Hi, it’s Michelle 👋 I hope you enjoyed Granny Square Day on Friday and that you crocheted a granny square to celebrate!

This week we are talking about my biggest pet peeve in crochet - inconsistently sized crochet hooks. Why can’t they just agree on what size a G-hook is?! 😠 It cannot be that difficult to figure out! Read more about hook sizing and my solution to solve the problem in this week’s deep dive.

Stay tuned for next week’s Holiday Crochet Planning issue and forward this to a friend. ⏩

In this weeks issue:

• Crochet caps are making a fashion comeback

• A teen enters a 4ft Garfield at the state fair

• Carrie Underwood crochets her own top (!!)

• Plus: my favorite tools, trends, and a featured charity

LOOPED IN

News

🔶 We all know crochet cannot be replicated by machine. Karen Arcanjo is creating a hand-crafted fashion brand working closely and exclusively with Polish artisans to create crocheted and knitted garments. “In many ways, our mission is to modernize these crafts not by re-interpreting them, but by dignifying them–elevating their place in the fashion conversation,” she says. (See pictures: Forbes)

🔶 Crochet cap trend is about to explode! The 1920s-style crochet cap is returning. Not as thick as a beanie, and more fashionable than a bucket hat, decorative crochet caps popped up at one of the most-watched style events: Copenhagen Fashion Week. This will be fall and next summer’s hottest trend! (Read more and see pictures: StyleNine and Coveteur)

🔶 Giant Crochet Garfield at TN State Fair. After winning best of show last year, 15 year old Katherine Stombs entered a 4ft Garfield into the Tennessee State Fair. (WKRN)

🔶 Crochet is becoming mainstream. You’ve got to see this! Carrie Underwood is the latest celebrity to get into our “granny hobby” known as crochet. She made her own “tomato top” and wore it on the set of American Idol. (See more: MSN)

🔶 “Chicks with Sticks” group gives back to community. Local Charlotte crafting group has been meeting for more than 20 years and donates much of their work to local charities. (See more: WSOCTV)

YARN OVER HOOK

My Weekly Favorite Finds

A curated selection of useful (mostly) crochet-related articles and tools I’ve come across recently for you to explore. All links have been vetted! 🧡

🧶 Who you gonna call? Stash-Busters!

• You! You’re the stash-busters! The Great Stashdown is here - Small Skeins, Big Ideas. Huge Savings. (ItchinForSomeStitchin)

⭕ Crochet adjacent?

• Not crochet, but I wanted to share this useful tool for saving patterns and other daily life - turn any file or link into a PDF plus other PDF conversion tools. Bookmark for later! (PrinterFriendly)

👒 Crochet Cap Trend

• Crochet flapper style hats are back and to be honest, patterns are lacking. If you’re looking for a niche - this is it! See our news story on this. (Example Pattern: LittleJohnsYarn)

 🧡 Featured Crochet Charity

• Project Linus provides handmade blankets to children 0-18 in the United States who are seriously ill, traumatized, or otherwise in need since 1996. (ProjectLinus)

STITCH BY STITCH

🧶 When a G-Hook is not a G-Hook

Crochet hook sizing has been confusing me since the first pattern I made called for a G hook. You'd think a G hook is a G hook, right? WRONG!

As a beginner at the time, I couldn’t understand what was going on. In my collection was a Susan Bates G hook labeled 4mm, a Boye G hook labeled 4.25 mm and a Loops and Thread hook that said it was 4.5mm!

That's a half-millimeter spread on the SAME LETTER. In crochet terms, that  can be huge. That's the difference between "oh this is perfect" and "why does my sweater look like it belongs on a linebacker?"

The Hook Sizing Chaos

Crochet hook sizing is basically organized chaos with a side of "good luck figuring this out."

There are three main systems that are standard, but of course, are not the same, because why should they be? 

The US system labels hooks with letters and numbers starting with the lowest numbers and letters, going up the alphabet and in numbers – B-1, C-2, G-6, H-8, and so on. Spoiler alert: there is no letter for the number 7! 

The numbers are just numbers and don’t represent measurements. 

Then there's the UK/Canada system that uses numbers too, but just to confuse us more, higher numbers mean SMALLER hooks. For example, size 13 = 2.25mm, 8 = 4mm. 

Lastly, there’s the metric system that uses millimeters representing the diameter of the hook.

(There’s a whole other numbering system for tiny steel hooks for thread work, but let’s not talk about that now.)

The Craft Yarn Council has standardized conversion charts, and most manufacturers these days list the millimeter size prominently on their packaging but they also list the “size”.

That’s no good if you have older hooks with no labels.

The Answer Measures Up

With  G-6 hooks being the same but also different, it’s difficult to decide whether to size up, size down or go with the flow. 

If a pattern gives you both the letter and the millimeter (mm) measurement, use the millimeters to choose the correct hook.

I like it when the hooks stamp the mm size on the metal hook, but my favorite and well-used hooks with ergonomic handles have had the sizes worn off. 

Hook gauges can be useful. Slide the hook into the hole and the one that fits your hook is the size of your hook.

Sometimes the hook won’t fit or the numbers on the gauge confuse you even more. 

You’ll need to resort to calipers - the only tool that can give you an exact and definitive measurement to eliminate your confusion.

Calipers are little measuring tools that look slightly intimidating but are actually very easy to use. They measure the exact diameter of the hook shaft. 

Just slip the hook into the “jaws”, and you know exactly what size you're dealing with. No guessing, no squinting at tiny worn-off numbers.

I would never admit this to anyone else…my eyesight is not what it used to be, so I prefer digital calipers with big numbers - makes it so easy to see! 

Swatch or Regret?

If you're making a dishcloth and the finished size doesn't really matter, then sure, using your favorite G hook is not going to make a difference regardless of whether it’s 4, 4.25 or 4.5 mm.

No crocheter likes it, but we all know the correct thing to do. Swatch first if you're making something where gauge actually matters.

 Easily document your swatches by taking a picture of the hook and the tape measure next to the swatch and using the phone’s edit tool to make notes on the picture.

👉 Your next project deserves the right hook. Do you go by letter, by mm, or by instinct? Hit reply and tell me how you choose your hooks.

IN STITCHES

WEAVING IN THE ENDS

Thanks for reading! I love hearing from you — what would you like to see more of in Crochet Current? Trends, tools, charities, or deep dives? Reply and let me know.

—Michelle 🧡

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