Tips from a 5 year old ~ #3: Catchy Hook

Originally published in 2011 on my original website.

Having a 5 year old to teach, I find all kinds of beginner troubles that I never would have thought of because I simply can’t remember that far back to when I began crocheting. Since it’s been so many years since I first learned to crochet (over 20), I can’t seem to remember if I ever had problems with my hook catching when completing stitches.

By catching I mean, as you make your last yarn over and you pull that loop through all of your remaining loops on the hook you may find your hook catching on those loops. You might find you have to wiggle and turn your hook this way and that to get it through the yarn. Though I’m not sure if I had this trouble so long ago, Jacqui certainly does.

To fix her problem I took the hook and yarn and did a couple of stitches very slowly to see how I completed the stitch without catching the yarn. It was a super easy fix, but something beginners might not get without a lot of experimenting. Lucky for you, I am here to share these tips to help you through your first try at crochet.

The super easy way to keep your hook from catching on your yarn when completing stitches is to simply face your hook down after catching your loop. Look at the picture below as I explain in more detail.

I am performing a single crochet in this picture. You can see two loops already on my hook. That means I had one loop on my hook from my previous stitch, I inserted my hook under the next stitch and pulled up a loop.

Now to complete my single crochet, I wrapped another loop around my hook (arrow pointing at this loop). After I catch this last loop, I turn my hook so it is facing down towards my work. By turning my hook towards my work, when I pull it through my two loops it doesn’t have a chance to catch on the yarn.

Once you get the hang of turning your hook after catching your yarn, it will become second nature and you won’t have to think about it with every stitch.