It's what's inside that counts.

At first glance, this looks like just another plain brown box. But inside lurks something truly magical, so in fact it's a box filled with secret powers that will go forward and do marvellous things.

Because inside this box is my Bolivar cutter!!! Needless to say, I'm pretty excited about having it.

Like many before me, I resisted the urge to own one, convincing myself that my two little cutters - however crappy - were good enough to do the job. That was until I tried other people's Bolivars and Townsends.

Word to the wise - don't ever try one unless you are prepared to buy one. They are the "crack cocaine" of the hooking world. Once you've had a taste, you can't go back. I said the same about my sit'em too, and I think I was right. I'm convinced that the round hoop is just a stepping stone to something more logical - something large, with gripper strips, that lets you hook in all directions.

Maybe that's the real test in hooking. If you can survive the beginner tools, you get to continue and find out how much easier it all is with good tools...like good scissors.

My friend Jennifer is very wise about her hooking tools. She garnered her wisdom from her Dad who taught that it is always smart to "invest in the best". And I think those of us who have finally succumbed and purchased good hooking tools will have to agree. There's no point in being handicapped by a cutter that cuts uneven strips and shrieks and moans at the mere sight of synthetic fiber.

Rumour has it that this "baby" cuts everything - even leather. So, I will take this plain brown parcel up to the cottage this weekend and give it a whirl on many different fibers - although not leather just yet. And I will thank my little Bliss and my little Fraser for their years of service and then set them aside for my future students.

No point in spoiling them right off the bat. We need to see if they can stand the test of poor cutters and wooden frames. We need to find out what's inside them first too.