Crochet hook: sizes, types. For beginners and not only

2024 Author: Sierra Becker | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-26 03:46

Crochet is exactly the kind of needlework in which it is possible to fulfill any creative idea of the craftswoman. Crochet clothes with any patterns, openwork, shawls, napkins and lace collars, having mastered just a few basic knitting techniques. Before you start creating, you need to understand the tool that will be used. Types of crochet hooks and recommendations for beginners are described below.

What are crochet hooks?

For different knitting techniques, the tools may vary slightly:

1. For ordinary knitting, the simplest ones are suitable. There are many of them on sale and they differ only in size, material from which they are made, and design options.
2. For Tunisian knitting technique, use long hooks with limiters or similar in appearance to circular knitting needles.
3. For tatting, they acquire long and thin instruments along the entire length, with a smaller head, unlike the usual one.

Hooks can be made from a variety of materials: metal, plastic, wood. There arealso bamboo and bone. How to choose a crochet hook when your head is spinning from all this variety? There are a few general guidelines to help you avoid making mistakes.

Selection criteria

What you need to pay attention to:

• Weight. It may seem that this factor when choosing a knitting tool is insignificant. It seems that all crochet hooks are small in size, so they are light in weight. But this is only at first glance. If we imagine that a craftswoman, keen on knitting, holds the hook in her bent arm for a long time almost in weight, then the extra grams will be noticeable. On the other hand, a plastic tool that is too light and thin can discourage creativity if it bends and springs.
• Quality of performance and processing. Whatever material the hook is made of, before buying, you should carefully check how well the surface is sanded, if the end is not too sharp and if the handle is tightly fixed.
• Shape. To enjoy the process, you need to find exactly “your shape” hook. Craftswomen with experience already know exactly which knitting tools are more convenient for them, but beginners may have problems choosing. A good option would be a hook with a handle and a metal rod. In any case, even in the store you can feel how comfortable it is to hold a knitting tool, whether discomfort is felt in the muscles of the hands.

Next, it is important to determine which crochet hook to choose in size. First you need to understandwhat is the size and what they are.

Hook sizes

The number or size is the value of the diameter of the rod, indicated in millimeters. How to determine the size of the hook, if you have a ruler at hand? Along the entire length, this knitting tool may have an unequal diameter, so it is more convenient to measure exactly the part that comes immediately after the head - the so-called core. In most cases, if it is, for example, not handmade, but factory-made, the size is indicated on the flattened part of the hook or printed on the handle.

For foreign manufacturers, this number may not correspond to the number calculated in millimeters, as there is a difference in the measurement system of different countries. Sometimes, instead of a numeral value, one can observe the designation with a Latin letter. The ratio of all sizes is shown in the table.

Size in millimeters	0, 6	0, 75	1	1, 25	1, 5	1, 75	2	2, 25	2, 5	2, 75
US Size	14 steel	12 steel	11 steel	7 steel	6 steel	5 steel		B/1		C/2
Canadian and UK size							14		12
Size in millimeters	3	3, 25	3, 5	3, 75	4	4, 5	5	5, 5	6	6, 5
US Size		D/3	E/4	F/5	G/6	7	H/8	I/9	J/10	K/10, 5
Canadian and UK size	10		9		8	7	6	5	4	3
Size in millimeters	7	8	9	10	12	15	16	19	20
US Size		L/11	M/13	N/15	P		Q	S
Canadian and UK size	2

What are crochet hooks and sizes, we found out. Next, you need to figure out which one to use for knitting, if the yarn has already been purchased. Typically, thread manufacturers will indicate the recommended hook size on the label, but if this is not the case, then there are two ways to figure out which tool to use.

The method is laborious - empirically

Products from the same yarn, knitted with hooks of different thicknesses, may differ. A denser thing is obtained with a smaller tool, a looser one with a larger one. It can be noted that everyone has their own experience or lack of it, everyone has their own knitting style. Therefore, in order toto know more exactly how the product will look, you can knit a small sample.

It is enough to make, say, 15 loops in width and about 10 rows with different hook sizes. The overall appearance of the canvas is also affected by the texture of the yarn, the material of the hook, so you need to prepare for short experiments.

Below in the table you can estimate what range of hook sizes is suitable for a particular yarn.

meterage 50 g	200–250	130–200	75–130	50–75	50–30	<30
number of single crochets per 10 cm	21–32	16–20	12–17	11–14	8–11	5–9
hook size in mm	2, 35–3, 5	3, 5–4, 5	4, 5–5, 5	5, 5–6, 5	6, 5–9	9 and >

It will take a little time for beginner knitters to figure out how to choose the right crochet hook and tool sizes. Experience is gained quickly because knitting is one of the most exciting activities.