How To Hold Crochet Yarn And Crochet Hook For Beginners

Crochet is a fun hobby that many people enjoy. It is a wonderful way to create lovely things while remaining calm and relaxed. Aside from knowing how to read crochet patterns and make all of these stitches, you must first learn how to hold crochet hook and how to hold crochet yarn.

Holding the crochet hook and yarn correctly is necessary for achieving even crochet tension, and producing neat and consistent stitch sizes. A survey, however, found that more than half of crocheters have trouble keeping an even crochet tension on their yarn and hook.

Whether you’re a seasoned crocheter or a complete beginner, this tutorial will show you how to hold your crochet hook and yarn like a pro. We’ll cover everything you need to know, from different grips and how to hold yarn to achieve perfect crochet tension and control.

Are you ready to take your crocheting skills to the next level? Let’s begin.

How To Hold Crochet Hook

There are many ways on how to hold a crochet hook. They can be categorized into two holding styles and split into slightly different grips depending on how your fingers rest on the hook. It’s important to find the one that feels best to you.

1. Whatever grip you use, hold the hook firmly but not too tightly to prevent soreness on your fingers after a long crochet session.
2. Try keeping your hand loose and calm. This will keep you from getting cramps and feeling tired.
3. In order for your hand, arms, and wrist to move freely, the hook should be at an angle that feels comfortable to you.

Two common ways to hold a crochet hook are as follows:

• Pencil Grip – an Underhand style.
• Knife Grip – an Overhand style.

Pencil Grip:

The Pencil Grip is a popular way to hold a crochet hook when crocheting with an underhand style.

How To Hold Hook In Pencil Grip:

• Pick up the crochet hook with your dominant hand. Hold the hook with your index finger and thumb about an inch away from the tip, which is similar to how you would hold a pencil or pen.
• Rest the hook on the side of your middle finger and hold it in place with your ring and pinky fingers.

How Does Pencil Grip Work:

• The pencil grip provides the same level of control as writing with a pencil, in that the movement is guided by the index finger.
• In this grip, the hook typically works from above and down into the stitches.
• It uses smaller hand movements, which is better for joints and wrists.
• It works particularly well with smaller hooks (7mm and below).

Other Underhand Styles:

1. Pinky-Out Grip
   Similar to pencil grip, but without the ring and pinky fingers touching the hook or middle finger. The pinky-out relies solely on the thumb and middle finger for control. Some people like to use this grip in between crocheting. However, because it puts a lot of strain on the middle finger, you may develop pain in that finger over time.
2. Chopstick Grip
   this grip is held similarly to how you would hold chopsticks – with the index and middle fingers resting on the hook and the hook resting on the side of the ring finger. While some people prefer this grip over a pencil grip, others may use it temporarily if their middle finger is sore.

Knife Grip:

When crocheting with an overhand style, the Knife Grip is often used to hold the crochet hook.

How To Hold Hook In Knife Grip:

• With your dominant hand and the palm facing down, pick up the crochet hook. Hold the crochet hook like you would a knife, between your thumb and index finger.
• Wrap your fingers around the crochet hook’s handle, letting your thumb rest on one side, and the other fingers rest on the other.

How Does Knife Grip Work:

• The knife grip movement is similar to cutting with a knife. It guides the head of the crochet hook with the wrist rather than the fingers.
• In this grip, the hook is usually worked from below into the stitches.
• Some people prefer the knife grip because it is easier on their hands, but others may find it less precise than the pencil grip.
• When working with large hooks (7mm and above), you may find the knife grip is more comfortable. 

Other Overhand Styles:

1. Sword Grip
   Similar to holding a sword where the grip is tighter and the hook’s handle rests inside the palm. This grip is useful when you need more arm power to crochet bulkier yarn or tighter crochet tension.
2. Piper Grip
   This grip is called the piper’s grip because it looks like how fingers are put on the piper. Instead of wrapping the fingers around the hook like in the sword grip, this one puts all five fingers on the hook.

How To Get Used To The Holding A Crochet Hook?

Practice, practice, practice….

As with any grip, practice makes perfect. Try different angles and tensions until you find the one that works best for you. Also, if you feel any tension or discomfort while crocheting, don’t be afraid to change your technique. The best thing about crochet is that there’s no one right way to do it. Find the way that works best for you, and have fun with it.

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How To Hold Crochet Yarn

After you’ve learned how to hold your crochet hook in various ways, let’s learn how to hold yarn for crochet by looping it around your less dominant hand. Once you’ve mastered both, you can start making your first crochet stitch.

Why Is Yarn Holding Important?

We hold the yarn in crochet because:

• Holding yarn creates tension on the working yarn so that the crochet hook can pull it through.
• Holding the yarn allows you to control the tension and acts as a tension guide.

The Ultimate Way To Hold Crochet Yarn

This is the most commonly used method on how to hold your yarn when you crochet, but it is not the only one. More options for holding the crochet yarn during different conditions are shown below.

Step 1. Open your hand with the palm facing up. With the crochet hook above the palm, slide the working yarn between your ring and pinky fingers.

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Step 2. Flip the palm down

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Step 3. Bend your index finger and turn it counterclockwise to loop the working yarn onto it.

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Step 4. Straighten the index finger. The working yarn with a loop around the index finger. You’re done looping the yarn on your left hand.

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Step 5. Turn your hand so your thumb and middle finger can pinch the slip knot or the last crochet stitch. The working yarn should be about 3″ long, in taut tension, and not floppy between the hook and your index finger.

If the yarn is too short, move the index finger a little further and let the yarn glide through between your fingers to get the desired length.

If the working yarn is too long and flops, repeat the looping process, starting with a shorter length of working yarn from the hook.

You may now move on to crochet the next stitch, but before that, let’s see how we can hold crochet yarn by looping differently to adjust the tension.

Variations On Yarn Holding

Making fewer loops on the finger allows the yarn to move more freely. Loose tension is excellent for:

• Crochet projects that call for loose tension, such as a blanket, scarf, or lacey fabric.
• Bulkier yarn and wool yarn, where friction between the yarn and palm is higher.
• Crocheters with sweatier palms.

Hold With Moderate Tension

Minimum looping results in moderate tension, allowing the yarn to glide smoothly. Moderate tension is useful for:

• Normal crochet tension projects, such as crochet garments, bags, home decor, and so on.
• Acrylic and cotton yarns in a medium weight

Hold With Tight Tension

At times you might want to wrap more loops on the fingers to create more tension on the working yarn. Tight tension is perfect for:

• Crochet projects that require rigid stitches and smaller gaps between stitches, such as amigurumi, appliques, coasters, and so on.
• Lighter-weight yarn or crochet thread
• Crocheters with dry palms.