Crochet guide
Double-ended crochet
A double-ended crochet hook has a hook at each end. It is used for Tunisian crochet. Loops are picked up with one end and worked off with the other, usually with a second ball of yarn. It has two main uses. One is Tunisian crochet in the round, and the other is a flat fabric with two different faces.
On this page 6 parts
What a double-ended hook is
A double-ended hook is a Tunisian crochet hook with a head at both ends. There are two kinds.
| Kind | What it is |
|---|---|
| Straight | One long shaft, like a knitting needle, with a hook head at either end |
| Circular | Two short hooks joined by a flexible cord |
Two separate hooks joined by a cord work in the same way.
The stitches are the stitches of ordinary Tunisian crochet. What changes is how the loops come off the hook. The tool and the craft have been sold under several trade names. This page calls it double-ended crochet.
For the long hook, the foundation row and the two passes of a row, see the guide to Tunisian crochet.
How a row goes
On a plain Tunisian hook, the loops go on and come off at the same end. On a double-ended hook they come off at the other end. The steps below are for work in the round with two balls of yarn. This page does not give the steps for flat work.
- Forward pass. With the first end and the first ball of yarn, pick up loops as usual.
- Slide and turn. Push the loops along to the second end. Turn the work, so that the other side faces you.
- Return pass. With the second end and a second ball of yarn, work the loops off as usual, until only a few are left on the hook.
- Turn back. Push those loops back to the first end. Turn the work again and go on with the forward pass.
You do not have to finish a whole forward pass first. Pick up some loops, work most of them off from the other end, then pick up more. Because of this, the hook never has to hold a full row.
Two balls of yarn, or one
The usual setup is two balls of yarn. One is for the forward pass and one is for the return pass. They can be two colors or the same color.
For work in the round, one ball of yarn can be enough when the hook has a flexible cord.
What it is for
Tunisian crochet in the round. Tunisian crochet on a plain hook is usually worked flat. With a double-ended hook the rounds can go on without a seam. It is used for tubes such as hats and cowls. It is also used for flat squares that grow outward from the center.
A fabric with two faces. Worked flat in two colors, double-ended crochet makes a reversible fabric. One color leads on one side, and the other color leads on the other side.
Sizes
Double-ended hooks are made in many sizes, like other hooks. The size is the thickness of the shaft, given in millimeters. See the hook size chart and crochet hook sizes explained.
Where to go next
- Tunisian crochet teaches the two passes of a row on a plain hook.
- Tunisian crochet stitches sets the stitches side by side.
- Changing colors in Tunisian crochet covers work in two colors on a plain hook.
- Crochet hooks covers the other kinds of hook.