Bloodwood is probably my favorite red-colored wood. The color is vibrant crimson, and the graining is straight as an arrow. It's extremely sturdy, and nothing beats the depth of color. I just LOVE the way Bloodwood smells when cut -- very earthy, yet exotic -- definitely my favorite smelling wood.

Blue Mahoe is, amazingly, a naturally slate blue color. It tends to range from dark blue, like the sea during a storm, to a very pale blue. Because of the way the wood grows, I am often able to take advantage of the "day and night" effects -- where one side of a piece will be the light, "daytime," blue, and the other will be deeper darker version.

Bocote is a very distinctively striped wood, with something of a more "wild" quality -- it reminds me of giant hairy bears, or fearsome kitty cats, ready to pounce on the nearest grasshopper. The grain patterning almost looks "fuzzy." It polishes to a beautiful shine

Flaming Box Elder has almost magical red streaking that runs through the wood... which is completely natural. No dyes or stains in this one! A softer wood, I like to use it as toppers of crochet hooks and such because of its beautiful coloration.

Brazilian Cherry is quite similar to Jatoba. It has a lovely medium brown color, and interlocking grain that polishes up to be as shiny and smooth as glass. Sometimes the wood has subtle color changes that add interest and intrigue to the piece, so I like to use it for any number of different items.

Bubinga has such a warm glow to it -- the color is reddish brown, and the grain often shines when you hold it under the light. I love to combine it with Turquoise because the stones seem to jump right to you.

Canarywood, with its characteristic bright yellow grain, also boasts pink and purple streaking in some of the most colorful pieces. The shading is subtle, like a bird's feathers, but flecks of color can be seen throughout.

Cedar (Aromatic) has a distinct scent and color. When initially cut the color is intense purplish-pink, often with cream colored areas. With exposure to sunlight, Cedar will turn medium brown. I like to use Cedar because of its many exquisite knots which often are slightly chatoyant, and look just fabulous in a finished item.

Cherry, one of the U.S.'s most cherished domestic hardwoods has been beloved for centuries because of it's incredible rich color that only grows more beautiful with age.

Black Cherry Burl, has a very pretty figure indeed, and is fun to incorporate where you need a little set of burly figured eyes.

Cocobolo, Dalbergia retusa, is one of the most beautiful of the true rosewoods. The wood is strong and exquisitely grained, sporting thick and thinner grain lines, colors ranging from orange to deep brown, and of course, polishes up to be as smooth as glass. Definitely one of my favorite woods to work with.

Corn Cob, is not a wood, per se, but is definitely a natural material that has been put to imaginative use through stabilization technology. After being treated with a hardener and stabilized with resin, the corn cob is free to be used wherever one sees fit! And in any case, it's an awesome conversation starter! :)

Cypress, native to the swampland of the Southern United States, is an awesome tree, and a beautiful wood to boot. Silky smooth and twice as charming, the gently mellifluous graining has gentle gradations of honey-colored lines that make working with it a dream.

Black and White Dot Ebony is one of the rarest and most costly of any wood on the planet, even more scarce than "regular" Ebony. Its fine grain is exquisite and makes smooth-as-glass hooks and other fiber tools. I must say that it's fast becoming one of my favorite woods though it is difficult to find. The photo shows a prime example of this wood.

Ebony is the darkest of all natural woods. The color is often pitch black with deep brown graining. It's quite difficutlt to work with, but the end result is beautiful. It's one of the most expensive of the exotic woods, and somewhat hard to get.

Fir is both light in color and in weight. Generally cream colored with light brown grain lines, fir takes a silky smooth finish that seamlessly goes with the feather-weight heft.

Goncalo Alves is quite a beautiful warm brown color. It's a very "cozy" wood, and reminds me of toasty quilts, and tea with honey. A pleasant wood to work with altogether.

Hemlock is a type of spruce, and very famously known as the drink that killed the philosopher Socrates. Of course, only the berries are poisonous, and working with a crochet hook made of Hemlock isn't likely to put your life at risk, (unless of course, you're crocheting on the roof of a 40-story building in a high wind). Altogether a very softly grained wood, and very light to hold.

Holly is one of my most beloved woods -- when you've worked with Holly, you never forget it. The most beautiful pieces are snow white in color, (with almost invisible grain lines), and they cut like a dream. After working, my whole shop seems to be filled with "snow drifts" of the wonderful white winter wonderland shavings of Holly. It polishes to a beautiful shine, and also has the extra-cool connotation of being associated with Christmas, so I do use quite a lot during the holidays. On rare occasions, a neat knot will show up, adding character to the piece.

Honduras Rosewood, Dalbergia stevensonii, has fine grain lines of chocolate brown on medium brown. It is definitely one of my favorite rosewoods to work with because of its visual texture, as well as its tendency (like most rosewoods) to polish up to be as smooth as glass. It feels substantial in the hand, and is a joy to work with.

