Oklahoma Tornado Benefit Hook Auction is over! More to come, please stay tuned!

   ALERT!  This auction is set to end at 10am this morning (Pacific time)

$ RAISED FROM THIS AUCTION GO 100% TO HELP VICTIMS OF THE OKLAHOMA TORNADO..

  A little while back I received an email from a very talented Crochet Designer, April Garwood  (http://bananamoonstudio.blogspot.com/ ), who happens to live in Oklahoma just a few miles from some of the devastation left by the tornado we've all heard about.  April had an idea to use wood from a tree that was also a victim of the Tornado, in commemorative crochet hooks.  What a great idea!  So what happened is April's husband who was out helping with the clean up effort, collected three pieces of a Pecan tree that was destroyed by the winds.  April sent them to me, and we concocted the idea of running an auction on crochet hooks made from the Tornado Pecan.  This is one of the Hooks.

  We'll run an auction on the Relief hook and donate ALL the proceeds to the relief effort.  April's found several local direct relief funds for me that make full use of contributions to help the recovery effort (I have a problem with large percentages of "charitable" donations going into administrator's and advertiser pockets).

  So lets start bidding on this VERY special hook for a VERY special cause!
Technically, the hook is an I (5.5mm) and is 8 inches long.  The heel of the hook is hand lettered "2013 OK. Tornado  I  Jimbo". 

  I'll be doing two or three more of these hooks, followed by whatever else I can make from the Tornado Pecan pieces until there's no more wood to turn, and hope to make a nice donation from the proceeds with your help, so please bid high!

  We'll make the auction short, ending this Friday morning, June 14th at 9am Pacific time.  Please increase bids by $5 minimum and agree that tying bids will be settled in favor of the first bid received.  I'm not at my computer round the clock but will try to post bids as they come in.

  Please e-mail your bids to me at jimbocrochetwhittler@yahoo.com

My thanks to April for such a great idea!  This is such a fun way to help with the relief effort!

Jimbo

Bids:
Carla starts us off with $35
Kate's here with $50
Jane's in with $55
Kathy goes $60

Julia and Jimbo's Experiment goes to Maker Faire

If you're in the neighborhood of Round Rock Texas, stop by the

Maker Faire

and talk hook geometry with my friend Julia Chambers.  Julia and I concocted an idea for a hook geometry experiment at our last Crochet Liberation Front retreat.  We (several of us at the retreat) whittled us up several hooks, all the same size but with different throat/neck/lip geometry, then tried them out on participants at the retreat.  A worthy experiment it was, but needing more participants and maybe smaller hooks (the large ones were selected to make it easier to see the sometimes obscure differences from one hook to another, but made actual crocheting difficult).  Now the experiment is being carried forward by Julia at the Maker Faire, where crochetiers are able to meet Julia (a treat in itself) and find out just what makes hooks tick.  Believe me there is WAY more to a crochet hook than a stick with a notch at one or more ends.  And Julia is an expert at hook analysis, and fitting the hook to the hand/grip style.  Sure wish I could be there too.  Round Rock's a bit far of a hike for me though.

Here's wishing Jules the best at the Faire! 

Jimbo

 

Hook Auction May makeup AUCTION IS OVER!

WINNING BIDDERS PLEASE CONSIDER USING PAYPAL BY CLICKING ON THE LITTLE YELLOW BOX IN THE LEFT MARGIN OF THIS PAGE MARKED "MAKE A DONATION".  THANKS TO ALL WHO BID AND DROPPED BY TO VISIT.

OH AND KAROL'S DOING WELL WITH HER NEW HIP, THANKS TO ALL WELL WISHERS.

Hooks from my stash of hook blanks, made after the untimely demise of my lathe.  The new power head's on it's way.  Not that I'm impatient, but...  well actually this auction comes during Karol's recovery from a total hip replacement, so I wouldn't be out working on the lathe anyway.  I tell you, Karol's a real trouper.  Lots of pain walking, sitting, lying down.. anything that requires movement of the new hip joint.  But she's a tough one and I'm proud of her.  Biff and I have to keep a close eye out, though cause she'd determined to do more than she should.

Ok... on to the auction!

Lets look at these hooks from left to right, and number them in that order.

