carve a crochet hook

Since my earlier posts, i’ve made lots of hooks, hand carved from branch wood. They’re magical when done and the finished wood is so smooth it’s almost therapy to hold them. However, fun as they are to make, at $15.00 each, they’re not very profitable (even though that price is high for crochet hooks).
Still, i love to make them and people who are using them seem to think they’re well worth the price.
If you decide to make one, i recommend getting a gage to use for determining size, carving the hook to at least one size larger than you want, sanding the carved part down to the size you want, then forming the hook (the hardest part). Use a fine saw to start the notch and very carefully carve the rest.
Once you get rolling they get easier. I think i can make one now in about 45 minutes to an hour, depending on the type of wood and whether i have to start over because of defects.

Thanks Jessica!
Your note made MY day. Since I made that post, I made the hooks (actually 5 of them) and sent some down to my sis today.
I know my sis won’t care whether they work well or not.. she’ll use them just because they’re what they are. But they should work well.. they’re just silky smooth (I waxed them) and they’ll bring back lots of good memories for her. I know they did for me when I was making them.
So now I’ve made more and am thinking of selling a few to folks who might like a “rustic” hook that’s a little more than just a tool. Not to get rich, but because I really love making them. The wood hiding under that bark can be amazingly beautiful.
Anyways, thanks again for your kind words.
Ane here’s hoping your dreams come true too.

Kind Regards
Jim

i have an ancient apple tree on my property where i’m building my cabin. My sister is stuck in Calleyfornia, and because of health, cannot come visit. I want to carve her a crochet hook from a branch of that apple tree. I think it would mean alot to her. But i don’t know anything about crochet hooks. For example, can i smooth say 3” at the end of the branch and leave the bark on the rest?