Comments on: Hooks are for Crochet, Not for Swordfighting

By: Kittalia

Kittalia — Tue, 31 Jul 2012 01:21:37 +0000

I am a freeform crocheter, and I have mostly the same thickness and type of yarn, so I use two J hooks, an aluminum one in the summer, and an acrylic one in the winter or when traveling.

By: Rayna

Rayna — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 01:31:53 +0000

I love using inline hooks like Susan Bates. I get a more consistent gauge and find it easier to back out of the stitches.

The original set of Boye hooks I purchased has gone mostly unused, except for crocheting with wire. The rounded tip Boye hooks are less likely to crimp the wire.

There is a new hook by Tulip that has a sort of hybrid head style which people are raving is the best of both worlds.

I also love my Crystalites plastic hooks because they have more grip than aluminum and make it easier for me to work with slippery yarns. I don’t use them for projects with a really tightened gauge however (like a cotton hat) as I can break them. I have never tried bamboo hooks, but I adore my bamboo knitting needles, so I may try those one day.

I have noted that using a hook smaller than recommended for a yarn will yield a tighter, stiffer gauge and therefore warmer, not thinner and cooler. A larger hook will yield a looser, lacier and therefore cooler fabric. If I want a THIN fabric, I have to start with a thin (small) yarn.

By: gatyamgal

gatyamgal — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 22:24:30 +0000

Talking about re-purposing the smaller steel hooks, I used to use them all the time to try to pry things with and bent several of them. I also used them to clean hair out of the sink drain. When I finally learned that you could actually crochet with them, I felt so bad that I ruined them! I treat them with much more respect these days.

By: Barbara Penn

Barbara Penn — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 22:15:32 +0000

I knit as well as crochet & have found that a crochet hook is indispensable for picking up dropped stitches. In my knitting notions bag there is always a small size and a medium size (like F) hook for this purpose. I also use a crochet hook for darning holes in knitted items.

By: Karen

Karen — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 17:53:18 +0000

I too grew up loving on particular hook, an aluminum, blue size G. And it is so true that you can never have too many crochet hooks, they get lost, get put aside with unfinished projects, serve other purposes for which they are not intended…

By: Panya

Panya — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 19:06:23 +0000

I prefer Boye hooks — small steel ones, and medium-sized aluminum ones. [I only have one large hook, and it's plastic.] The hook I grew up using for every single thing I made was a gold aluminum Boye size H. My preferred hook for making baby blankets now is a blue aluminum Boye size G/6-4.25. [I actually have three each of the sizes G and H.] My new favorite for embroidery floss work is a steel Boye size 2/2.25mm. I do NOT like inline hooks — I recently visited four separate shoppes before finding the hook size I wanted with a tapered head.

By: Jeanne

Jeanne — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 15:57:58 +0000

I absolutely love my bamboo hooks! They just feel so smooth & nice, and I don’t notice a weight difference since aluminum hooks are already very lightweight (but the larger acrylic & plastic hooks do have more weight to them!). What I love most about the bamboo hooks is they’re never cold — which can be a big issue to me since I crochet anywhere and everywhere, including outdoors in cold weather (like when I’m waiting for a bus).

By: Laura

Laura — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 15:48:56 +0000

I think it’s amazing that steel and aluminum hook sizes have some overlap in sizes! I’ve always been afraid of those itty bitty hooks, but now I find out that i’ve been using the biggest steel hook size for quite a while, in the form of an E aluminum hook! Thank you so much for this educational post! I’m going to go get my unused steel hooks and tackle some itty bitty stitches!

By: Darlene

Darlene — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 12:55:13 +0000

Erin! Lovely writeup!

Good to know about the weight differences of the bamboo and acrylic. Since I love the feel of crochetting with my aluminum hooks, I won’t be wanting to experiment with other hooks.

Although it is totally logical, I had not thought of the smaller hooks producing a thinner, hence cooler, fabric. Since I am usually wanting to make things that are cool, I often wonder why in the world I love to crochet — so much of it is done with yarns for warmth! Your pointing out the obvious helps me to establish my projects for the future.

Thank you so much!