Peacock Crochet Hooks

Manufacturer: Tom & Linda of DyakCraft.com (formerly known as GraftonFibers)
Type of Hook:  Handcrafted Bullion Crochet Hook, size H/5mm
Own/Covet: Own, purchased at a ChainLink Conference a number of years ago
On the Hook: Crazy Stitch (aka Diagonal Box Stitch) scarf, original design, donated locally in 2010

What I love about the hook:  I usually display this hook at various crochet classes I teach as it beautifully demonstrates how the neck & body (shank) merge together to create a nice, long area for holding many yarn overs or many loops at one time without being stretched. (Not familiar with the anatomy of a crochet hook?  Then check out this image offered by the Crochet Guild of America.) This is important for making stitches such as the bullion stitch, also known as the roll stitch, and the rice stitch.  But this hook is also great for making thin strips of Tunisian crochet as well (think of creating Tunisian jewelry, or belts & straps) without having to use a very long hook -- or one that is cabled.  Because this hook is so versatile for several crochet stitches & techniques, I think it is a *must have* for every crocheter's "tool box."

At the writing of this blog entry, Tom & Linda have halted the making of these crochet hooks while they work on bringing their Interchangeable Crochet Hooks to market.

Brainsbarn Apple Crochet Hook

Manufacturer: Brian & Anne of Brainsbarn.com

Type of Hook: Applewood (from my backyard) with sterling silver spheres & accents, and my birthstone - Amethyst, complete with a captive ring. Size I
Own/Covet: Own (a birthday gift to myself; blogged about it here.)

What I love about this hook: This is my first crochet hook created out of applewood. The applewood is amazing -- it is so lightweight! Even with the beautiful beadwork & carvings, the hook is well balanced and is so comfortable in hand. I love using this hooks on long-term projects for that very reason! I love the applewood so much that, at the time of this blog post, I have a request in for another. The next time you're in your backyard, or at the park, and see a pretty branch laying on the ground, look for hook potential -- you never know! :)

Custom Graydog Crochet Hook

Manufacturer: Jill & Bill Barnes of Graydog Woodenware
Type of Hook: special request by husband for our anniversary; it has our birthstones on it; size F
Own/Covet: Own (blogged about it here.)
On the Hook: A gift using the Crazy Stitch, also known as the box, block and diagonal stitch; a very addictive stitch.

What I like about this hook: Gradog was the first-ever hand-turned crochet hook I ever purchased which totally revolutionized the way I crochet today! (I'll feature the first-ever Graydog hook in a future post.) Because of this, I will admit I am biased towards them. That said, I loved how Bill & Jill worked as a team: He carved the hooks, she jeweled them. Their hooks got so popular they stopped taking custom orders, but somehow my husband was able to convince them to create this one for me. This particular hook has a graceful neck and body which allows me to make my taller stitches more uniform. The head is tapered like a Boye. I love how the jewels sparkle in the light; I often use this hook during public crochet demonstrations.

Graydog hooks were offered on eBay, often going for hundreds of dollars each, as people feverishly tried to outbid each other -- the Graydog hooks were highly prized! Unfortunately the Graydog hooks haven't been seen on eBay for a few years, and it seems their official ebay store has been recently closed. Their last sale, as of the writing of this blog post, on Etsy was in 2010. It is not known if they're still offering a hook, or two, for sale, but worth favoring -- just in case.

This hook has been featured in Piecework magazine, and in Crochet Traditions magazine.

Sonshapes & Wolfenwoods Crochet Hooks

  (blogged about these two crochet hooks here.)

Manufacturer: Joanne Sulllivan, owner of Sonshapes, Inc. 
Type of Hook:  Bahama Cherrywood Dymondwood crochet hook. It is adorned with a smooth Sterling Silver bead cap, Aurora Borealis Light Rose Swarovski Crystal, Silver-plated rondelle with aurora borealis Swarovski crystals and an antiqued Sterling Silver bead cap.  Size "I".
Own/Covet:  Covet; it is owned by my daughter.
On the Hook: Nothing at the moment.

What I love about the Sonshapes hook:  Joanne offered her hooks both through her website, and through eBay.  She  also offered the service of having names and special messages engraved both on the hook and on an optional wooden box.  This link is to her former website that includes a brief video of how her hooks and knitting needles were created:  http://web.archive.org/web/20070311050838/http://www.sonshapes.com/thedesigner.aspx.  Sonshapes went out of business in 2008.


Manufacturer: Max Wolfen & Babywolf of WolfenWoods
Type of Hook: baseball bat out of Hickory wood, and adorned with a ceramic baseball & glove at the top
Own/Covet:  Covet; it is owned by my son.
On the Hook: Nothing at the moment.

What I love about the WolfenWoods hook:  Like the Sonshapes crochet hook, the Wolfenwoods hook has the same tapered style shaped head, like those of the Boye mass-produced style heads.  Although I've yet to use my son's hook, it has a nice balanced feel in the hand.  Wolfenwoods still has a shop on Etsy, although the last sale made was in 2010; and still sells on eBay (last sale as of the writing of this blog post was August 2011).  It might be worthwhile, if you're interested, to favor them in the event they start offering more crochet hooks.

Brainsbarn RAK Crochet Hook

Manufacturer: Brian & Anne of www.Brainsbarn.com

Type of Hook:   Indonesian Rosewood Crochet Hook, complete with a captive ring and a glass Pink Ribbon Bead with silver insert
Own/Covet: Own (RAK'd: blogged about it here.)
On the Hook: At the original time of this blog post, there was nothing on this hook.  On 9/15/12 I replaced the original picture with the picture above.  Current project is be used as a store sample at Stitches East.

What I love about the hook: This hook was RAK'd (Random Act of Kindness) to me by Brian & Anne in recognition of all the charity projects I crochet, thus the hook has a pink ribbon on the bead between the two wooden sections.  I use this beautiful hook exclusively for charity projects as I believe it is filled with "good vibrations & intentions."  I love how the wooden hook warms to the touch and executes my stitches flawlessly.