We bought a woodland recently. You know, as you do. The story of how it happened is too long (and possibly not very interesting), but the short version is that we love camping, we love woods, and we found a woodland for sale that was near enough to Crystal Palace for us to be able to drive to our very own woodland campsite in an hour.

Most of our time spent there so far has been used for clearing some space for the undergrowth to start returning, making a few paths and taking down dead trees. But in between the hard work, there’s plenty of time to sit and stare at the camp fire and pass the time with a spot of gentle whittling.

I thought I’d have a go at whittling a crochet hook. As you can see, I still have a long way to go before I’m anywhere near to making something that’s usable. But since this photo was taken, we’ve got some proper wood working knives, which makes life easier. It’s also a lot easier once you’ve got a bit of wire wool involved in the process to help keep it looking a bit more tidy. I’ve made better attempts since this one, but still nothing I’m entirely happy with.

My brother in law is an especially keen whittler, and he produced this finished hook (above), which he’s sanded and gently waxed, making a hook that’s surprisingly easy and comfortable to use – much better than those jumbo plastic ones I’ve got. (Click for bigger)

Maybe one day, we’ll be as talented as the amazing Jimbo. Check out his blog for some truly beautiful handmade wooden crochet hooks.