Different types and parts of hooks in Crochet

Hooks are made of various materials and come in different shapes and sizes. Small steel hooks are used while crocheting very fine cotton yarns. There are steel and aluminium hooks fitted with plastic handles for better grip and they are called as ?soft touch? handles.

The pressure that are exerted by the plastic handles on your fingers are very minimal. However, the dismal point that has to be mentioned here is that there are no available standards (apparently) with regard to standard hook sizes among manufacturers. The stitches are mainly dependent on the different shapes and sizes of hooks, especially the varied sizes of throats and points of hooks,

Parts of a Hook: There are four parts in a crochet hook ? point, throat, thumb rest and shank. As the throat catches the yarn, the point goes into the stitch on the crocheted fabric. The size of the throat has to be made in matching proportion to the yarn being used.

The shank is meant for holding the loops that you are currently working with, and the shank is a part of the hook that determines stitch size. Finally, the thumb rest is a place or an area where you rest your thumb and helps you turning the hook easily while working.

There are varieties of hooks, say sizes ranging from size B to Q ? 2.50 mm to 15.00 mm (US), and size 14 to 2 ? 2.00 mm to 7.00 mm (British); and materials such as plastic or aluminium. The significant point that has to be borne in your mind is that the hook size has to be invariably decided based on the yarn size.