There are just so many cool crochet hooks out there. It gets hard to choose what might be a great purchase and what will sit in your toolkit taking up space. My first hook I received was when I was 7 years old. It was an aluminum hook, pink, size H. I still have it. I use it mainly for crocheting wire designs now since it is a bit beat up after so long. My first hooks I started buying were the aluminum type, Susan Bates. They are nice, giving a slippery place for the yarn and are sturdy in your hand. But aluminum doesn’t work well with all yarns. Some need a little TLC and that slippery aspect of aluminum is a negative for them. I found bamboo to be handy instead. It’s lightweight and smooth, giving the slightest resistance to extra silky yarns so that you can actually crochet rather than chase after your yarn constantly. I also have tiny steel hooks, they work great for amigurumi!!! I recently found out about the lighted hooks, Crochet Lite, which I find to be useful with dark yarns like black and navy blue. There is, however, a tugging since the lighted shaft part is acrylic, but it’s better than guessing where your stitch is supposed to go! The Clover brand hooks are simply very well made. In addition to the bamboo hooks, I have two double-end Tunisian hooks in bamboo, the Amour set and the Soft Touch set from Clover. I love them all, the Amour makes grabbing a hook easy due to the colour coded handles. They also glide easily with yarns of many types. My Soft Touch are probably my favourite of the hooks. They are easy to hold, cause less hand stress and slide through yarn like a knife through warm butter. I’m not kidding, I crochet along so easily sometimes that I swear my crochet time has sped up with these hooks. I also have a few others, a few from antiquing, a long aluminum afghan/Tunisian hook and an ergonomic hook from Hobby Lobby. I thought about buying a Furls hook, but the cost is so much that I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. What if I didn’t like it and I spent all that money on a single hook? Maybe I’ll try one out some day if I find a test hook somewhere first. I’m sure they are great though. There are many more hooks out there, some made of ceramic, bone, or other materials. Some more expensive and some less, some with beautiful clay handles and some with carved wooden handles that look more like works of art. I try to look for hooks when I visit an antique store, sometimes I find one like my large wooden double ended hook. Other times, nothing. Much like my bead addiction, I do have a crochet hook addiction. I have a hard time passing through the hooks/needles aisle without stopping to see what might be there. I think when people begin crocheting, often an aluminum is best. It is easy to hold and yarn slides nicely. I know some folks think acrylic is best for beginners. Honestly, I couldn’t disagree more. I’m not a fan of acrylic hooks. The only one that I have is the lighted hybrid cushioned handle hook. I’ve tried them, really I have. But the tension, tugging and lack of dexterity that the hooks allow for handicaps the beginner. This is my opinion, although several novice crocheters have agreed with me once switching to an aluminum hook. Overall, it may take some time, testing and trials to find hooks that will work for you. I have a variety of hooks in different materials, sizes and types. I’ve used them all and I’m sure I will eventually collect more. Yarn is not made of all the same material, not the same weight and not all the same style. Why should your hooks be any different?
Lighted, bamboo and steel, oh my!
