Beginning Crochet: Learning About Your Hook

Anyone interested in learning how to crochet can find just about any kind of yarn or fabric to use. The projects you can make are endless. Some of the most beautiful coverlets, super chic clothing, warm blankets, even hammocks can be crocheted. To get started on any crocheting project, however, you'll need a good crochet hook specific for your project. Having the wrong hook can be a major headache and may even end up causing you to give up on your project altogether. As a beginner, getting a hook that is comfortable to work with is essential.

All hooks are basically the same shape, but some work far better than others. A couple of years ago I helped teach a small group of teenage girls how to crochet. At this crocheting party I discovered just how important the hooks are. I had bought an inexpensive lot of cheap hooks and dispersed them among some of the girls. A few of the other girls had brought their own hooks. The quality of the work done with the cheap hooks was noticeably different than the work done with the slightly more expensive hooks.. The girls working with the cheap hooks all but gave up on learning how to crochet.

Plastic hooks are not good to use. In fact, they can turn out to be a waste of time. The cheap hooks I bought were made of plastic. Plastic hooks tend to be brittle, and have extra bits of plastic that were produced when they were being molded. These little bits of plastic stick out from the hook and snag your yarn, making even stitches very difficult. They usually break easily and wear out easily as well. The only exception is for extra large hooks that you would use for crocheting with rope and very thick yarns. The large hooks don't tend to have the inconsistencies the small ones have.

You may also run across some wooden hooks. While some of these hooks may be more aesthetic or ornamental, they are not durable. They tend to be more expensive than some of the other hooks as well. You are paying for the decorative touches on the hook, and not necessarily the usefulness of it. Again, like the plastic hook, the larger wooden hooks do retain their durability.

The most popular, easy to find, least expensive (based on usefulness), and one of the most durable hooks to buy is made of aluminum. These hooks are smooth, allowing yarn to glide over them effortlessly. Every craft store that carries crocheting supplies will carry aluminum hooks. They come in various sizes and are lightweight and easy to maneuver in your hand.

Like aluminum hooks, steel hooks are also very durable. They usually come in smaller sizes for thread or very fine yard for projects like making lace. Their heads are typically more pointed than their aluminum counter parts for grabbing that fine yarn, but they are also smooth and easy to maneuver.

The size of the crochet hook you need is dependent on the project you are working on. Like I mentioned before, the smaller hooks are used for making lace and tighter weaves, the larger hooks are used for crocheting with rope and thick yarn for things like rugs and hanging planters. It is the thickness of the shaft (the long part you hold) that determines its size. Most hooks are labeled alphabetically according their size. The smaller hooks are represented by letters closer to to the beginning of the alphabet. For example, a "D" crochet hook will be smaller than an "I." The most popular size hooks for most crochet projects are typically "I" and "K," so these sized hooks would be good as a first purchase for the beginner. Because these hooks are the easiest to work with, I suggest finding a beginner's pattern that calls for one of these hooks to do the work with.

Crochet hooks may also be labeled numerically in millimeters. The smaller the number, the smaller the hook. The numeric size will always match the alphabetic size. For example, size "I" is also 5.50 millimeters, and size "K" is 6.50 millimeters.