Now that's a crochet hook

I was looking for some afghan hooks (they look like a cross between a knitting needle and a crochet hook) on eBay and was amazed to see one bid up past $25 for a single hook. It was a Graydog Tunisian wood crochet hook, hand carved with an ornate flame at the top. Just gorgeous.

Graydog Woodenware makes some really beautiful tools--letter openers, crochet hooks, knitting needles, awls, hair ornaments, combs and more.

In checking completed items for the past month, I see that several have gone for over $150 for a single Graydog hook, including this one that sold for $198. Some of their work goes for close to $300. [Update: Jane's Hooked on Crochet points out a Graydog hook that recently sold for $526.99. Wow! (Jane also seems to have several Graydog hooks and to be quite enamored with them.)]

At first I was wondering why people would spend so much on something like a crochet hook or a pair of knitting needles. But the more I browsed through the auctions and looked at the pictures, the more I saw the appeal. They are so beautiful and unusual, and they appear to be very high-quality. Some of them are contoured in a way that looks more comfortable to hold than the traditional style.

Given the many hours a crocheter or knitter spends holding those hooks and needles, a more comfortable and higher-quality tool would make a big difference. I know I have a definite preference in brand and style even when buying a hook that costs under $2.

I'm not sure I would like to use a hook with dangly things attached to it or a large bauble on the end (although this one is lovely), but the carved and inlaid ones really appeal to me. I like the carved flame or the turned decorations on the ends of some of them, or the basic "flow" design. I like this one, too, with malachite and silver decorations. The bright colors and lovely patterns of wood grain in the hooks, along with the quality of the handiwork, make the tool a work of art.

As a great lover of wood and of fine craftsmanship, having a hook made of finely-carved ebony or curly maple would add another element of aesthetic pleasure to my crocheting experience.

As anyone who works with textiles or does any other kind of craft knows, the final result is only a small part of the appeal. The experience of the crocheting itself is my favorite part--the feel of the soft yarn weaving through my fingers, the rhythm of the hook's smooth movement through the fibers, and the endless fascination of watching little loops form to make complicated patterns in fine, even stitches. Watching the beauty of an heirloom-quality piece of fiber art form under my fingers will never lose its fascination.

Crocheting is entertaining, relaxing and theraputic for me. Anything that adds to the tactile and visual pleasure of the process itself would be worthwhile.

I'm sure many crafters would get more use and enjoyment out of a fine tool like this than out of a piece of jewlery. I can imagine that with much use, the tool would even begin to shape to the owner's hand. A Graydog tool would be a highly personal and special gift for anyone who would use it often.

If I owned one, though, I'd probably lose it. :)