Question: Which is the best crochet hook….?

Answer: Any of them..!!

There are so many different types of crochet hooks, the best crochet hook is really subjective and completely up to you.

Some people love the “in-line” style hooks like Susan Bates, whilst others wouldn’t start a project without their trusty “Clover” hook.  If you’re interested in the difference between “inline” and “tapered” hooks, see here for more info.

A few months ago, I went to the “Knitting and Stitching” show at Kensington Olympia and was lucky enough to find a stall which had a number of hooks to try out.

I was certain from all of the hype on the internet that the Clover hooks would be great and work a treat for me.  Actually, I wasn’t convinced….Let me be clear, I’m not saying that Clover hooks are bad, they are genuinely loved by lots and lots of people, they just didn’t feel right for me.

I think that the best crochet hook depends on three main things

1.  How you hold your hook

There are two main types of grip that people use…either the pencil grip:

Or Knife Grip..

2.  How you hold your yarn

The second thing that influences which hook is right for you is the way that you hold the yarn.  I was taught to crochet by my Aunt, she holds her yarn like this…

This way makes sense to me.  My fore-finger and thumb control the work and I don’t have to do much “swinging” to get the yarn onto the hook.  That means that the movements in your hook-hand are small.

Unfortunately, after trying this way for some time, I found that my forefinger wouldn’t behave.  An old knitting injury, knuckle soreness started to creep back in due to the repeated small lifts of the middle finger to get it onto the hook.

So I switched to hold it this way…

I think this is a more traditional way that people are taught.  This means that the yarn-holding hand moves less.  However to compensate, I find that my hook hand has to do much more twisting and moving to get the yarn on the hook.

I’m sure there are lots more ways to hold the yarn too and there is no right way, just the way that works best for you!

3. How you “move” when you Crochet

Thirdly, it depends a lot on how you actually “move” when crocheting.

Personally I hold my hook using a “pencil” grip, but I also tend to “twizzle” my hook around as I pick up the yarn then pull it through.  See below…..my thumb is on top to pick up then underneath to draw through…

You can see in this video I shared on instagram how much I twizzle!

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working hard to finish off my cosy-stripe blanket! only 7 rows and a border to go! . . . . #crocheteveryday #crochetblanket #crochet #crocheter #lovecrochet #crochettoday #crochetoftheday #crocheted #crochetthat  #crochetersofinstagram  #crochetaddict #crochetofinstagram #crochetwip #stylecraft #crochetlover #instacrochet #crochetgirlgang #attic24 #jo_creates #cosystripeblanket #happyhooker

A post shared by jo creates (@jocreates8) on Oct 2, 2017 at 9:15am PDT

 

All this twizzling means that if a crochet hook has a handle which isn’t fairly cylindrical it makes the movement jerky and uncomfortably. Other people hold their hook in a much more stable way, meaning that an ergonomic handle would work well.

So, step 1 for me was to find a hook with a mostly round handle.  There are lots to choose from.  I found these ones…from left to right they are:

Susan Bates, Furls Odessy, Addi Swing, Bamboo, cheap metal hook (unbranded), Prym

What about handle length and width?

As you can see, hooks all vary in length and width.

Length

The Furls is the longest at c.17cm long and Susan Bates coming in the shortest at c.14cm long.

The length doesn’t matter to me personally, as I use a pencil grip.  If you were using a knife grip however, this may be more important as the end of the hook needs to fit nicely in your hand.

Width

Width is important to me as I’ve found that crocheting for a long period of time with a thin hook makes my hand cramp up.

Of the hooks I tried, Furls is the widest at just over 1.5cm wide at the widest point.  Susan Bates and the bamboo hooks are the narrowest at around 0.5cm wide.  Obviously, a bigger hook will be larger for this type of hook. I used 5mm hooks for comparison purposes here!

What about how it feels?

I tried out the Addi Swing for a bit, but to be honest, the hard plasticy-ness of the handle put me off.  It didn’t feel as “special” as some of the other hooks.  I set out to find a hook that had a softer feeling handle but which still allowed me to “swing” my hook.

I tried (from left to right)…Fusion, Clover Amour, Drops Circus

The Clover is the longest at c.14cm long and the Drops Circus is the shortest at c.13cm long.  Width-wise, they don’t differ much, the Fusion is slightly larger at just over 1cm and the Clover is the smallest at just under 1cm.  The width doesn’t change much in the different hook-sizes either.

My conclusion

I still think that the best crochet hook is personal and hopefully you will find the right one for you.  I’ve tried my best to describe them above and give you my thoughts.

So after all this, I found the best hook for me to be the Fusion hooks.  This is great news for my wallet, as they are also by far the cheapest hook.  They feel very similar to the Clover hook, but are more rounded so they work better for me! If you want to try them out, I found them on Amazon.

Hook dimensions

Just in case its helpful, I’ve measured the hooks I’ve referred to above (using an old ruler, so please don’t complain if not 100% accurate to the nearest millimetre, I’ve done my best!!).  I’ve measured at the widest part of the handle (as some of them taper) and I’ve also measured the width from the front and the side so that you can see which are round.

Hope this helps!