Crochet Tip of the Week: Hook Placement

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Did you know it actually does matter which way you insert your crochet hook into your project?  If you drop your hook – or even if you have stopped for the day and you have used a stitch marker to mark your place – when you return to your project and insert your hook to begin to crochet there is actually a “right” way and a “wrong” way to do this!

Crochet Tip of the Week: Hook Placement

Crochet Tip of the Week | Hook Placement

Your working yarn should be resting on the front of the hook, while the yarn attached to your crochet project itself should be located on the backside of your hook.

Reasons why?

  • to maintain your gauge
  • to ensure there is no extra ‘twist’ in your stitch

To make it easier to understand here are a couple visuals – I work best with images – I’m sure there are others who are the same!

Crochet Tip: The Right Way to Insert Your Hook

Right Way | Dropped Hook | Crochet Tip @OombawkaDesign

 

When the working yarn is resting on the front of your hook it makes it easy to maintain your gauge. This allows you to make the same sized stitches easily and to adjust the tension by pulling the working yarn end.

Crochet Tip | The Wrong Way to Insert Your Crochet Hook

Wrong Way | Dropped Hook | Crochet Tip @OombawkaDesign

When the working yarn is behind the hook and behind the stitch you are trying to create it becomes more difficult to control your tension – you are more likely to have a super tight stitch or a loose stitch in this scenerio. You may also notice a slight difference to the finished stitch – especially if it is located mid-row between other stitches which are the same (i.e. a row of single crochet stitches).

I hope this tip is helpful to you 🙂

 

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17 Comments

  1. Thank you so much!!
    So far I’ve been pretty lucky when it comes to video tutorials for right handed people and being able to translate that to lefty crochet and I appreciate content providers flipping their videos for those like myself.

    Keep up the amazing content!!!

  2. Hi Mz Zombie 🙂 the working yarn will still fall across the front of the hook – If you want to see a video tutorial demonstrated by a left-handed crocheter (I just double checked myself because I am right handed and wasn’t 100% sure!) Kathy Lashley of ELK Studio Crochet Designs is a true left-handed crocheter. A lot of us flip our videos to try to help you but it is just going to show you the reverse of what we would do right handed – Kathy is left-handed and actually has a video series with Annie’s Craft Store for lefties 🙂 My son is left-handed and wants to learn to crochet too and I struggle with some of the stitches (my brain does not like to chain left handed) – anyway! Here’s Kathy’s site and tutorials page: https://www.elkstudiohandcraftedcrochetdesigns.com/tool-box-posts/ Hope this helps 🙂 Rhondda

  3. Hi!
    Forgive me if this is a silly question, I crochet left handed (much is in reverse), is the right way for me behind the hook or in front of it?

    Thank you!!

  4. This is very helpful! Another tip I learned recently is to always turn your work the same way throughout your project; it doesn’t matter which way, but do it the same throughout.

  5. I am definitely one of those who learn best by seeing the image. I have come to your site a few times now and learn something new every time. Thank you so much! All Free Crochet just had some tutorials done by you and I was flabbergasted by just how little I understood!! But you made it sooo easy to learn. Thank you! OXOXOX

  6. Thanks for this tip. I’m wondering if it’s the same for us lefties? 🙂

  7. I’ve always wondered about this! Thanks for sharing with visual aids.

  8. Nice tip. I didn’t kniw this after years and years of crocheting. Thanks

  9. Hi Elizabeth 🙂 Hopefully by sharing tips with each other it becomes easy for everyone to crochet 🙂 Sometimes it can be the smallest things that throw us off! Have a lovely weekend, Rhondda

  10. I’ve been crocheting for 75 or more years. Was wondering why it always messed up. About 68 tears ago, I tried your suggestion. Never thought it was so easy to crochet correctly.

  11. Omg!
    Thank you SO much!!
    I had no idea that there was a right way and a wrong way 🙂
    Been quite thoughtful about it a couple of times but never thought that it would make any difference.

    Have a nice day 🙂