Direct from the maker!
“The Irish Hook”, also known in the USA as “The Hartman Hook”
,
is
a range of tools for the discerning rughooker, individually handcrafted
(the hook as well as the handle) with brass hooks and ferrules, and
using locally-sourced Yew wood for the handles. We are a father and son
outfit based in a pleasant corner of rural Ireland, and have been making
these rugtools for nearly thirty years.
Yew is a very pretty wood,
predominantly an orange or salmon pink colour, with white sapwood,
occasional streaks of dark brown and purple, and a varied grain which
means no two handles are alike. The wood eventually darkens to a
chocolate-brown colour with age. Each handle is hand-turned to
perfection, and yew comes to a smoother finish than any other wood,
making these a joy to hold.
The brass hooks are carefully rounded and
smoothed to glide easily through the backing and pull loops without
catching or tearing.
The sizing of these tools is by the diameter (in millimeters) of brass bar the hooks are made from…in other words, the thickness of the shank.
You’ll see from the pics that “Bent” tools have a bend in the shaft near the handle; the “Curved” tools have a curve along more of the shaft. In terms of their use I don’t think there’s a lot of difference…take your pick!
The tools pictured have an “Ergo” handle; Slim and Ball handles are available (see the last pic above…Ball handle at top, Slim handle at bottom). Some people prefer the dimple of the Ergo handle set off to the side, as in the third pic above (this being a right-handed version…as you hold the tool with the hook pointing down, your thumb is towards you). R/H and L/H are available, though most I make are in-line as in the other pics above.
Ball, Slim and Pencil handles are available (see the last pic above…Ball handle at top, Slim handle at bottom)
The listing price includes free shipping worldwide by standard airmail post.
This will usually take around a week to destinations in the USA, currently three weeks for Canada.
Customers in the USA: some, but not yet all, states charge your local sales tax on all Etsy and eBay purchases from abroad, for a hookie this is usually 2 to 3 dollars added when you order. Nothing to do with us!
UK customers: since Jan 2021, 20% VAT ($8.80) has been automatically added on to the price I charge for a hookie; I have never been VAT-registered or obliged to charge it. If you voted for Brexit you should just suck it up; otherwise please contact me directly and I’ll arrange for you to get your hookie without this ridiculous extra charge. eBay restricts contact details, but you’ll find them on my website, irishhook at the most common and original domain.