Cochet Hook

My daughter is teaching my great granddaughter how to crochet. She needed a little larger crochet hook so it would be easier for Ayana. I used a number 9 mm hook for a pattern and carved one out of cherry wood. A friend had trimmed a cherry tree last spring and I used this wood. The wood is hard but it is mostly straight so it carves fast. The flat spot is important so the hook won't turn in the hand while crocheting. 

Heart Necklace

These hearts are carved from a hardwood called Monkey pod. This wood is found in Central America and the Pacific regions. They use Monkey pod wood for furniture and dishes. I found a bowl in a thrift store that I could cut into heart shapes. The wood came from Hawaii. I found the darker areas on the wood was harder than the lighter areas. The finish is a gun stock oil called Tru-oil. The first coat was put on with a brush to fill in the open grain of the wood. The next coats were hand rubbed in, using steel wood or fine sand paper between coats. I used jewelry wire to make a loop and glued it into the heart for an attachment.

Chickadee

This Chickadee is a little larger than half size. I turned the head a little bit. I didn't use any measurements when carving. The eyes look like I placed them to high on the head. After I painted the bird, I dropped it and it landed on it's beak. We had a bird feeder by I window and every once in a while a bird would fly into the window so I had to move the feeder.  So this bird has a crooked beak. I like the paint work on the bird. The feet are made from wire that is soldered. The Chickadee is perched on a piece of wood cut from a Cherry tree branch.