Notes to a Novice Knotter #2 – Hooked

hooksYou are eying me suspiciously. You have glanced across at my hands at least twice and now I know you are musing, ‘Shall I ask?’

I know what your are thinking. You are wondering, ‘Why is my crochet hook different to Emma’s?’ You have spotted it. You have spotted that I am using a superior instrument. Sorry, well no not sorry at all. You see, my new crochet friend, this is not just a crochet hook, this is my crochet hook and indeed no matter how generous and patient I might seem, you will not touch this hook, oh no – much like every Kung Fu or fantasy film, I am not sure you really appreciate the pure perfection of this hook, you are not ready for it’s superior action.

I have given you one of my many reserve hooks. It is probably a red 4mm metal hook. It is a fine and serviceable item. I will probably allow you to walk off with this hook and take it home with the yarn I have donated to you to start your crochet journey.

Looking at this hook you might feel a tad disappointed. Granted it is not boring or grey and is a jaunty colour. Perhaps you were hoping for a more organic experience. You had dreams of flying along crochet rows with a beautifully carved bamboo or ebony hook. If we had gone down this road, it might well have impeded your progress. Because unless you have a high quality wooden hook you will get much more frustrated by the yarn sticking or even that you cant get the tip of your hook through the stitches. This level of stop/starting can become so frustrating you might feel prompted to give up all together.

Looking at my hook you will see it has a handle. More than that it has a soft little section which allows my thumb to indent into the handle. When I have not slowed down my hands for demonstration purposes you will see how this hook appears to be an extension of my fingers. The gold tip flips backwards and forwards with the yarn and gradually something crocheted appears from nowhere.

The speed from your hook will come with time. But you know what, all hooks are not equal. All ‘professional’ crocheters have their favourite hook type. Don’t get hung up on that. It is a bit like musicians or an athletes. A certain set of strings, a certain plectrum will suit one guitarist and not others, it is down to the way they play. You know that some football or tennis players wear a one type of shoes as opposed to another, they just get used to the way those shoes feel and they become an extension of their own feet.

My choice of hook suits the way I hold the handle. Not only that, I like how the top of the hook is pointed. It is not blunt and is easy to poke through the yarn for the next stitch. The depth of the actual hook suits me. Just deep enough to hold the yarn but just shallow enough to ensure each stitch I make is smooth and happens quickly. You’ll see that there is a slightly indented section to the shaft which makes the wool move from one stitch to the next and even this metal section is covered with matt coating so there are never any snags or stuttering in my stitches. Sorry is this too much information?

I am weighing up in my mind that if I actually donated to a specialized ergonomic hook right at the start, your crochet journey would actually be much faster. It is not as if I am buying a Stradivarius violin – we are talking about the difference of about £2.00. My favourite hook is not even the most expensive on the market, currently it is sold at about £3.75. But then if you went straight to the ‘professional’ hook I would be denying you a ‘moment’ – your ‘moment’ of decision. Like any good relationship – you need to make a decision to commit, to say ‘I choose you crochet – you will be my new craft – we will spend quality time together – we will spend evenings and weekends in each others company’.

I think I should not deny you that moment. It is your right of passage. When you know the moment go online or pop into your local yarn store and buy your first ‘professional’ hook and feel the difference. In the mean time stop eying up my crochet hooks, the very thought of your walking off with one is making my eye twitch – mitts off baby – get your own!

‘Notes to a Novice Knotter’ is a series of short essays about beginning to crochet – they are intended to be a bit of fun and not crochet law – feel free to get involved in the conversation via the comments.

4 thoughts on “Notes to a Novice Knotter #2 – Hooked”

  1. So true, you guided me to my choice of hook and the difference cannot be put into words, I have many hooks and like you I have given some of my ‘other’ hooks away to new crocheters, always saying that they should try other brands and find one that suits but never giving ‘my’ hooks to them. They should like you say find their own way.

  2. I feel the same way about knitting needles. For decades all we had were those horrible grey metal ones. I still have my mother’s that I keep for sentimental reasons but thought of using them makes my hands ache!

    Every project now needs decisions – straight or circulars, warm wood or pointy metal for lace, what length will be best. Which is why I have 101 sets of knitting needles but never quite the right ones. Very often it needs an order to my favourite on-line store as my local sources are not good enough.

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  4. Pingback: Notes to a Novice Knotter #3 - It's Splitting! • Emma Varnam's blog

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