Tools of the trade :DIY edition

HELLO:D

IT has been a WHILE! I am sorry to have gone away - but I am working on trying to figure out what to do with this hobby of mine and overall doing a revamp (or tidying up really) of my online space.  I'm down to art journaling and crocheting but just need to iron out the details... slowly but surely progress is being made and hopefully I can not only just share my plans but show you the changes I mean :) ANYWAY.

So I've been pondering about crochet hooks for a little while now but haven't yet found which hooks to commit to - and quite frankly I didn't know if I liked crocheting enough.  I now know that I like it a lot and am ready to commit to a brand of hooks (next week's post) - but if you don't yet know or don't want to - here are some simple modifications you can do with very little money to bring lots of comfort to your hands so you can keep hookin' it.

Before I go into how to mod your hooks, I  want to touch on the different ways to hold a crochet hook.
I'm one of the odds that hold my hook in both knife/overhand and pencil grip style. When I am working with "larger" hook sizes (3.5mm and up) I tend to use the overhand but for smaller sizes I find it easier to work in pencil grip size.  The way you hold your hook is pretty importantly because not all hooks are created to suit both styles of holds; in fact, majority of the ergonomic hooks out there are catered to the knife style of holding - which makes the homemade alternative also more appealing because it can cater to how YOU hold your hook. For example my yellow Sculpy handle is shaped that way because I find that shape to be comfortable for me in both styles of working.

Homemade crochet hook handles with elastic and pencil grip

My very first set of hooks came from a random dollar store that had "Needlecrafters" double-sided hooks for $5, in 2 different sets; so, I bought them both and I was a happy clam. until I saw Clover Amor set...then I started to really notice other hooks out there and wondered, are they really different? Are they really that much better? Because I was pretty DARN happy with my set. I had 4 hooks that covered sizes 2mm-4.5mm - it took up least amount of space and omgosh it was $10 in total! The thought passed and I was a happy clam again.
Then I got a little seriously hooked (bahahaha pun intended) and my wrists started to hurt , which lead me to homemade hook handles (which made me swoon) before stumbling on some alternative homemade solutions to making your hook a little more comfortable.

All you need is a thick elastic and a pencil grip which is available in packets at any corner store and dollar store for almost nothing.  For larger hooks, sizes 4.5mm and up you just slip on the pencil grip to where you want and that is THAT. writing the size on the grip helps and using different colors of grip for different sizes also help you keep organized (all my 4 hooks lol). For hooks smaller than 4.5mm, wrap the elastic a few times around the handle to thicken the handle before sliding the grip.  If you feel a little extra crafty/fancy , you can get a little block of polymer clay (like Fimo or Sculpy), roll it out to long snakes and wrap it around the hook and bake'em (which is what I did with the far right one).  The pencil grip solution is really quick and works well in all sizes of hooks and is foolproof - as you can see, my double ended hook is smaller than the regular aluminum set  but it will fit 2 grips and you can wrap clay around it no problem.   Once my obsession simmers (or I stop getting new project ideas) I do want to make some pretty handles for my hooks though.

 ONE NOTE : Polymer clay does come off with some prying of pliers but, it is rather difficult so make sure you like the shape of the handle before baking !!

Hope this is helpful :)
keep on hookin'
Love always,
Shines.