These Are the BEST Crochet Tools (That I’d Recommend to a Friend) | Podcast Episode #103

This post may contain affiliate links. See our Disclosure Policy for more information.

Overwhelmed by all the crochet tools available?

One thing I love about our hobby is that it requires very little supplies. Just a hook, scissors, a darning needle, and some yarn is really all you need. But when you start looking into it, there are so many options!

In today’s episode, I’ll share my “evolution” of crochet tools if you will. What I had as a complete beginner and what I added to my collection as my skills advanced.

You’ll Learn:

• The four essential crochet tools for a beginner to have
• Four yarn options that are great for beginners
• When it’s best to invest in a crochet hook set
• Five additional tools to consider as you advance

Episode Transcript

Brittany:
Hi there, Brittany here, and thank you for joining me on episode 103 of the BHooked podcast. And happy Valentine’s Day if you’re listening to this episode on the day it comes out. Hopefully you’re spending some time with your loved ones, but if you are listening on Valentine’s Day, I totally love your dedication.

So in today’s show, I want to bring it back to the basics and talk just about what you need to have as a crocheter. One of the things that I have done moving into this new year is looking at what I absolutely need and looking at things that I kind of just wanted to have.

I’m one of those people that gets really stressed out by clutter and I will typically ignore it until my breaking point. And when that happens, you better watch out because I am going on a rampage of donating, of gifting, whatever it may be to get rid of the clutter that I have acquired. That has certainly been the case in my craft over the years.

It’s really easy for us to acquire things that were either gifted to us, or we bought just because we needed it only once, or we bought it just because it was cool. And then as the stuff starts to pile up and there is no room, that’s really when I feel stressed out. Well, we don’t have to feel that way with our craft.

One of the great things about crochet is that we only need a handful of things to continue to do what we love. And when I think about it, that is exactly why I got into crochet—for the pure simplicity of it and that portability factor.

I had always dabbled with other crafts. I’ve always sort of been a maker or a creative person. But a lot of things I tried required me to have a separate room. I like to sew and do some quilts. I didn’t do too much with that because you do need a lot of room and a lot of supplies.

I also did some scrapbooking and card making for a while. Again, it’s so easy to acquire so much stuff with those. And all of these things really did require me to be in a separate room.

Now, at the time I was working as well as my husband during the day. So in the evening, I wanted to unwind and do the things that I love—to just make—but they required me to be in a separate room. And I also wanted to spend time with him.

So when I was looking for a new hobby, that’s really what drew me to crochet and to knitting. The fact that I could just have this little tool and this little ball of yarn and I could just go to town no matter where I was.

So let’s be honest, you can go a little crazy though in terms of the tools and the gadgets that are available right now. I remember the first time I walked down that notions aisle or the aisle that has all of the crochet and knitting needles and I was just so overwhelmed by all the different options—to the point where I didn’t buy anything at all because I had no clue what to get.

So today I want to share just what you need as you progress and gain more experience. Okay, so let’s talk about the essential tools for beginners and then the tools you might need as you grow in your craft and have been crocheting for a while.

I’ll take you through my specific journey because that’s what I have the most experience talking about and the tools that I have tried and the tools that I continue to use today.

Okay, so starting with beginners, the fewer the tools, the better. I mentioned before that that notions aisle is really overwhelming and it’s so easy to get bogged down by all the different options out there. And when you’re a beginner, you have no idea what half of the stuff does, let alone which one is the best option to pick.

So let’s start with the basics. Let’s avoid the notions aisle for right now. And it goes without saying that you must have a crochet hook or two, but I wouldn’t suggest getting a set until you know what hook you like.

I personally started out with one 5.5mm crochet hook and then a couple weeks later I bought a 5mm, a 6mm, and a 6.5mm hook. These four crochet hook sizes got me through the first six or eight months of my learning how to crochet in the various projects that followed.

It was really tempting to go and buy a big set. And actually, I did put a set on my wish list for my birthday and for Christmas that was coming up in hopes that somebody would buy it for me. But the bottom line is you really don’t have to spend that extra money right at the start. Just a few hooks is all you’ll need.

Keep in mind that when you’re talking about a 5, 5.5, 6, and 6.5 millimeter crochet hook, those are going to cover your medium weight yarns or your worsted weight yarns. Those are the four sizes that I use most often for that yarn weight.

But if you like the chunkier versions of yarn, you might want to start out with an 8, a 9, or a 10 millimeter hook, or perhaps all three. The important thing to keep in mind here is that your hook preference will depend completely on you.

So I can make recommendations based on what I like, but the bottom line is it all comes down to what you like and what you’re comfortable working with.

