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Crochet hooks

Hook anatomy

 

Most crochet hooks come with similar basic features including head, throat,  shaft or shank, thumb rest and handle.  Each part of the hook has different role in making crochet stitches and may come in different size or shape depending on brand.

 

The head of hook is used to catch and pull yarn though the stitch. The head of the hook may be inline with the rest of the hook e.g., Susan Bates hook or is not inline e.g., Boyes hook. The point of the head may be either rounded (Bouyes) or pointed (Susan Bates).

 

Throat is the shaped section that catch and guide the yarn up into working area. One may be more tapered than the other influencing yarn catching so try both to see which suits you best.

 

Shaft or Shank is the part indicating the size or diameter of a hook and therefore a stitch size.

 

Thumb rest is the part for gripping the hook with your thumb and index or middle finger. It is where size of crochet is normally printed.

 

Handle is the rest of the hook for holding and the length and shapes may be different between brands. Some handle are designed for a person with some difficulty such as arthritis.

 

The choice of hook is a personal preference. It is worth giving yourself a try on different types of crochet if possible as one hook may give you a more pleasurable and enjoyable times in crochet and you may find that one hook is be more suitable for certain types of yarn than the others. Enjoy exploring!!

 

Hook holding

 

Grip the hook, either with knife or with pencil style, at the centre of the thumb rest area firmly but not too tight or too loose. Many people found pencil style is mote comfortable however your suitable style is depend on what you feel most comfortable with.

 

Hook sizes

 

Crochet hooks vary in shape and size, the size is marked with either a number or letter. The size of a hook can be measured using a needle gauge to measure the shank/shaft of a hook in millimetres.

 

When following the pattern instructions, you may find that you need a smaller or larger hook than suggested, depending on the brand of hook used, to archive the correct gauge of a particular pattern. Different brands offer smaller ranges of the hooks so using a few different brands in a project may help to archive the gauge of your project. 

 

Hook types​

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  • Aluminium

Aluminium hook is the most common type that comes in various sizes. They are available in both tapered (cut-in) and inline (round) throat.

 

  • Steel hooks

Steel hooks can come in smaller sizes that other types for working with fine cotton yarns or thread. It is handy for working bead crochet.

 

  • Plastic hooks

Plastic hooks comes in various attractive colours which are easy to use, flexible, and feel warm to use. They are available in both tapered (cut-in) and inline (round) throat.

 

  • Wooden or bamboo hooks

Wood or bamboo hooks are handcrafted from hardwoods or fine-grained bamboo and often are very light. They are available in restricted ranges of sizes, such as from 3.5mm (size E) upward.

 

  • Japanese hooks

Japanese hooks is slightly shorter than US or EU hooks. They are available from 2mm to 6mm (size K). The hooks may come with plastic handles and an inset grip made of softer plaster, Clover is a known made, which make it very easy to hold and may help a person with conditions such as arthritis.

 

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