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To knit you need a good crochet hook. If you love crafting or couldn't find the right size hook at your local store, you can easily cut one yourself. Hand-cut hooks may become your favorite, even if you already have store-bought ones.

Steps

Choose your hook material. You can use wooden or plastic chopsticks or a hardwood dowel. You can even try using a flat, well-dried twig. The work will be less labor-intensive if the material initially has a size and shape close to the hook, especially in diameter.

If you decide to use a chopstick, take a high-quality, long one made from bamboo. The cheap, brittle chopsticks you get when you order Chinese takeout won't be able to be sanded smooth.
Different materials require different handling. For example, wooden and plastic hooks will turn out completely different from factory metal ones. Try different ones to see which hook suits you best.
For a list of the rest of the items you'll need, see the "What You'll Need" section below.

Decide on the length of the hook. You can make the length similar to the finished hook, which is convenient for you to work with. If in doubt, the optimal length would be 15 cm. You can also choose the length depending on the product you intend to knit. So, for Tunisian knitting or a very large product, you need a long hook.

Decide which side the hook itself will be placed on if the material you are cutting from is not cylindrical (for example, rectangular chopsticks or a raw twig). Which side is flatter? Which side is wider? If you are working with a chopstick, you can take into account the patterns and decor applied to it.

Cut to desired length or a little longer. Remember that during carving, part of the material will be sawed off, and it’s easy to remove the excess length after finishing the work, but lengthening it will be problematic. If you wish, you can leave this step for last so that you know the exact length of the hook.

Make a large mark at the end where the hook will be located. The easiest way to do this is by sticking the tip of a stick or dowel into a pencil sharpener. Or you can simply round the corners with a knife.

Cut out the neck of the hook. It doesn't have to be perfectly round, but you can round off the square edges of the stick. If you need a smaller hook, you can plane the narrow end of the stick or grind the diameter of the dowel on the hook side and leave the other end thick for strength.
- Make the neck as smooth, even and symmetrical as possible. Plane with long, continuous strokes in the direction of the grain of the wood and rotate the material as you go.
- If you are rounding the tip of a chopstick, plan more on the short sides and only a little on the long sides.
- The neck length must be at least 3.5. The specific length is not important.
- If you rounded the tip with a sharpener, use its shape as a guide when rounding the neck.
Sand the neck until it is smooth and even.. This is not the last sanding, so don't overdo it. Just remove noticeable bumps and chips.

Use coarse sandpaper at this stage to round the tip. This will make it easier to figure out where to cut for the hook.

Make a bracket mark where the first hook cut will be. Or you can simply imagine this mark. Make it a little further from the tip than necessary. You will cut out the hook much later. The location and shape of the hook can be copied from a store hook or its photo.

Make a 45 degree cut on the mark to about half the thickness of the stick. This will be the beginning of the hook. The photo shows a saw made from a multifunctional folding knife, but you can use any other saw or plan with a knife.

Deepen and widen the cut, whittling with a knife. Be careful not to cut all the way through. At its narrowest point, the width of the neck should be between a third and half of its original thickness.

Raise the corners of the cut. This is not necessary, but it will make it easier to grip the thread. Note that this will make the neck even thinner, so don't overdo it, especially if the hook is already thin.

Shape the head and shorten it how to. If the tip is too long, it will be difficult to insert into the loops. If you used a sharpener, you can sharpen it again. If not, just keep planing and sanding until you get a round head. Rotate the hook throughout the process to create a smooth, round finish, especially when sanding.
- The shape and size of the hook tip depends on your personal preference. Try a few different shapes or keep changing shapes until you feel comfortable.
Sand the hook thoroughly, especially the bend and the part of the neck that will be in contact with the yarn. Whenever possible, sand in the direction of the grain of the wood. An inexpensive flat file will help you reach the inside of the hook bend. Remember that sanding can also be used to achieve the final shape.
Try out the hook. You will quickly discover areas that need to be sanded again. Give yourself time to get used to a wooden hook if you have used metal ones before. Give the hook time to develop. Over time, it will become softer, absorb sebum and glide easier without clinging to the yarn.
- Practice and experiment. A pair of chopsticks and most wooden dowels are long enough for several hooks, so there is room for experimentation. Having mastered the subtleties, you can do a lot intuitively or by eye. You may be better able to make hooks that suit your crocheting style and specific goals.
- Most likely, you will not exactly reproduce the dimensions of a store hook. The size is mainly affected by the diameter. Measure the neck diameter and compare it to the pre-made hook size chart to see what size your hook is closest to. Most stitches can be adapted to fit almost any hook size and thread thickness. You might want to know a little more about this if size is a factor in your knitting.
- The heads of small hooks should be made from the pointed, rounded tips of chopsticks.
- Once you learn how to make your own crochet hooks, you can make a whole kit for all your crochet needs. You may find that it is more convenient for you to make and use small or, conversely, large hooks.
- For knitting items made from thin threads, it is better to buy a metal hook of a suitable size. Steel is strong enough that a thin hook will not break, whereas wood would be difficult to cut such a thin piece.
- Work over a trash can, in the yard, or on a surface that can be easily wiped down or vacuumed so that there is no problem getting rid of the shavings.
- Remove thin shavings, especially in the early stages. It's never too late to trim unnecessary things.
Warnings
- To protect your thumbs, wear a soft thimble while planing. It can be quickly sewn by hand from thick fabric such as rags. It is the same as a regular thimble, but is sized to fit your thumb.
- Never point the knife at yourself or anyone else when working, so it won't hit anyone if it slips. If it's more convenient, work on a hard surface like a workbench. You can protect the surface with oilcloth for cutting, an old magazine or a piece of cardboard.
What you will need
- Wooden dowel, quality bamboo or plastic chopstick or other suitable material. It will be easier to work with a stick whose diameter is close to the diameter of the hook.
- A folding or pocket knife or other cutting tool.
- Sandpaper, nail file or file. Inexpensive files that have no rubber inside are ideal for sanding under the hook. Whatever abrasive you choose for the final sanding, it should be as fine as the finest side of a nail file.
- Tool for cutting wood. This could be a jackknife saw (if the key is thin). If not, any suitable wood saw will do.
- Optional: pencil sharpener.
- Optional: pencil to mark the location of the first cut.
- Optional: A small round file, if you have one, works great for sanding and sawing out the inside of the hook.