Now, I don’t want to dwell too much on hook preferences because we’ve covered it here very recently. So refer to episode 99. And then you can also visit bhooked.com/hooks for a pro-con list of different types of hook materials. And then you can figure out which one might be best for you.

The hard reality of it is—and the reason why I don’t recommend you jumping into buying a set right away—is that your hook preference will probably change over time. And when your preferences change, you really don’t want to have a lot of money invested in a set when you decide it’s time for something new.

I purchased my first four Boye crochet hooks, those four that I told you about before, for less than $10 for all of them. And then, like I said, I asked for the set for Christmas that year and I was so lucky enough, my sweet husband bought it for me. But even then, the whole set was only about $20.

This was a very basic crochet hook set and it included several crochet hook sizes from the really tiny all the way up to a six and a half millimeter. I used this set for a full year before branching out. And honestly, I didn’t start looking for a new hook set because I was unhappy with what I had. That wasn’t really the case. I just became curious about ergonomic hooks.

That Boye set that I was using didn’t have a handle and I noticed I had some hand fatigue. I figured that was normal—and it pretty much is. But I wondered if perhaps having a handle made it easier to hold and that’s why I started to branch out.

So from there, my next hook was the Clover Amour and I took my own advice here and I just bought one hook that I really liked. I knew I wanted to create a Christmas tree skirt. That was the project that I was planning at the time and I knew I needed a six millimeter hook, but rather than use my trusty Boyes, I went to Joann’s and I bought a six millimeter Clover Amour hook—and I fell in love with it.

I just loved the style and I loved the shape of the hook. Now from there, I started noticing a lot of people using Tulip Etimo and I wondered what all the hype was about. So in a similar fashion, I ordered just one hook from Amazon. That’s the only place that I could find it available and I worked a project with it and I saw just quite a difference for my personal style from the Amour to the Tulip.

I just loved the Tulip and I’ve been using them ever since. That’s not to say that Tulip is absolutely right for you or that Amour is right for you. I just want you to find the hook that you feel is right for you because it feels good in your hands.

Now, as a beginner, in addition to three or four hooks just starting out, you’ll also need some kind of yarn needle or darning needle. These are quite different from the sewing needles that you might find at your craft store. These are sometimes referred to as blunt tip. So they have a tip on them that’s easy to weave into your projects but you probably won’t stab it into your finger on accident.

So getting a yarn needle is pretty much a requirement. I’ve had a lot of people ask, “Do I absolutely have to have a yarn needle?” And the reality of it is you could skip this and you could use your crochet hook to hide the tails in, but let’s be honest, that’s not a quick or an easy option.

So as you’ve probably guessed by now, darning needles are used primarily to weave in your ends or those little tails when you start the project, end the project, or perhaps change colors.

My favorite version of tapestry needle—and you’re hearing me use a few terms interchangeably, tapestry needle, yarn needle, darning needle, they all mean the same thing—my favorite is a bent tip version that is made by Clover, and I particularly like this needle because the bent tip makes it easier for me to get the needle into those stitches to weave it in as good as I possibly can. And it also comes in a really cute container so I don’t have to worry about losing it or, heaven forbid, sitting on it on the couch.

I’m sure you’re seeing a trend here, but darning needles are also very cheap as well. You can get a set of three or four for just a couple of bucks. I was able to find this bent tip version at my local Joann’s store. You can also order them directly from Amazon.

Now I’ve kind of saved the obvious two for last. This first one I’ll go through pretty quickly because it goes without saying. You need to have a pair of scissors. There really isn’t a whole lot to say about that, but they are a must-have.

Now, the next obvious—the yarn. But your question probably isn’t related to, “Do I have to have yarn?” That one’s a given. Your question is probably related to, “What kind of yarn should I have as a beginner?” Or basically, what’s easiest to work with?

The first skein of yarn I ever bought was a pumpkin colorway. Pumpkin was the name of the colorway, a skein of Red Heart Super Saver. And I just picked up that one skein for a couple of dollars. And to be honest, I used it for the first couple of months. I used it to make my first few swatches as I was learning new stitches. And I still have those swatches today. I sort of cherish them because they’re kind of terrible looking.

And then I used this yarn to make my first project, a pair of boot cuffs for the fall. The truth is you really don’t need a ton of yarn when you’re starting out. Like I said, I used this one skein of yarn for a few months. It kept me occupied. Not to mention, there is a lot of yardage in a Red Heart Super Saver skein of yarn.

But just get one or two skeins of the colors that grab your attention. And that part is really important because if you love a color, if you’re really drawn to something, then you’ll find it easy to work with. But if you just get a color that maybe you don’t enjoy looking at or a color that you hate, you’ll be a lot less likely to work up a project or do anything productive with that skein of yarn.