Hook #1 (far left)  This is an 8 inch long double ended L (8mm) hook, made from Birch.  Nice for those projects that call for two hooks in one.  Great for working two colors in Tunisian style... here's a good example...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZV5yXQtBgm4 

Hook #2 is a beauty!  It's made of Red Heart, a beautiful RED wood that normally isn't one I'd use for small hooks, but this piece is exceptionally hard and allowed me to make a rare Red Heart G (4mm).  It's 7 inches long and has a nice comfy thumb rest.

Hook #3 is lightweight but strong Canary wood.  This one is an H (5mm) with a dark flame accent at the foot.  It's a touch over 7 inches long.

Hook #4 is one from up on the Ranch.  It's made from a Bush Maple branch.  I find these growing in clumps around ranch, usually near springs.  Branches die off and new ones grow in their place, so this wood is truly self sustaining.  This one is a G (4mm) and has a bit of bark left on the angled foot.  Looks a bit like a sheep's hoof.  Appropriate, eh?

Hook #5 (the lighter colored one of the two "egg" hooks) is Maple.  I've been making egg hooks for a goodly number of years now.  Egg hooks came about from the idea of comfort and crochetiers who have gripping difficulty.  The "egg" part can be held easily in the palm of the hand, and well here, take a look at this for a better idea...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBk3ZKa97Go  The hook is an H (5mm) and is 4 1/2 inches long.  The "egg" is 1 3/16 inches in diameter.  A VERY comfortable hook for smaller hands, especially if you normally use the overhand (knife) grip.

Hook #6 is another Egg hook, this one made of Cherry.  It's a size 7 (4.5mm),
1 1/4 inches in diameter, and is 4 7/8 inches long.

Hook #7 is rare indeed.  The wood is Dalmata.. a really pretty dark wood with dramatic grain differences.  Rare too for the size.  It's an 8.5mm, between an L and M, and is 7 5/8 inches long.

Hooks #8 and 9 are custom order hooks and are here for an initial buyer look-see.  But if you're curious, #8 is maple and is an M (9mm) and #9 is Dalmata at 7mm.

Ok there you have it!  More hooks-to-roof (I'm using hook funds to replace the ice damaged roof on the cabin behind the Front Porch up on the Ranch).
Lets run this auction until 10pm Thursday night, May 30.

You can email your bids to me at  jimbocrochetwhittler@yahoo.com


I will post bids as they come in and as I am available to do so.

Tied bids will be settled in favor of the earliest to arrive here.

Please increase bids by $5.00 minimum.

Thanks once again for your patience waiting for this auction...  thanks also for your well wishes for Karol's recovery. 

Jimbo

Bids:

Hook #1
Doug's here with $30

Hook #2
Diana goes $30
Barbara does $40
Diana, $45

Hook#3
Diana with  $30

Hook #4
Carol bids $20
Chris takes it to $35

Hook #5
Paula goes $20

Hook #6
Chris feels sorry for the lonely hook without a bid and goes
$15

Hook #7
Paula's here!  $20
Jenn takes it to $25
Diana goes to $30
Barbara jumps it up to $40
Diana, $45

A MERE FLESH WOUND....

As you can clearly see in this photo, my lathe is toast.  It just blinked out the other night while I was making a special custom order for a very lovely and talented crochet artist with a charming Texas accent.  Thinking it was a mere lathe flesh wound, I gave it a piece of wood to bite on and proceeded to operate.  No success.   Panic stricken,  I contacted the maker in Canada and they reassured me that for mere $$$.$$, a new power head will be delivered and running in as little as two weeks.  TWO WEEKS!!!!  HOW CAN I MAKE IT TWO WHOLE WEEKS??!!   Holey Cow!
The happy side?  Yes there is one.  I do have a small stash of hook blanks waiting to be finished, so I'll do that and post them in an auction... soon, and maybe revert to my roots and hand whittle some rustic hooks as long as my hand holds out.  But my poor little lathe!!
And poor me.  What a pathetic thing, eh? 

I need some hugs.

Getting shaky here
Jimbo

JIMBO CROCHET HOOK AUCTION, LATE BUT WHATCHAGONNADO? AUCTION IS OVER! THANKS EVERYONE!!