If you suddenly have a desire to do needlework and make something beautiful with your own hands, then knitting is exactly what you need! Having mastered knitting skills, you will be able to create truly amazing things with your own hands. Make your home more comfortable by decorating it knitted products, and also learn how to knit clothes and cute toys for yourself and your loved ones.

“But where to start?” - you ask. It all starts with the desire to learn how to knit and for this you only need threads and a hook (knitting needles). And if you don’t have a hook or knitting needles at home, and it’s evening time and many stores selling knitting supplies are already closed, then don’t despair! You can make a crochet hook yourself, spending half an hour on it.

The big advantage of making your own is that you can individually adjust the hook for large or small knitting, as well as the appropriate shape of the hook handle for convenience when knitting (to be held in your hand while working).

In order to make a knitting circle we will need:

- Sharp knife;

— Natfil;

- Sandpaper;

— Paint brush with a wooden handle or Chinese rice chopsticks.

You probably have an old, damaged paint brush with a wooden handle at home. We don't need the bristles of the brush, we are only interested in the handle. Take a brush and get rid of the bristles of the brush. The tip of the wooden handle should be sharpened like a pencil and then treated with sandpaper (1).

Now is the time to familiarize yourself with the shape of a standard hook.

The picture shows all the features of the hook that should be applied to the wooden handle of the brush:

1 – Hook handle;

2 – Beard;

3 – Rod;

4 – Holder;

5 – “cheeks” of the hook;

6 – Head;

7 – Thread guide.

Let's take permanent marker and draw on the handle the area you want to get rid of (2) (to create a hook).

Then take a knife and remove the outline marked with a marker. Where it is necessary to make the largest indentation, we plane it with a knife against the grain of the wooden handle and then correct it, repeating the process of removing excess along the grain. In this way, a smooth transition of the bend of the hook (3) can be achieved.

We form the tooth of the hook using natfil. After receiving the desired shape sand with fine sandpaper (4).

Depending on what kind of knitting we need (small, large), we choose the thickness wooden blank under the hook. For small knitting, a Chinese rice stick is suitable, but for large knitting (as in our case) you will need a piece of larger diameter. The diameter of the hook is chosen so that it is thicker than the threads.

Congratulations, you have made your crochet hook! Now you can use it for which the hook itself was created. A hook made by yourself, you will agree, is nice to hold in your hands compared to a factory-made crochet tool. I wish your hook will serve you well for a long time and tied more than one thousand loops.

For knitting, we have already told you. Now we invite you to get acquainted with those little things that make the work of a needlewoman easier and more enjoyable.

1. Curly knitting needles for knitting braids and arans, i.e. those patterns that require removing and crossing loops - they will not slip due to the unusual shape of the tool. You can replace it with a simple knitting needle or an ordinary hairpin - the loops also hold on it perfectly.

2. Stitch holder, better known as a knitting pin. You will need this tool when you need to leave open some of the loops that are not involved in the work (for example, when knitting a neckline, a pocket, items with raglan sleeves, etc.). Most of all, the holder resembles a large safety pin (depending on how many loops you need to leave, you can choose a holder of different sizes), and it works on exactly the same principle. However, you can easily replace the holder with an auxiliary knitting needle with clamps, contrasting thread or fishing line. But be careful that the left loops do not “run away”.

3. Marking rings, or stitch markers, are needed to indicate the beginning/middle of a row when knitting on circular knitting needles, places of decreases and increases, marking the connection of parts, and for others the right moments. You can replace it with a thread of a contrasting color or a regular paper clip.

4. A row counter is necessary when knitting large items or patterns with big amount rows. There are electronic counters that are worn on a finger, and there are mechanical ones that are attached to a knitting needle (there are different types of counters for different sizes of knitting needles). A counter is one of the most convenient devices that makes the work of knitters easier, but its absence is not critical - you can always just make notes in a notebook.

5. Thimbles for knitting also come in two types - protective, designed to protect your finger from being injured by a knitting needle, and separating, with which you can distribute threads of different colors when knitting jacquard patterns so that they don't get confused. These devices will be very useful for knitting professionals, but beginners will be able to do without them. However, if you want to have a thimble in your arsenal, that’s your right.

6. A board or tablet for reading patterns is well known to those who are interested in counted embroidery. This device will be very useful for you if you have to work on a thing with complex jacquard or large openwork or relief patterns. Can be replaced with a children's magnetic board with a limiting ruler. (Read about that in our material.)

7. A skein holder is another interesting knitting accessory. The choice of holders is very wide - industrially produced and made by hand, and from improvised items. In principle, anything will do, from a kettle and a colander to a large basket or trimmed plastic bottle, which will hold the skein and prevent the thread from getting tangled.

8. Devices for storing hooks and knitting needles will also be useful. They can also be either industrial or homemade, such as sewn or knitted. The main task is to ensure that the tool does not bend or break, circular knitting needles did not get confused, and the stockings were kept in the set.

Of course, the list of knitting accessories is not limited to this list. Among them there are clamps for knitting needles, and rulers for determining the number of knitting needles and hooks, and bases for winding balls and much more.

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