CROCHET HOOK 101

This post will be all about crochet hook.

POINT- the very tip of the hook in the head end. They can be sharp (In Line Hooks) or rounded (Tapered Hooks).

HEAD- part of the hook which poke through stitches.

THROAT- the cut or slice where the yarn sits when crocheting.

SHAFT/SHANK- the part of the hook between the throat and the thumb rests. The diameter of the shank will determine the size of the finished stitch. The shank will be shorter and other may be longer, depending on different brands.

THUMB REST/GRIP – where the thumb and the index or the middle finger rest when holding the hook. Hook size is usually indicated on the thumb rest but maybe absent in some type of hooks (Bamboo Hooks).

HANDLE- the longer part of a hook where most of the fingers rest when crocheting and sometimes made with different material like plastic or wood or baked polymer clay.

THUMB REST t and HANDLE are sometimes made of different materials and sometimes made artistically on some hook brands.

LIP- part of the head which protrudes downward to the throat and basically holds the yarn with on the groove.

GROOVE- the curve underneath the formed lip up and the throat down and which catches the yarn when pulling through. It can be a smooth curve as those in tapered hooks or in sharp corners as those with the in line hooks.

IN LINE HOOKS- the head is aligned with the shank and of the same diameter from the shank/shaft to the head and the point is finished sharp or pointed.

Ex. Susan Bates Hook and Bamboo Hooks

TAPERED HOOKS- the head is somewhat raised or angled a bit from the shaft/ shank and the throat is narrowed down from the shank/ shaft to the head. Point is rounded in finished.

Ex. Boye and other Aluminum Brandless Hooks

KINDS OF CROCHET HOOKS:

Steel Hooks- made up of stainless steel and usually used for threads in making doilies.
Aluminum Hooks- made up of aluminum and usually comes in different colors and there’s also double ended aluminum hooks.
Bamboo Hooks
Wooden Hooks
Steel+ Bamboo Handle Hooks
Aluminum+ Plastic handle
Plastic Resin Hooks

Steel hooks has different numbering system with the Aluminum hooks as well as US hook has different numbering system with the UK hooks.

It is very practical to know the conversion of a certain hook whether a US hook or UK hook in millimeter for the reason that, most of the yarn label usually provide the corresponding hook in millimeter.