Crochet Hooks

Which hook size for your yarn?

Start with the hook size on the ball band. As a guide from the yarns we stock: a 4-ply cotton takes about 3 mm, DK 4 mm, chunky 8 mm, and No. 10 crochet thread 1.5 to 1.75 mm. For amigurumi, go down a size or so, so the stuffing does not show through. If you are just starting, a 4 mm hook with a smooth DK yarn is the easiest combination to learn on.

The Prym Ergonomics set holds 3.5, 4, 4.5, 5 and 6 mm, the sizes that cover most DK and aran work. The 7 to 12 mm set covers chunky and bag yarn.

Ergonomic handle or plain hook?

A plain hook is held between a thumb and two fingers, and after an hour that pinch is where the ache starts. An ergonomic handle spreads the grip across the palm. Prym Ergonomics hooks have a bulbous rubberised handle and run from 3 to 15 mm. Clover Amour puts an aluminium head on a soft elastomer handle, color-coded so you can find the 4 mm in a jar without reading every number.

Handles matter most on big hooks, because thick yarn means bigger movements and more force through the wrist. The Clover Amour Jumbo hooks switch to a moulded plastic head from 7 mm up to keep the weight down.

Plain hooks still have their place. The Prym aluminium hook is very light, with a thumb recess that stops it rolling. Bamboo hooks are warmer to hold and keep the yarn where you put it.

What are steel hooks for?

Fine thread: lace, doilies, tatting and edgings on table linen. Steel holds its shape at sizes where softer materials would not, and Prym's go down to 0.60 mm. A bare steel hook takes a pinch grip to control, so for long sessions the Prym steel hook with a plastic handle (1 to 1.75 mm) is easier on the fingers.

Do you need a Tunisian hook?

Tunisian crochet picks up a whole row of loops and keeps them on the hook, then works back across to close them. The fabric is dense with a woven look, and suits blankets, cushions and scarves. The hook has to be long enough to hold the row. The Prym double-ended hook (25 cm, 4 to 9 mm) also lets you change color at either end. For wider pieces, Clover Takumi and Prym Natural Tunisian tips screw onto a cord, so the loops sit along the cord instead.

Use a hook a size or two larger than the yarn label suggests. Tunisian curls when worked tight, and it uses noticeably more yarn than ordinary crochet.