Huangana is one of my favorite woods to work with. It has subtle shading, wonderful color variations, and a fantastic texture that polishes up to be ultra-smooth and shiny with only a little bit of coaxing.

Ivorywood is a bit more yellowish in color than Holly, very like fossil ivory -- the teeth and tusks of prehistoric animals. It's one of those soft-yet-sturdy woods that I enjoy using.

Jarrah has an almost purplish glow to its brown color, so I like to combine it with different purples and pinks to play on that very subtle coloration. A wood native to Australia, Figured Jarrah can be very unusual and quite beautiful.

Jatoba is similar to Brazilian Cherry; it has a very distinctive end-grain pattern of arcs and dots. Jatoba is one of those beautifully smooth woods that has a rich brown color that sometimes varies from darker to lighter. A strong wood that polishes up as smooth as glass.

Jeckelberry is not a wood I use very often, but it strikes me as being somewhat like Coigue in terms of the deep fawn color, and ease of cutting. When I do use this wood, it is usually for ornamentation.

Katalox is deep dark purply brown, and makes wonderful handles for nostepindes and other tools because of its substantial nature and smooth surface.

Kingwood is one of the most lovely of the true rosewoods -- its fine graining and lovely purplish hue make it stand out from an already exquisite crowd. It generally has very thin grain lines that shade from lavendar to a deep purple with a pale brownish cast.

Leopardwood has incredible grain patterns; when cut, reveal tiny ovals of shineyness -- rather like fish scales shimmering in the sunlight. A type of Lacewood, Leopardwood tends to be on the darker side than what is commonly referred to as "Lacewood," which makes the contrast between the "scales" and the matrix wood all the more distinct.

Limba usually comes as a light-grained wood, but on occasion one can get Black Limba (pictured), which has beautiful, subtly shaded stripes that seem to blend together flawlessly, often creating dramatic patterns on a finished piece.

Magnolia is one of the sweetest, most equisitely perfumed woods one can ever work with. The scent is of the enormous Magnolia flowers that grow on those trees. Unfortunately, the aroma doesn't carry over to the final piece, but working with it is a pleasure. Subtly-grained, with a greyish-white color.

Mahogany isn't the color that most people assume -- the deep reddish brown that is generally associated with ancient libraries. Mahogany is, instead, a golden light brown color, whose cells shine in the light. Lightweight and sunshiney.

Makore is one of those lightweight woods that is simply a pleasure to turn. Peachy-pink in color, it's grain is of a kind that seems to flask tiny silver streaks when turned a certain way in the light, (as in photo).

Mango (Spalted, Curly figure) is known for its beautiful grain, especially when it has a Curly figure, as in the photo. Also in the picture are distinct spalt lines that ripple through like waves in the sea, enhancing the curly grain. One of the most enchanting of the figured woods, I LOVE to use Spalted Curly Mango in Nostepindes and other items of larger girth so as to see the maximum effect of the wonderful grain, and chatoyant stripes that come with the curliness.

Maple (Ambrosia) is surely food sent from the gods for all the little critters that lived inside the tree. Of course, nowadays, the former residents have been evicted, but they left beautiful blue/green-ish streaks running up along the grain lines. Of course, they also left their doorways intact, so pieces made with Ambrosia Maple often have a tiny little hole wich would have marked their entranceway.

Maple (Birds-eye figure) can be one of the most intensely packed examples of the figure found in any wood in the world! Maple tends to have teeny tiny birds-eyes which are found throughout the heart- and sap-wood of trees that have been exposed to specific conditions.

Maple (Curly figure) is definitely one of my most favorite woods. I LOVE the chatoyant shimmers that ripple down its length! It's almost magical to see these 3-D light refractions, and then, when you reach to touch them, it's perfectly smooth -- almost like a hologram. The best part is, it's all natural :)

Maple (Spalted) is caused when fungus starts infiltrating a tree, and it generally spreads along the grain lines, creating wonderful patterns of abstract art. Sometimes, the areas between the lines takes on a slightly darker color, giving the effect of ancient sepia-tone maps. A fun wood to use because the look of the final piece is highly unpredictable.

Mara has very interesting grain patterns, which reminds me of the speckled look of tortoise-shell cats, (of which I have a small collection :). because of this effect, it is also similar to Palm, and when cut, reveals confetti-like patterns around round ornamentation, as in the photo. Mara also has considerable color variation, shading from light tan to rich reddish brown with dark streaks.

Narra is related to Padauk, and is a beautiful deep golden color. Very light weight, it's fun to use in crochet hooks and hair pins because of its pretty shade.

Narra (Tiger Stripe Figure) is something simply incredible to behold! Chatoyant streaks in a pattern resembling tiger stripes flow over these pieces of wood like a waterfall!

Oak has always been known as one of the strongest of trees. It has a lovely brown color, and often reveals medullary rays, which run perpendicular to the grain lines, so it creates added interest in a piece.

