Introduction to Crochet: Tools of the Trade- Crochet Hooks & Notions

One hook, two hooks, red hooks, blue hooks!  So many crochet hooks- aluminum, plastic, or bamboo.  For the smaller hooks, I prefer metal or bamboo because otherwise I tend to snap them in half with my furiously flying fingers.  Hooks can be labeled by a letter, a number, or by the millimeter.  Not all hooks labeled with the same letter are actually the same millimeter size.  You can find hook size equivalencies here.

There are also extra-long hooks called Tunisian crochet hooks.  In Tunisian crochet, every row has two passes, one in which loops are added to the hook, and another when the loops are bound off.  It's kind of like knitting sideways.  Tunisian crochet creates a lovely woven pattern and an extra-thick fabric.

If you need to check a hook size, it's handy to have a gauge on hand- they work for crochet hooks and knitting needles.  Just pop it through the smallest hole it can fit through, and you'll have the millimeter measurement.  Also, some patterns don't tell you how many rows, repeats, etc. to stitch, but rather tell you to continue on until your piece measures a certain length, so a tape measure is always handy.

If working from a paper pattern, you can annotate it with a pencil to keep track of where you are, but if working from a screen, it's handy to have a stitch and row counter.  The one I'm using at the moment is keeping track of the three pattern repeats that I've finished and the six rows of the next repeat that I've worked through.  It took me forever to figure this out, but the little plastic loop on the end is for hanging it on knitting needles while you work.

Since crochet stitches don't stay on the hook like knitting stitches, you'll need stitch markers that can open and close rather than the closed plastic circles used for knitting.

I keep 'em all together on a key chain- otherwise I can never find one when I need it, and they end up in all sorts of inconvenient places!

And when you're all done, there will probably be quite a few pesky yarn ends to weave in.  Sometimes it's nice to use a metal darning needle, especially when the fabric is crocheted tightly, but sometimes you also need the flexibility of a plastic needle to be able to bend with the weave or when dealing with shorter ends.  You can see the bends in my blue one.  It's been through a lot!

Have fun and happy crocheting!

Lots of love,

~Mersydotes