Now, there is a caveat to all of this in that not all yarns are great for beginners. So here’s my recommended list. It’s short and it’s sweet.

As a complete beginner, my top three yarns are Red Heart Super Saver or With Love—you could use either of those, they’re very similar—Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick if you’re looking for a chunkier yarn with the option to make a project very quickly, or a smooth cotton yarn like Scrubby Smoothie.

The reason why I recommend these four yarns to you is that none of them have the tendency to come unplied or sort of unwind or split as you work with them. They’re smooth and easy to see the stitches so you know where to place your hook. And they’re all really easy to find at your local craft store.

Now there are a handful of other options I could give you here of recommendations for smooth yarns or good yarns to have as a beginner, but I don’t want to overwhelm you too much. Just stick to something like Super Saver, With Love, Thick & Quick, or Scrubby Smoothie for your first couple of skeins, your first swatches, or first project, and I think you’ll find some great success.

That’s it. As a true beginner, you only need a few hooks, a few skeins of yarn, and a yarn needle, and of course a pair of scissors.

Now, let’s talk about the items you want to have as you progress and learn more.

So the next tool that I dove into after learning the basics was a gauge tool or a measuring device, a ruler or something like that. Their purpose sounds pretty obvious, but their application might not be as obvious at first.

Being able to measure your stitches and the height of your rows is critical to your success with finishing a pattern that fits. Now, any of us can finish a pattern, but if our gauge is different or basically our stitches are bigger or smaller than the designer’s, then our overall project is not going to fit.

So getting a gauge tool or a ruler is very important. I use the Susan Bates gauge tool and I really enjoy using that because it has sort of a cutout for the stitches and the rows. It makes it really easy to be able to count those stitches and not be so distracted by what’s going on in the other rows, but it’s not necessary. You can use a hard ruler.

Now tape measures are a great option. They’re really handy to have, but they’re not so great with measuring for gauge or measuring your stitches or your rows. And that’s because they have a loose form to them, and so it’s easier to make a mistake or to perhaps count more stitches or fewer stitches, therefore throwing your gauge off.

Okay, the next thing I invested in—and I say investment loosely, these only cost a few bucks—but the next tool I purchased was some stitch markers.

I’ll be honest, this was kind of a hard sell for me, even at three or four bucks. I used bobby pins for a long time. I had an abundance of them and I didn’t see any other reason to buy them. I just liked my bobby pins. But they do have their disadvantages. They’re, of course, long and sort of rigid, and sometimes they would fall out and then I would lose my stitch.

I now know that it’s just so nice to have a real stitch marker. And the good news is that you can find them just about anywhere—at any craft store, certainly on Amazon.

Now, like all the other things we’re talking about, there are a ton of varieties available. And I imagine some personal preference will come into play here. There are certain stitch markers for certain applications.

You’ll see ringed stitch markers or a solid ring—those are more appropriate for knitting, as you place them on your needle. For crochet, we need to have an open stitch marker, and it’s usually in the form of sort of a twist where you work it around the stitch and sort of twist it into place, but it doesn’t lock.

And then there are the locking varieties, which is what I have come to be very fond of. The reason I love locking stitch markers more than anything else I’ve tried is because they don’t come unattached from your project. So you can mark a stitch, throw it in your project bag for a couple of weeks, and when you take it back out, as long as you locked it, that stitch marker will still be in place.

Now you might be thinking, the purpose of a stitch marker sounds pretty intuitive—we’re marking a specific stitch. But there’s another reason why I love locking stitch markers, and that’s because I like to use them to hold my active loop.

So let’s say I’m working on a project. I’m ready to put it down for the night. I will simply raise my working loop, remove my hook, and place a locking stitch marker on that loop. That way I know I can throw that in my project bag and I don’t have to worry about that stitch coming undone and some of my stitches coming undone as a result.

So this has been a really handy use for my locking stitch markers.

Now, moving on to blocking boards. When you’re ready to put a lot of emphasis on the finished look of your projects—you kind of want to take it to the next level—it’ll be time to incorporate blocking boards into your tools.

There are a couple different options you have as far as blocking boards go. But if you’re looking for the best option, you want to stick with either a true blocking board that’s made for knit and crochet, or you can go with those athletic flooring tiles.

That’s actually what I used first. I found a big set of four. They were about a two-foot by two-foot square at my hardware store. I think the set was about $15. And with that set, I was able to block every project I wanted to because I could make it nice and long to block a scarf, or I could make it one big square to block any clothing items that I was making.

To be honest, those athletic flooring tiles served their purpose really well, but I did eventually branch into getting a true blocking board set on Amazon.

So this set is made by Hephaestus Crafts and I got it on Amazon for about $30. And it’s a set of nine one-foot squares, or 12-inch squares.

