All About HOOKS

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Hooks
Please click on thumbnails to see larger pic.

There are sooo many different brands of hooks. I can't possibly name them all, but I'll show you some of what I have and give you a general run down of those I'm aware of.  :-) I recently gathered all my hooks in one place and took a photo.

Firstly, there are the aluminum hooks.

Boye  - When I first learned to crochet, I bought hooks at T G & Y. They had Boye hooks. That was the only kind I knew existed for many years. I still have just about every hook I've ever owned, as you can see from the prices embedded into the hook.

The aluminum Boye hooks have the rounded hook head and tapered throat. As noted before, I find that most people are either an inline hook person or a rounded hook person. I call these Boye or Bates people because for a long time those were the two main manufacturers of which I was aware.

Susan Bates - These are also aluminum hooks which you usually can buy at local craft stores. Susan Bates also has the "silvalume" hooks. Not sure what the difference is.

As I said previously, avid crocheters use these two basic hook head/throat types when they talk about what kind of hook they use. The Boye has a more rounded head and tapered throat while the Bates has what is called an "inline" throat. If you compare the two, you'll see what I mean. In the photos, I'll show you a few hooks. When I consider a new hook, the first question I ask is usually does it have a "Bates" hook or a "Boye" hook. These hooks can be made in any of your conventional materials such as aluminum, wood, steel or plastic as well as some unconventional ones, like Corian.

Inox - This is my personal favorite for daily crocheting. I like the all grey aluminum ones that were made in Germany, though the last few I bought were not up to standard. The Inox hooks seem to just glide through my work. They have a "Boye" style hook. I have been unable to find the original Inox hooks lately. I believe a similar hook is now being manufactured under the Prym label. They look similar but I'm not certain of the situation. Perhaps the company changed hands or something. I really don't know. I also rec'd an Inox hook in one order that said "Mexico" on it, so I am very careful whenever I find these to be sure they are the made in Germany. In any case, the last ones I bought did not have the Made in Germany stamp on them nor the letter size. On one side was the number size (e.g. 5.0) and the other side simply said INOX. My original had the letter size on one side and Made in Germany on the other but did not say Inox. For collectors, these differences mean something. For the non-collector, you just choose a hook that feels good when you're crocheting!

Here is a picture of a different type of Inox - with a white handle.

Skacel (Addi) - These are nice because they are color coded. If you can remember what color a "G" hook is, for example, you'll never have a problem finding it in your stash. They have some "in-between" sizes as well as the major letter sizes. The hook is a "Boye" style. The "bottom" of the hook is aluminum or steel, and the top is a bendable plastic. In the picture the hook looks gold, but it is actually silver.

Below is a sample of the Skacel steel hooks.

Caron - I bought a set of these nice aluminum hooks which are similar to the Inox hooks. The set contains a #7 hook, which is the "missing" size in a lot of sets. This was one of the first #7 hooks I had ever seen. It is not as common as the other sizes. The hooks work very well and I would probably count these as my second favorite of the general hook manufacturers. They are just slightly longer than the Inox.

The hook is a "Boye" style.

Bronze - I have a hook which is just beautiful. I got mine many, many years ago through a friend. I recently found hooks that are made in a similar design so I suspect this hook may have come from there though the site says their hooks are silver and gold and I am pretty sure mine is bronze. Check out Celtic Swan www.celticswan.com ]

Clover - I have one Clover hook. It's shorter than the normal hook. It is aluminum.

Then there are the wood hooks. There are rosewood, tonewood, birch, walnut and I'm sure many more. These are usually more expensive than aluminum hooks.

The Brittanys have an inline hook.

The hooks in the pictures above are Brittany hooks.

The hooks below are all wooden hooks made from different materials. Yes, the top one is "bowed". It was made by a "real person". If I recall correctly, the top three were made for me by Pam Kempkes in Minnesota.

Then there are the plastic hooks.

Balene is one of these. They were hard to find at one time, but I've seen them several places so maybe they are making a comeback. :-)

Sail hooks are also plastic. I am not sure about the availability of those.

Here are some miscellaneous plastic hooks from my stash.

These are the Crystallite hooks. They are brightly colored but from what I understand they break easily. I never cared for them and, in fact, gave most of them away.

In Jan 2007 I received a set of the Glitter Hooks as a birthday gift from my friend Melinda. These hooks are so beautiful! They're very light. To tell the truth if I never used them, I could just sit and stare at them all day. I love the sparkle. This set consists of K, L, M, N and P. As I get older, I love the large hooks because your projects go so quickly and there are still so many things I want to make. :-)

Speaking of larger hooks, they are almost a category in themselves. There are now hooks of just about every size you can imagine. If you can't find it, ask one of the folks who do custom hooks and I am sure they will find a way to accommodate you. I have seen L, M, N, O, P, Q and S hooks and sizes in between those and above. Most manufacturers now make at least a few of the larger hooks. They can be made with many different materials, just as any other hook and, in fact, may be easier to make since they don't need the fine detail of the smaller hooks. I've never made one, so this is just my observation, not personal experience. I personally have many of the larger sizes, most purchased within the last five years or so.

These large hooks are great for multiple strand projects. My Boye plastic N hook is shorter than the Bates of the same size and works better for some projects. Many of the larger hooks do not have sizes on them, but my Susan Bates N and P do. Here's a peek. Note that the Bates hook also has a thumb rest. Some hooks do and some don't. For my custom made hooks I had the choice.

The pictures below show a very different style of hook, made of plastic, with a Boye style end. They are called Handy Hooks. The yellow is an N, the red is a K, and the orange is a Q. The words Accento Craft Inc. is on one of them. I found them in early 2008 at Lacis for $2.50, but I got mine many, many years ago.

We mustn't forget afghan hooks! Here's a few. For those who don't know, the afghan hook is a longer hook with hook on one end.

A new hook has come on the scene called MOEZ. These are long hooks in large sizes. They are color coded. I have a red tipped one, but haven't had a chance to take a picture yet. Note that the web site is NOT moez.com, which is a completely different sort of site.

Another fairly new hook on the scene is the cro-hook, which has hooks on both ends.

I am sure there are dozens more I have not named.

If you don't have a specialty store in your area, check the web. Also, if you or your spouse has carpentry skill, try to fashion your own hooks. Be careful though! If any one of us who has HAS (hook acquisition syndrome) finds out we'll be wanting you to make us some! Hee Hee. I have some very special hooks which were personally made for me by Henry Dzielinkski in 1997. Thank you, Henry! I love them! Here's a picture:

Now here's a neat idea. Travel hooks. They are the size of a regular hook, but with a hook on each end so you have fewer hooks to carry yet have all the sizes you might need. These have the rounded hook.

If you are a hook collector, don't forget to go to www.ebay.com and search for the specialty hooks, like Graydog and, of course, my Corian hooks. Gorgeous. Also, if you just do a search using something like google.com you will come up with many sources for hooks of all sizes.

All About Storage - Organizing

10/01/08
 

The buttons above were my first at the Cabana. I keep them for sentimental reasons. :-)

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