It's now 10:03pm Pacific time and time's run out on this auction.  Thank you all for bidding and dropping by for a look see.  I really enjoy the company!
High bidders, please consider using paypal by clicking on the little orange box labled "make a donation" in the left hand margin of this page.
Thanks again everyone!  We're getting closer to the roof!
Greatful
Jimbo




I'm back!  Great time at the crick... everything's turning green, the spring is running and deer frolic in the field.  Wish you could have been there!  Ah but it's good to be back here too.  And the auction resumes! 
Thanks again for your patience!
Jimbo





Been tardy for the last month.  There are excuses, but I won't bore you with my issues, you're here to see hooks, and at long last, here are a few and they're up for bids!
But first, I just HAD to show you the Maple bowl I made recently, mainly because I know how you like to see Mother Nature's art.  All that beauty hiding under rough bark.  Take this Maple bowl as an example of Mom Nature's artwork.....

Amazing.  Blogger likes to tease me with photos that are rotated to funny angles, and there's not much I seem to be able to do about it, but if you rotate the picture 90 degrees counter-clockwise, a very pretty mountain scene appears.  Honeyed silk scenery.  7 3/4 inches in diameter, 2 inches tall

Ok.... on to the auction!  What I'm going to do is show you a picture of the hooks up for sale inside that amazing bowl.

Hmmm.  They look pretty here, but I tell you what; they're knock-out beautiful in real life.   High bids get the hooks and I get a few more shingles for the roof.  Good deal eh?  (in case that statement is puzzling to you, I'm trying to fund a roofing project for the cabin on the ranch with funds from hook sales).

Oh and what do you think, should I put the bowl up for bids too?

Now take a look if you would, at the top four hooks.  These are all made from the same board that I acquired at a local hardwood shop.  The board was very heavy and rough looking, but the color interested me.  So  I asked the clerk "What kind of wood is this?"  "Beats me!" he replied.  I had no clue either but what I suspected was that this renegade board might make some nice hooks. So I bought it and made the top four hooks you see here.  After finishing the first hook, I was so impressed with the wood, I went back to get more, but they didn't have any.  So what we have here is four hooks made from the VERY rare "Beats me" wood.  Honestly, this could be THE hardest wood I've come cross.  I'd say pretty close to the equal of Ebony, only not quite so brittle.  Plus the color, grain pattern and finish make these hooks some of the finest I've made.  You simply will not find smoother hooks.

The top "Beats me" hook #1 is the most figured and has the most color contrast of the four.  It's another of those hooks that you just have to see in person to fully appreciate. The little chip you see at the bottom or "foot" of the hook, was there from the beginning and I left it alone because, well, had it been fixed the proportions would not have been as correct.  That plus I like to leave a little character of the wood as it was originally.  This beauty is an H (5mm), with a length of 7 5/8 inches.

The   next one down (hook #2) is the same wood, beautiful color and grain pattern but with just a few spots of the darker color.  See the dark eye near the thumb rest?  It was a pitted area in the wood that I filled without changing the dark coloration.  Makes the hook head look a bit like a long beak bird.  There is more really beautiful grain color contrast on the other side but I wanted to show you the "eye".  This is a G (4mm) and is 7 5/8 inches long.

Hook #3 is cut from the same "Beats me" wood, but here we're getting out of the darker contrasting grain color.  Just a few dark spots remain, as you see in the photo.  Still this is amazingly beautiful wood.  This one is a J (6mm) and is 7 5/8 inches long.

Hook #4 is the last of the "Beats me" wood.  And it's really sad that I couldn't find the real name or source.  I'd buy more in a heartbeat.  Ah but #4 is the end of the block, and it's ALMOST without any darker contrasting color.  A small dark spot on the foot is the only mark tying this hook to it's siblings.  The polish on this hook, because there's no contrasting grain texture, is unbelievable. Really.  Beats me 4 is a K (6.5mm) and is (you guessed it) 7 5/8 inches long.

The fifth hook from the top (Hook #5) is a phenomenal piece of the old apple tree.  The color variations in this hook are really impressive, AND it's the genuine article... an honest to goodness, made in the USA Deadman Crick Jimbo Apple Wood crochet hook.  No need to guess what kind of wood this is.  I know.  I personally hiked down to the old tree early this spring, found the broken branch, sawed it off and brought it back here for the stick-to-hook conversion.  Of course this hook is different from the first four.. not just because of geographic heritage (I'm guessing the "Beats me" hook wood is South American or African), but for it's color and weight.  Here we have a K (6.5mm) that has areas of cream color that reminds me of a bit of cream swirling in coffee.  A bit of bark remains on the foot of this 7 7/8 inch long beauty.

