Types of Crochet Hooks
When I set out to learn simple crochet, I made a mistake within the first couple of days that caused me not even to be able to practice my stitches. I bought crochet thread and a yarn hook. The hook was too large for the fine thread I was using, and the result was neither becoming nor practical.
I would like to save you the same trouble as you embark on your simple crochet adventures.
Here’s the tip: there are four different kinds of crochet hooks, and you have to pick the right one for your work turn out successfully. Here’s a run-down of each:
1. The Steel Crochet Hook. This type of hook is very small. It is not suitable for yarn, but it is the correct choice for crochet thread. We use numbers to refer to sizes. The sizes range from 00 to 14 and the unlikely fact is that larger numbers refer to smaller sized hooks. Also note the number of the size of the crochet thread. The label, or the pattern that you are following, will usually give you a recommendation for the appropriate size of the hook. This is the type of hook used for lacy doilies, tablecloths, bedspreads and other fine work. It is also used for filet crochet patterns.
2. The Yarn Hook. The yarn hook is sometimes referred to as the “aluminum” hook, but in fact it can be made from plastic or wood in addition to aluminum. As you might expect, it is an appropriate choice for yarn. Yarn hooks are bigger around than steel hooks. Their sizes are referred to variously by numbers and letters and in this case, the size of the hook increases as the number gets larger or the letter gets further along in the alphabet. Yarn hooks can be tapered or in-line. The tapered style is tapered from the shank of the hook down to the hook itself. On the other hand, the circumference of the in-line hook remains constant until just before the hook, when it narrows quickly and obviously. Whether you use a tapered style or an in-line hook depends on your personal preference. The size of the stitch won’t be affected by using one or the other if you use the best practice of sizing your stitch by slipping the loop up to the shank of the hook.
3. The Afghan Hook. The afghan hook is a specialty hook, longer and usually bigger around than a yarn hook, which is used for crocheting yarn in the afghan stitch. The afghan stitch is different from other crochet stitches because when you make a loop in the afghan stitch you hold it on the hook until you get to the end of the row. At the end of a row of the afghan stitch, you start to yarn over the hook, then draw the loop through the loops on the hook two at a time. Consequently, the afghan hook has a stitch blocker on the end to ensure that the loops don’t slip off.
4. The Double-Hooked Hook, or Cro-Hook. The cro-hook is a long crochet hook with a hook at each end. It is used in a specialized version of crochet that frankly I have not even attempted yet. You use two balls of yarn with a cro-hook and generally they would be two different colors. The stitch resembles the afghan stitch somewhat, in that you keep all the stitches on the hook until you get to the end of the row.
All of these hooks are easy to find anywhere where crochet supplies are sold. Just choose materials that work together and you will be all set.
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