Now the function of them is pretty much the same as the athletic tiles, but the added bonus for this particular one is the grid that you get. I took that for granted, to be quite honest. And as I was using my athletic flooring tiles to, say, block a square, sometimes I would end up with a block that wasn’t even. And that’s what this grid solved for me.

I was able to just count how many little blocks in the grid that I needed to go over and go down. And so I had more uniform projects as a result.

So in addition to the blocking boards, you’ll also need some kind of spray bottle—that’s really handy to have—and some pins in order to block your projects.

By the way, if you’re interested in learning more about blocking your projects, there’s a couple different ways that you can do it. I have a really great resource if you head over to bhooked.com/blockyourproject. You’ll also get to see these blocking boards that I’m talking about as I demonstrate the different techniques.

Now moving on to the next tool you’ll want to invest in after you’ve spent some time learning your craft—and that is that crochet hook set.

After you’ve worked through a few different projects and after you have some experience under your belt, you’ll fully understand what type of hook is your favorite. And at that point, and that point only, is it a good idea to invest in a full set.

Now I have to be honest and say, throughout that time when I was still figuring out what set I really liked, I hated not having the right tool or the right hook size that I needed for a project. But I just worked through that until I knew exactly what I preferred.

So nowadays, I’ve been using the Tulip Etimo set for over three years now, and I feel completely comfortable recommending it for people who love to work with metal hooks and those who are comfortable with tapered hooks.

Now you can find out more information on this Tulip set—again, I don’t want to elaborate on it too much here. We talked about it also in episode 99. But if you head over to bhooked.com/tulip, you can get the review.

And then also, the other set that I purchased before my Tulips was my Clover Amour. And you can find a review on that at bhooked.com/amour—A-M-O-U-R—for that review.

So just remember, as you’re going through this part of the process, it’s all just personal preference.

Now, just a couple more points to go.

After about a year, I invested in a yarn ball winder. And this seemed like a frivolous purchase. But once I had it in my hands and I saw the use of it, its value shined a whole lot more.

There are a couple different varieties in terms of ball winders. You have the mechanical kind or the crank kind, where you are physically winding it with your hand or with a crank. And then you have the automatic version from Boye.

So I opted to go for Boye’s automatic winder. And this particular winder has its pros and cons. So I would recommend looking into that—looking at a review.

You can find one that I filmed shortly after purchasing that winder. You can find that at bhooked.com/boyewinder—B-O-Y-E—and see if it’s the right thing for you.

But the point of having a yarn ball winder is to wind up all those little bits of skein that are left over after your project. As you sit on those for a while—or not literally sit on them—but as you have them for a while, they get tossed around. They might stay in your project bag. They might end up in a drawer or on a shelf somewhere.

Because that skein is not fully intact anymore, you run the risk of it tangling. And then nobody wants to spend time untangling a big mess of yarn. So a yarn ball winder might be a good investment if you’re having some of these struggles.

Now, finally—you have to have something to tote it all around in, right?

And I’ll be completely honest, any style of project bag or tote will work. In fact, I have, well, dozens. I’m a little embarrassed to say that, but hey, a girl loves her bags.

So any type of project bag that speaks to you is perfect. I have everything from just those canvas tote bags to intricate bags that I purchased from Joann’s that have pockets everywhere.

I typically like to find something on sale, because I’m a frugal girl like that. And that’s where most of my project bags came from. Whatever floats your boat, all you need is something to carry all of your tools around in.

Now let’s recap the tools you’ll want to explore after you gain more experience—so after you’re out of that initial beginner phase.

You’ll possibly want to consider a gauge tool or a ruler, some stitch markers, blocking boards and the spray bottle and pins that you need with that, of course a crochet hook set, maybe even a yarn ball winder, and of course, some bags.

So even though we’ve covered a lot here, you really need very little to crochet. And in the spirit of Valentine’s Day, that’s why I love it so much.

Alright, now you tell me—just for fun, in the comments section of the show notes page, bhooked.com/103: What was the first crochet hook you ever used? Size, brand—let me know. It’ll be fun to see all the variety there.

So my first crochet hook was a five and a half millimeter Boye crochet hook. And I loved that thing to pieces.

Alright, now please remember—we still have some time left for the Crochet Challenge for Warm Up America. If you’re struggling in any way, shape, or form throughout that process, or you have questions, remember to utilize that Facebook community page for help and even inspiration.

So next week, I’ll be chatting with Vincent again from Not Bad Crochet. And he has something really exciting to share. And I can’t wait for you to hear his message. So stay tuned for that.

And until then, have a wonderful weekend, my friend. I’ll see you then. Bye for now.