Hook #6 is a real sleeper, meaning that what you see is WAY less than what you get.  This hook is made of a new wood to me, Dalmata.  Dalmata is one of the sustainable woods harvested along the Amazon.  I was amazed at the closeness of the grain in this wood. Close grain, color contrast, and shimmering chatoyance that of course you can't see in the picture, make this a truly stunning hook.  It's an H (5mm) and is 7 3/4 inches long.

Hook #7.  You know about Spokane Washington?  It's where I live when I'm not up on the ranch.  It's also called the "Lilac City" because, well, we grow lots of Lilacs around town.  This is a Spokane hook, so what's it made of?  hmmmm?  You guessed it!  Lilac.  This piece is from my buddy Dickie's Lilac bush.  Very pretty wood, light and strong and this one with lots of character in bark strips that you see along the grip and handle length.  A VERY pretty hook!  AND it's a G (4mm) with a length of 7 3/4 inches.  A very comfy hook, this Lilac.

On to the bidding without further adoo?  Ok.  Lets go!
Please email me your bids at jimbocrochetwhittler@yahoo.com .

I will post bids as they come in and as I am available to do so.
Tied bids will be settled in favor of the earliest to arrive here.
Please increase bids by $5.00 minimum.
We will end the auction on Monday, May 6 at 10pm Pacific Standard Time.

As always, I'm grateful you stopped by, bidding or not it's good to have company and friends like you!
 
Jimbo

Oh!  What about the bowl?  I'd hate to part with it, but tempt me and we'll see... that roof's not getting younger.

Bids:

Hook #1
Alice goes $30
Barbara is here with $35

Hook #2
Barbara with $30
Erin says $35
Barbara goes to $40
Erin's back with $45


Hook #3
Alice with $30
Doug goes $35

Hook #4
Doug with $30

Hook #5
Nicole goes $30


Hook #6
Barbara says $30
Stacie goes $45
Barbara's back with $50

Hook #7
Nicole bids $30
Stacie with $45


Bowl:
Jimbo (heh) $45  (its ok to bid on my own stuff, isn't it?)
Charlene outbids me!  $50



















Thanks for dropping by, and thanks even more for you patience!
Jimbo
jimbocrochetwhittler@yahoo.com

Another Jimbo Hooks First, the World's Newest Crochet hook design!

The newest advancement of crochet technology in the known Universe.... I give you....

I hardly need to say what amazing potential this revolutionary hook brings to the crochet world.  Ever hear of Push/Pull crochet?  I didn't think so.   The more I think about the real life potential of this hook configuration, the more I think it just might not be so much of an April Fools Day joke after all.  What do YOU think?? 



(Y'all come back now,  there'll be a new hook auction to follow shortly)

Always looking out for the crochetier
Jimbo

Copyright 2013 by James Price

Three more and Crochet It Ain't So (Auction is over, thanks everyone!)

Auction's over!  High bidders please consider using paypal by clicking on the box marked "make a donation" in the left margin of this blog page.  Thanks again to all bidders!  Another auction will be along shortly, please visit often.

Featured Artist

I like to get to know my customers, and I tell you what; there are some really amazingly talented folks out there.  And here we have Sheri!  What a talented artist, Sheri!  You should go visit her blog http://blog.crochetitaintso.com/ and see the amazing things she comes up with.  Uh well, her most recent post is a little mutual admiration thing (heh) but you can scroll down from there and see the work product of a very clever and talented mind. 

I asked her to do a little thing about her work and here's what came back:

I'm Sheri, and I have a small crochet blog/shop called Crochet It Ain't So! I love nerdy things, crochet, and puns (obviously), so my blog (and shop, when I have time to update it) is full of those three things, for the most part. I really love doing custom orders, which is probably why my Etsy is usually so empty, and I love to make things that reference movies, video games or other "fandom." Recently, I made most of the accessories for a Captain America costume to wear to a convention.

