Saturday 4 March 2017

My favourite hooks

I am following the marchmeetthemaker hashtag on Instagram and today the prompt is 'tools', so I thought it was a great time to talk about my hook of choice. 
When crochet is a large part of your life, it is imperative that you look after your hands so that you can continue to craft in comfort. It's so easy to get into the crochet groove and, in a semi-hypnotic state, end up having a relaxing few hours (or days!) crocheting, but in the long run it isn't good for your wrists, elbows, back, or anything really! It doesn't really matter which type of hook is your favourite, so long as it is comfortable to work with. I always recommend to my beginners that they try out a number of different hook styles as everyone will have their own preference. Personally, I find that handled hooks make for an easier grip and therefore cause less strain on the fingers and so I would always recommend some variation of handled hooks to anyone who does a lot of crocheting
If you looked inside my hook bag, you would discover that my go-to hooks at the moment are the Clover Amour range. I have them all from 0.6 to 15mm and incase you are wondering, the 3.5 and 4mm are the most well used. The chunkiest - sizes 12 and 15mm - are my most recent addition. 
Handles are really useful on the very small sizes as they ensure you have a substantial shaft to grip onto, even with a small hook. However, it is also great that the Amours now go up to super bulky as it is amazing what a difference the rubberised handle makes, even on the large sizes. In fact, the handle section is contoured so that it is actually smaller than the hook, which definitely adds to the ease of use, as bulky hooks are usually quite unwieldy to hook with. I don't even mind the plastic hooks on the largest Amour sizes (over 6.5mm). Usually I am a metal hooks all the way kind of girl, as they are very smooth and snag free, but the plastic on these tools is very smooth and shiny, making the hooking action very nearly as good as the metal hooks on the smaller amour sizes. 
If I haven't yet persuaded you to give the Amour a go, you may be swayed by the gorgeous rainbow colours of the handles. It is amazing how a pretty rainbow can turn my head, and, yes, I may be superficial, but I just love using pretty hooks, especially if they happen to match my crochet! I especially love these neons in the chunky sizes. If all this talk about their good looks is making me seem a little shallow, I do have to point out that there is a practical side to the different shades, which is that it is easy to pinpoint which hook you need to use instantly, without needing to read the number on the shaft. 
So, these are my hooks, which now have chewed up ends, smudged handles and which I have used so much that they feel like an extension of my fingers. I'd love to know, what are your favourite hooks?  



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