Crochet guide
Crochet hooks
A crochet hook is a tool with a hooked tip that catches the yarn and pulls it through a loop. Hooks differ in the shape of the head, in what they are made of and in the handle. To learn with, one plain aluminum hook of medium size is enough.
On this page 9 parts
The parts of a hook
From the tip back, a hook has five parts.
| Part | What it is | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Head | The hooked end, with a point at the very tip | The point goes into the stitch, and the hook catches the yarn |
| Throat | The groove just behind the head | The caught yarn lies in it while you pull a loop through |
| Shaft | The straight, round part behind the throat, also called the shank | The loops sit here while you work. Its width is the size of the hook. |
| Thumb rest | A flattened place on many hooks | Where your thumb and fingers hold the hook |
| Handle | The rest of the hook | Gives your hand a grip on the hook |
Let every loop slide up onto the full width of the shaft before you finish a stitch. Loops made on the narrower part near the head come out small, and the stitches are then tight to work into.
Inline and tapered heads
The head comes in two main shapes.
- Inline. The head is as wide as the shaft and lies in line with it. The throat is cut deep, so the hook holds the yarn firmly.
- Tapered. The hook narrows from the shaft toward the head, and the head is rounder. It moves through the stitches smoothly.
Some people find it easier to keep their stitches even with an inline hook. Others prefer the way a tapered hook moves. Neither is the right one: it depends on how you hold the hook and move your hand, so try both when you get the chance.
What hooks are made of
| Material | What it is like | Where you meet it |
|---|---|---|
| Aluminum | Light, strong, inexpensive and sold widely | The usual metal for hooks of ordinary sizes |
| Steel | Strong enough to be made very thin | The smallest hooks, for crochet thread and lace |
| Plastic | Low in price | Often the largest hooks |
| Wood and bamboo | Warm to hold, and less slippery than metal | Not made in the smallest sizes |
Each material feels different in the hand and lets the yarn slide a little more or a little less. Because of that, two hooks of the same size can make stitches of slightly different sizes. Finish a piece with the hook you began it with.
Handles
A plain hook is one piece from end to end. Other hooks have a thicker handle, often with a soft covering, and are sold as ergonomic hooks. Many people find a thicker handle more comfortable to hold. How to hold a crochet hook and yarn describes the two usual holds.
Sizes, in short
The size of a hook is the width of its shaft in millimeters. Thicker yarn takes a bigger hook, and the label on a ball of yarn suggests a size. Steel hooks have numbers of their own, and those run the other way: a higher number is a thinner hook. Crochet hook sizes explained has the letters and numbers, the hook size chart converts them, and the steel hook sizes chart does the same for steel hooks.
Tunisian hooks
A Tunisian hook, also called an Afghan hook, is longer than an ordinary hook, and some have a hook at both ends. It is made for Tunisian crochet, which is a different way of working.
Where the hook comes from
The first crochet hooks were handmade, out of whatever was to hand. In the early 1800s an early form of crochet called shepherd's knitting was worked with such hooks. An older craft, tambour embroidery, used a very fine hooked needle to make chain stitches in cloth. Hooks have been made of bone, ivory and wood as well as metal, and old ones still turn up as antiques. The history of crochet tells the rest.
Which hook to start with
- One hook, not a set. You will add sizes as your patterns ask for them.
- Aluminum. It is a common first hook and costs little.
- A medium size, 4 mm (G-6) to 5 mm (H-8), with a yarn of medium thickness.
- Either head shape. Use what you have, and try the other shape later.
Questions people ask
Is an inline or a tapered hook the one to learn with? Either will do. Some people suggest an inline hook to beginners because it can help keep stitches even, and others say to try both.
Why did my stitches change when I picked up another hook of the same size? Hooks of one size still differ in shape and material, and that can change the size of your stitches. Go back to the first hook for the rest of the piece.
Do wooden hooks come in small sizes? Not the smallest. The thinnest hooks are made of steel.
Next, see what you need to start crocheting for the rest of the short list, crochet yarn types to pick a yarn for your hook, and how to crochet for the first stitches.