my head.
Keep up the great work.

Jackie

Barbara said...

Hello Jim! Are you working on any new hooks that you plan to auction? Soon? :)