Interesting Facts About A Crochet Hook Every Crocheter Should Know
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All the important information you should know about the humble crochet hook including anatomy and types of hooks.
We all have that special crochet hook we just love working with, don’t we? However, have you ever wondered why?
I am diving deep into the anatomy and features of different crochet hooks and materials we use. I hope this article will help you understand why you like certain types of hooks. This might be helpful to make future choices easier when purchasing more hooks. Because we can never have enough, right?
5 Things You Should Know About Crochet Hooks
Surprising Facts about Crochet Hooks – Video Tutorial
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1. What is a crochet hook?
Crochet is a craft which has been invented much later than knitting. However, it takes some similarities from knitting. A tool used for creating crochet pieces is called the crochet hook.
Basically, it is a needle that has got a hook on one end opposite to the handle. As opposed to knitting, you only need one crochet hook to work with. In fact, there are two different ways you can hold a crochet hook.
Knife Hold
The first one is the knife hold which is sometimes referred to as knife grip. This means you hold it as a knife.
You place your index finger on top of the crochet hook and secure it with your thumb as you push it through your work. The handle of the hook sits in the palm of your hand.
Pencil Hold
The other way to hold a crochet hook is the pencil hold or pencil grip. This means that you hold your crochet hook like a pencil with the handle rested between your thumb and forefinger.
And you grip the crochet hook with your thumb, index finger, and middle finger as you push it through your work.
Crochet Tension
The way you hold a crochet hook sometimes affects the way you hold your yarn too. There really is not a right or wrong way to hold your yarn while working with it. Each crocheter finds the most comfortable way to hold the yarn.
Whether it is in the same hand as the hook or in the opposite hand, you need to consider a couple of things.
Firstly, make sure you are holding your yarn comfortably. You should not put your fingers and hands under any extra pressure while crocheting.
Secondly, you need to find a way to hold the working yarn, so that you can control the tension. This is especially important for crochet projects where size and fit matters.
2. What are hooks made out of?
There are a few different materials we can make a crochet hook from. Each material has got its own qualities which different crocheters like or dislike. Certain materials add weight to the body of the crochet hook as opposed to lighter ones which result in lightweight crochet hooks.
Metal or Aluminium Materials
The first group of materials are metal and aluminum.
Metal crochet hooks are long-lasting and have a nice weight to them. These are very durable as the material is heavy and very unlikely to bend or break. They are great starting tools you can purchase when practicing and learning to crochet. They are also quite forgiving when practicing as the yarn glides nicely over the hook.
Aluminum crochet hooks are considerably lighter. However, they are prone to bend slightly out of shape.
Shop Metal Crochet Hooks here:
- Furls Crochet Odyssey Crochet Hook
- Tunisian Crochet Hook
- Double ended Tunisian Crochet Hook
- Clover Ergonomic Crochet Hook
- Boye Crochet Hook
- Bates Ergonomic Crochet Hook
- Tiny Metal Crochet Hook
Plastic or Resin Materials
Secondly, we have plastic or resin materials that can be used to produce crochet hooks.
Plastic crochet hooks can be very cheap to make, however, sometimes they can feel just like that – cheap.
If you are not a fan of metal crochet hooks, I would recommend looking at resin hooks. You can make these hooks by pouring liquid resin into crochet hook molds. After the resin sets, makers smooth and polish them out. This makes them super easy to work with as the yarn glides over the hook nicely.
Shop Plastic and Resin Crochet Hooks here:
- Furls Crochet Streamline Resin Crochet Hook (top)
- Furls Crochet Candy Crochet Hook (bottom)
- Clover Ergonomic Large Crochet Hooks (not displayed)
Wood or Bamboo Materials
The third groups of crochet hooks are wooden or bamboo crochet hooks.
The properties of a wooden crochet hook greatly depend on the type of wood used. These hooks are very likely made from wooden stick which is cut to shape and sanded down to create a smooth wooden crochet hook.
Bamboo is lighter than most other wood materials used for crochet hook making. Some highly polished and sealed bamboo crochet hooks are easy to work with. However, a large portion of crocheters might find them quite tricky to work with.
Shop Wood Crochet Hooks here:
- Clover Tunisian Crochet Hook made from Bamboo (top right)
- WeCrochet Tunisian Crochet Hook made from Wood (middle)
- Furls Crochet Streamline Wood Crochet Hook (bottom)
No matter what material you choose to work with, you can always customize your crochet hook. People often make the cheaper hooks easier to work with by adding a handle extension for a comfortable hold. You can make these handles from polymer clay, foam clay, or silicone rubber handle.
A quick tip: before we dive into the features and anatomy, grab 3-4 of your most favorite crochet hooks, size doesn’t matter.
3. Features and Anatomy of a Crochet Hook
Finding the perfect tool can be very tricky. Sometimes you can not quite put your finger on the reason why you like or dislike a particular crochet hook.
No matter what size or material we produce it from, each crochet hook has 5 parts.
At the very top, we have the head of the hook. The part immediately after the head, there is throat. The shaft connects the throat onto the next part which is the grip or sometimes called the thumb rest. The last part is the handle.
4. Crochet Hook Types
This is where having a few different hooks in front of you might help. You might be able to spot certain similarities in the head and throat of the hooks. Determining which type of head and throat you prefer, might save you loads of time and money when shopping for more tools.
Different Hook Heads – Inline vs Tapered
The first thing you might notice is the different heads. There are inline heads, which are typically pointed. Inline heads are made from a straight piece of material. If you imagine carving out a crochet hook from a super straight plain straw.
The other type is tapered heads which are at a slight angle to the handle. These heads are mostly rounded off smooth.
Both types have their pros and cons. The rounded head doesn’t split the yarn as you are working with it. However, the pointed head pushes through tight stitches easier. This is especially handy for working with amigurumi.
Different Hook Throats – Inline vs Tapered
There are two different types of the throat – rounded and flat.
The rounded throat results in a more shallow mouth of the hook. This helps with the speed of crocheting as the yarn doesn’t catch.
The flat throat creates a deeper mouth which grabs the yarn slightly easier. Some crocheters feel that the yarn keeps getting caught.
Combination of Inline and Tapered Hooks
However, there is also a combination between the two types. And that is a tapered head with an inline throat crochet hook type. Furls Crochet Odyssey Hooks is a great example of this combination.
- Tapered Crochet Hook – Bates
- Inline Crochet Hook – Boye
- Combination of Inline and Tapered Crochet Hooks – Furls
5. Different Types of Hooks
There are many different types of hooks out there and we all have our favorites. I am going to share a few with you that I have worked with and really like.
Boye Crochet Hooks and Bates Crochet Hooks are makes of simple metal hooks that are a great starting point when getting into this addictive craft.
Metal ones are very tiny thread hooks for intricate designs like doilies. To make working with them more comfortable, you can make clay handles for easier use.
Tunisian Crochet uses long hooks, which sometimes have a hook on each end for crocheting in rounds. Some Tunisian hooks are short with removable or permanent cables. I personally prefer the interchangeable Tunisian crochet hook sets.
Furls Crochet has a wide range of wooden, resin, or plastic hooks which I really like. They are super comfortable to use for long periods of time.
I hope you found this article informative. If you think your crochet friends would find it interesting too, why not share it with them? You can use the social media share buttons below.
Now you have worked out which type is your favorite, you need to store them safely! 5 EASY CROCHET HOOK STORAGE PATTERNS – PRACTICAL AND BEAUTIFUL will give you some super easy ideas.
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