Hooks or Needles

A frequently asked question is do you use hooks or needles to do crochet and the answer is crochet hooks. A crochet hook is exactly what it sounds like it is.

A little stick with a hook at the end of it!  It is the hook that you use to form the stitches that make up your crochet fabric.

© Can Stock Photo / kritiya  | Using a Crochet Hook

No matter which basic crochet stitch you are using, you form the stitch by inserting the hook through a gap either under a stitch in the previous row or between two stitches and use the hook to pull a loop of yarn through to the front of the work through that gap.  The variation in the basic stitches relates to the number of times you wrap the yarn around your hook before and after you pull that loop of yarn through.

Having decided between hooks or needles - now which hook?

Crochet hooks can be made of a number of different materials including bamboo, steel or plastic.  Usually the finer the hook, the more likely that it will be made out of steel.  

There are three main types of hooks, normal single-hooked ones (short pins with a hook at one end), double hooks where there is a hook at both ends, usually in different sizes and Tunisian hooks which are long pins with hook at one end.

©   Vanessa Peterson Flickr.com | Tunisian Afghan Aluminum Knitting Needles Set

Some brands offer ergonomic style crochet hooks with the hook inserted into a handle that is shaped to find in your hand.  This style of hook is quite popular with older crocheters or anyone who might have problems with the joints in their fingers.  The function of these hooks is identical to the plainer versions, they are just easier to use.

© Heather Flickr.com |  which hook?

As a knitter as well, I always have a Crochet Hook or Two handy...

Whether you want to learn more about crochet and become an experienced crocheter or just add embellishments or edges to your knitting, a set of hooks in a range of sizes is a handy addition to your tool kit. One of the sets I have comes from Birch. The set has 10 hooks ranging in size from 2.00 mm to 5.00 mm, and I find that I usually have a hook in the right size for most of the projects I work on.

Most recently I have invested in a collection of Addi Swing Ergonomic crochet hooks that I use for Amigurumi - the shaped handles are easy on your hands when you are working on a fine or tight fabric.

I also have my grandmother's set of hooks (antiques now) in smaller sizes for finer work. Nana used to do a lot of work with very fine crochet cotton. Over the years, she made tablecloths for all of her daughters and bedroom sets for quite a few of her grandchildren or their wives.