Guide to Types of Crochet Hooks – How to Choose the Right Type for your Project
Just like any other activity or a project, it’s always better to have a solid understanding of the essential tools, the types of crochet hooks, that you’ll need to take on a crochet project!
What’s a Crochet Hook?
A crochet hook is a tool with a handle and a hook at one or both ends. The hook pulls a thread or yarn through loops to create different types of crochet stitches.
There are different types of hooks, depending on the sizes, handles, and even their manufacturing materials. Each of them has some pros and cons based on the ease of use, the comfort of holding the hook, or the price.
Some of the crochet hooks are meant for specific techniques in crochet, while most of these hooks can be used to work on any regular crochet pattern. Read on to find which will be the best for you as you broaden your experience in this craft.
We have created this ultimate guide to types of crochet hooks to help you better understand the world of crochet hooks and help you pick the right one for your project!
Let’s look at each of the different types of crochet hooks.
Types of Crochet Hooks
- Based on Materials – Aluminum/Wood/Bamboo/Plastic/Acrylic/Steel
- Based on Handle Style – Basic/Ergonomic
- Based on Hook Throat – Tapered/Inline
- Based on Technique – Tunisian/Broomstick Lace/Knook
Based on Materials
Aluminum
These are the most commonly available hooks in the market and hence are quite inexpensive. They are the smoothest type of hooks, and the yarn easily slides on or off the hook, which in turn makes them the right choice if you are looking for quicker crocheting. However, if you are a beginner to the world of crochet, then keep in mind that you will need some practice to get familiar with the smoothness so that the yarn does not slide out of the hook when you don’t want it to.
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Wood/Bamboo
The crochet hooks made of wood or bamboo are very light-weight and are warm on hands. They are quite smooth, but the texture of the wood prevents the yarn from slipping off too easily from the hook. The wood ones are a bit expensive, while the bamboo ones are slightly cheaper.
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Plastic/Acrylic
The plastic/acrylic crochet hooks are the most inexpensive and the most light-weight ones to find and are great for beginners. They are not as smooth as the metal ones and are more commonly available in jumbo sizes for larger projects like heavy blankets or rugs so that the crochet hook does not add any additional weight to the already heavy & big project you’re working on.
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Steel
The steel crochet hooks are almost the same as aluminum except that they come in much smaller hook sizes. The size range for steel hooks is 0.6mm – 3.5mm, and they are primarily used for crocheting with thread instead of yarn. They’re perfect for projects like crocheting a lace or doily.
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Based on Handles
Basic
All the above would fall under the basic crochet hook category. The entire hook is made of a single material, which could be one of wood, bamboo, plastic, acrylic, steel, or aluminum.
Ergonomic
Some crocheters find it hard to hold the basic crochet hooks for an extended time when working on a project. It can sometimes result in hand fatigue. For such cases, ergonomic crochet hooks would be the right choice. These are made with larger & softer handles, often made with soft rubber or bamboo. They can reduce the strain on your hands or fingers as you grip the hook for an extended time, hence facilitating easier crafting.
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Based on Hook Throat
Hook Throat is a term used to refer to the area of a hook between the starting of the handle and the point of the hook.
Tapered
This hook has a cylindrical handle, which gradually transitions into a narrow cone-shaped throat. The hook head also has a smooth feel to it with no sharp edges. In tapered style hooks, the thumb grip is farther away from the hook head.
Inline
The inline name comes from the fact that the hook is “in line” with the handle. This hook also has a cylindrical handle; however, the throat is flatter and wider, and the transition from handle to the throat is also quite planar. The thumb grip is a bit closer to the hook head, and the hook head is deeper and pointier as compared to the tapered style.
Neither is better than the other, and it is really a crocheter’s personal preference. If you find it hard to work with one type, then it is a good idea to try the other type to see if it suits you better.
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- Boye hooks are generally tapered
- Susan Bates hooks are mostly inline
Based on Crochet Technique
Tunisian
These are different from the traditional crochet hooks and are also known as Afghan Crochet Hooks. The Tunisian crochet hooks are special hooks that are specifically used for the Tunisian Crochet technique. These hooks have a stopper on one end and the hook head on the other. They have a long handle because unlike regular crochet, in this technique, the stitches stay on the hook for the entire row as you work on a piece. Some Tunisian crochet hooks have the hook heads on both the ends.
Knook
Similar to Tunisian crochet hooks, these are also special types of hooks used for a unique crocheting technique called knooking. This type of hook has a small hole at one end and the hook head at the other. The hole is used to thread the yarn, which holds your stitches. This type of technique creates stitches that look more like knitting but made with a single crochet hook instead of using a pair of knitting needles.
Broomstick Lace
Broomstick Lace is another unique lace crochet technique which involves the use of a very large crochet hook in addition to a regular crochet hook to make large eyelet motifs in your work.
Crochet Hook Sizes
Crochet hook sizes vary based on the material, brand, and even the country where it is manufactured. The determining factor of any crochet hook size is the diameter of the shaft or the part of the hook that’s between the point and the handle. The diameter of the shaft directly influences the size of the crochet stitches.
For the crochet hooks manufactured in the US, sizes are referred to in a combination of alphabet and numbers. As the letter goes further into the alphabet, the size of the crochet hook gets larger. For example, the US size B/1 refers to 2.25mm, while the crochet hook size T refers to a 30.0 mm hook size.
Here are a few helpful guides and resources:
How to Choose the Right Size and Type of Crochet Hook?
In most cases, a skein of the yarn comes with a label that suggests an appropriate hook size along with the estimated number of stitches per inch (or 4 inches). For an exact size, you’ll have to create a swatch with the specific stitch that you’re going to use in your project and match it with the pattern.
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