Such a Pretty Hook

Here in the US, today is a national celebratory holiday: The 4th of July.  So I thought I would have my own small celebration with some fun pictures to show off my finished hook.

I started this hook at the CLF Crochet at Cama Retreat (October, 2010) in Jimbo Price’s “Hook Whittling” class.  But it wasn’t completely finished at the end of my class or my trip to Washington.  I finally finished carving and sanding about it a month later, since then it has been waiting for the finishing oil.

There is something so soothing and peaceful to me about shaping wood.  I love the silky feel of the surface of the wood as I sand away all the bumps and rough bits.

Since I have a habit of sticking my hooks in my mouth when I am crocheting I wanted to use a finishing product that wasn’t toxic.  I was very pleased when I found this Howard Butcher Block Conditioner that is food grade mineral oil and natural waxes.

I warmed the oil a little by placing it in a container of hot water. Then rubbed it into the wood with the white cloth (just a rough cotton cloth sold in the painting department of my local DIY store) followed by polishing it with the yellow microfiber cloth. 

I’m really happy with how the oil brought up the grain of the cherry wood. It is also a good finish because I can re-apply the oil as needed to keep the hook looking like new.

It fits my grip perfectly and is a size L (8mm) hook, which is my favorite size for working with slightly bulky yarns like Dazzleaire from Caron.

And for those of you that want to see some fireworks today,  this is a picture I took at the Rockies Game Friday night. With the fire ban in effect for our county we enjoyed our fireworks a bit early down in Denver.