Orange Agate is a somewhat unusual wood that I have come across recently. The main color of the wood is indeed orange, and varies in shading from cream and light orange to deep umber stripes of graining. I especially like to take advantage of the border between sap- and heartwood to get maximum color variation.

Padauk -- there's nothing like it! When I work with it, there's a shower of carrot shavings all over the place! Of course, it smells very nice too. I really like the vibrant orange color, plus it's a very light wood, and thus an excellent choice for larger crochet hooks and nosties.

Paldao is a rich golden color that shines in the light. It can be spalted, as shown, which creates streamlined bluish-gray streaks that add beautiful color to the wood.

Red Palm creates the most fantastic confetti-lile displays when cut in just the right way, and I love to use it on celebratory hooks -- it's something of a party-like affair! The "confettis" naturally range from a pinkish red color to burgundy to almost black on a light colored "background." Fun all around!

Peruvian Walnut is a deep dark chocolate brown, the perfect shade for using with many other colors because of its rich color. I often use it as an accent color to accentuate another segment in the piece.

Knotty Pine reminds one of log cabins and seemingly ancient floorboards, of home-cooked dinners, and logs on the hearth; warm cozy quilts and that general fuzzy feeling of home. The knots that appear can range from very light in color to deep black.

Pink Flame is another wood which I have only recently come to know. The creamy sapwood builds to a beautiful pink color with black streaking. The pink can range from practically pastel to watermelon red, and the wood polishes up to be as smooth as glass, and is a pleasure to hold.

Pink Ivory is a rare exotic wood that is very costly to buy and difficult to obtain. The colors are magnificent, however, ranging from a light peachy pink to watermelon red. I particularly enjoy working with pieces that have a gradation in color, as they are striking to behold.

Purpleheart, as difficult as it might be to believe, is a naturally purple wood. It's a very hard and dense wood, but I love to use it because it combines so wonderfully with many different kinds of materials. It's a perfect conversation piece to carry to your next needlework club meeting!

Pyinma (Curly Figure) is not a wood I use very often, but I like it nonetheless. It reminds me of Asian Satinwood in terms of working -- the shavings glide off effortlessly. Shown in the photo is Curly Pyinma, with characteristic chatoyant stripes that appear almost 3-D in the light.

Red Ebony has a pinkish-red coloration and is very hard and smooth like its cousins from the Diospyros genus. Red Ebony is rather difficult to find, and costly to obtain.

Redheart, also known as Chakte kok, has fine, smooth grain, and an unmistakable bright red/pink color with slightly darker grain lines. The color is a little bit brighter/pinker than Bloodwood, so it offers an additional color in my natural palette, and I enjoy using it quite often.

Russian Olive, with its somewhat golden color, is quite a difficult wood to work with. The early and late wood grain lines each have different hardnesses, so it is a challenge to make sure the piece comes out perfectly smooth.

Sapele is related to Mahogany, and has a very interesting shiny grain pattern. It polishes up to be very smooth and is very easy to work with. I generally use it as a different color variation to Mahogany.

Tsin Win is a relative of Wenge, and has very tight, thin graining that produces wonderful patterns when cut. Tsin Win, however, has the curious property of becoming darker when exposed to sunlight, so any piece I create must be "tanned" for several weeks in my window before I put it up for sale. (Unless, of course, you'd like a surprise.)

Tulipwood, Dalbergia frutescens, is an exquisite (and costly) rosewood with a cream-colored base and pink grain lines that swirl all over it. Tulipwood also has a beautifully perfumed scent when cut, intoxicating in its aroma. One of my favorite Rosewoods.

Walnut, a domestic and common hardwood to the U.S., has a lovely medium brown shade that works well with many pieces I create. Walnut can also be figured, and I currently have several pieces that have wonderful chatoyant "curly" stripes.

Wenge has a very tight grain composed of layers of chocolate and dark chocolate colored wood. One of the darkest of woods, it nevertheless shows a wonderful drop-in-the-pond ripple effect when cut in specific ways. Wenge is quite difficult to work, especially finishing; however, when done well, the wood polishes up to a glass-like shine.

Yellowheart, sunny as a summer's day, or morning, perhaps, with that bright, beaming, warming color that always brings a smile to my face. A very hard and strong wood, Yellowheart is one of my colorful favorites because it brings so much lightness and general friendliness to a piece. Both as a main hook color, and accent, Yellowheart is definitely a staple in my shop.

Zebrawood -- who could ever mistake it for anything else? With its wonderful brown stripes on a tan background, Zebrawood is one of my most favorite of woods. I love to use it in just about everything because of its distinctive and beautiful pattern. Because I make very small items, I try to purchase boards with the thinnest of stripes so you can get the maximum effectiveness out of this incredible wood.

Ziricote is often found for sale with mixed-color pieces that show both the heart and sapwood. Sometimes this gives a stripey effect, but in this particular piece, (see photo), was rather Holstein-like in appearance. A fun wood to use now and again.