I'm 27, and I've been crocheting since college, so about 8 years now. I was taught by a fellow student - I'm also a photographer, and I wound up photographing her wedding! Since I also take pictures, I wind up photographing EVERYTHING I create, which can drive my boyfriend nuts since he either winds
up being my model or my tripod.
Several years ago, I created a Tetris Afghan, which was featured on a few websites about video games (Kotaku and Joystiq), and then I auctioned it off for my favorite charity, Child's Play (childsplaycharity.org). Since then, I've donated another afghan to the auction, and several other items (from afghans to amigurumi) for a smaller auction that also donates to Child's Play.
I tend to make large items, such as 8-bit afghans. I love working on them because I can just make a ton of squares while doing other things, such as watching TV. It makes "wasting time" feel like I'm getting something accomplished. I also like making themed scarves and other accessories. I'm currently working on a rainbow granny square afghan (with my Jimbo hook), and I just love it so far!

Since this is going on Jimbo's blog, I also want to say that I now have THREE Jimbo hooks and I love love love them all! You can see me working with them on my blog, I post pictures all the time while I'm working.

Pretty kewel, eh?  You should see her costumes!  Makes me proud to have my hooks in the hands of such a talented artist!

Ok, on to the auction!

EBONY AND IVORY.... AND TWO MONGOS UP FOR BIDS

Something different this time, eh?

I think you can guess which of these three is the Ebony and Ivory hook.  Actually "Ebony and Ivory" is only half true.  It IS real honest go goodness Ebony... the wood that delights in dulling my tools.  You don't want to build a canoe of Ebony.  In fact if you're out fishing and crocheting between hauling in lunkers, and this hook somehow slips overboard?  Well you best hope that it finds it's way into the appreciative arms of a crocheting octopus because this hook won't float.  No, it's the "Ivory" part that is misleading.  Real Ivory is rightfully illegal to sell.  So what we have here is faux ivory.  Pretty dang close though.  It's Tagua Nut, and totally ok to sell.  What's interesting about this particular nut is the core.  See the bottom picture?  I'm thinking that this is a really old nut; one that was used by a caveman/woman as a canvas for painting the likeness of a prehistoric deer head.  That's what I'm thinking and I'm sticking with it.

This hook is the culmination of a frustrating trial and error adventure for ole Jimbo.  It's the third effort, and the one that finally paid off.  Mistakes in design led to earlier versions' demise.  You see, to get a strong joint between an ultra tight grain wood like ebony and an ultra smooth material like Tagua Nut in what appears to be a surface to surface joint isn't an easy thing to do.  So what you don't see is a snug mortise and tenon joint to increase glue surface area.  And it worked!  The result is an amazing hook. 

Technically, Ebony and Ivory is a 5mm H size that's a glassy smooth, free standing, 7 inches long. 

And now, moving on to the Mongos.

These are BIG hooks, made for BIG projects.  I did a little test drive with a strip of cotton fabric.  Nice.  The heads on these two hooks are a little more tapered in the lip area to facilitate ease of re-entry, when you're pulling a loop through your work.  They should work well to make ultra open work using really bulky yarns, or nice well defined stitches when using fabric strips (as with rug making).

The lighter colored and spalted Bramble Wood from that dangerously spikey bush up on the ranch that thinks it's a perfusionist (draws blood).  Beautiful and very hard wood, though, and worth a few drops of blood.  You can get an idea of size in the picture next to the quarter.  Sizewise it's 29.4mm and 9 1/4 inches long.  I left a bit of the foot natural, in tribute to the warrior in the ole bramble bush. 

The other Mongo is made of Sapale.  Sapale looks like Mahogany, but isn't quite so open grained and as such makes nice hooks.  Light weight, strong, and handsome, Sapale. 22.5mm and 8 1/2 inches long.

All three of these hooks will stand on their own feet if you want them to.

And the auction part?  Ok lets run this one a bit shorter, since there are only three hooks involved.  How about closing bids at 10pm Pacific time this Thursday night (March 21).  Please increase bids by $5.00 minimum and be patient with me as I'm not always at the keyboard to post bids precisely as they come in.... but they will be posted, and any ties will be settled by the time the bids arrive, in favor of the earliest bid received.  Oh and you can email me your bids at:

jimbocrochetwhittler@yahoo.com

Thanks!!  

Jimbo

Bids:

Ebony and Ivory H:
Michele's in with $30
Ashley goes $35
Claire bids $60
Michele bumps it to $65

Mongo Bramble 29.4mm:
Michele goes $30
Doug's here with $40

Mongo Sapale  22.5mm:
Ashley with $35
Doug goes Mongo..$40