Clover Soft Touch Crochet Hooks

Reported by Dana Vitek

I hadn't been crocheting long when I realized how much it hurt my hands. My fingers ached, and sometimes the tip of my thumb went numb. Despite my mother's insistence that it was because I was holding the hook, and the yarn, wrong (and in the wrong hand), I knew it was because traditional crochet hooks are not ergonomically correct. Especially when crocheting tight fabrics in single crochet, like in amigurumi, there is a lot of pressure exerted over just a tiny area of the hook's handle.

Enter the Clover Soft Touch crochet hook. Isn't she a beauty? With a nice wide handle to spread out my grip, I don't feel that I'm squeezing it too tightly, like I did with the traditional model. And when I'm spending a lot of time crocheting (like I did while watching the Olympics), I can definitely tell the difference in the way my fingers feel the morning after.

Now, a long-time crocheter (like my mom, who is resistant to change under the best of circumstances), may not feel the need to fix what isn't broken. She claims that the bone in her finger has a groove in it right where the hook goes, thank you very much, and doesn't need any newfangled crochet hooks to make afghan after afghan (after afghan). But since I'm new enough to not be crotchety about my crochet, and I tend to make things with a tighter stitch, I'm happy to let the Soft Touch keep my finger bones groove-free.

If you hold your hook like a pencil, and not like a dinner knife, I can see where this hook may not make a huge difference in your grip, because you're used to having three free fingers anyway. But I'm a dinner-knife-grip kind of gal, and I can't say enough good things about it. Don't get me wrong, I've found some things I don't like too. In fact, let's get to that part of the article already:

Pros:

• Wide handle to spread out pressure from fingers
• Hook head is more like the Boye than the Susan Bates (crocheters know what I'm talking about, and if you're not a crocheter, I bet you're pretty bored right now), and I like it better.
• The finish on the metal is kind of, frosted maybe? Sanded? Not shiny smooth like other hooks, and I think the yarn slips easier, which I like. My mother hates it, as I'm sure you would have guessed.

Cons:

• All of the hook sizes are the same golden yellow color. That's annoying, because I can't tell them apart without reading them, and I'm lazy. They make the soft touch handles in different colors for their plastic light-up hooks, so I don't know why they didn't carry them over to the metal ones.
• I was going to say that they don't make them in those teeny tiny steel hook sizes where they'd be REALLY useful, but they do, so never mind.
• Oh my word, they're spendy. They cost $4.50 MORE a piece than the Boye hooks. Ouch.

I suppose you'd like to see a project that I made with the Clover Soft Touch crochet hook. I'm sure the future owner of this blanket would like to see it too, before he heads off to college... if I could just get it finished! (he's only a month old, I have some time...)

One super soft green blankey for baby James:

Yarn: Sensations Angel Hair Light Green (exclusively at JoAnn's)
Stitch pattern: linked triple crochet


Clover Soft Touch hooks are available online at JoAnn.com, Amazon.com, and directly from Clover. They retail for $6.50 each, but I think they're worth it. I see now you can get them as a gift set with a handy storage pouch, or just the pouch by itself, which looks like a good stocking stuffer for me, just as soon as I finish crocheting the stockings. Ahem.

So have you made the switch to the Clover Soft Touch hooks, or are you keeping it real with the old-school Boye and Susan Bates? Leave us a comment and let us know!

Amigurumi World : Seriously Cute Crochet

Reported by Melissa Norris

I've always been quite intrigued by crochet, but I never thought I would be able to do it. I sort of knew how to knit, and thought that crochet was much more difficult. Boy was I wrong.

A friend got me a copy of the book she was using to make crochet animals and I was hooked. Amigurumi World : Seriously Cute Crochet by Ana Paula Rimoli is all about using crochet to make Japanese style Amigurumi animals and toys. The directions are easy to follow, even for a beginner like me, and the results are great!

I didn't know how to crochet a bit before starting with the book. The instructions in the book along with a few tutorials I looked up online were enough for me to be able to make any of the projects in the book. Most of the projects only use 3 or 4 basic stitches, and a few other more difficult ones are used but the directions help you figure it out.

I chose to start just by practicing and not trying to make an animal. Did I ever need that?! My first attempt at an egg looks more like a marshmallow. But my daughter enjoys it so that's really all that matters. But that practice really helped me figure out my stitches and tension on the yarn. And you don't really need much to get started. Just a few crochet hooks (E and F are used mostly) and some yarn. You can even use scraps that you may have left over from making something else. Just be sure that it is worsted weight.

Amigurumi is all crocheted in the round, so you start with a few chain stitches then form those into a circle. You increase your stitches and then do several rows that are all the same, then begin decreasing. At one point before decreasing you make faces for your animal. Some involve embroidering mouths and noses. Other patterns you sew on felt for cheeks and muzzles. All are quite simple. All of the projects have safety eyes. However none of the stores in my tiny town have any, so I sewed on some buttons. In the back of the book on the resource page, the author includes links to websites where you can find supplies online. So next time my animals will have pretty, shiney, safety eyes.

When you get toward the end of your pattern, it's time to stuff. These projects can hold some stuffing! I had to make multiple trips to my closet because I kept needing more. I just used regular polyfil but you can also add poly pellets (similar to what is in beanie dolls) to add some weight.

The final step of my octopus project was to make the 8 arms. These are all crocheted separately then sewn on to the project. They are also done in the round and stuffed.

TaDa! A happy little octopus. This is only my second project and I really liked how it turned out. My daughter really likes it too! With over 30 different projects, from animals, to cupcakes, mommies and babies, there's something for everyone.

Pros:

• Colorful pictures
• Different sizes of projects
• Patterns and instructions for faces
• Great list of resources
• Patterns are easy to understand and follow
• An abbreviations reference page to refer back to
• A good variety of projects that can be modified in to other animals
• Pages are large and easy to read

Cons:

• The crochet instructions were difficult for me to understand at first. I had to look for other resources online then come back to them. However experienced crocheters shouldn't have a problem.
• I would have liked a bit more detailed instruction for sewing on the extremities. Or at least a photo to see how it is done.
• I would love to see the book in some type of spiral binding. Especially when working off of a pattern you need the book in front of you at all times, and mine kept flipping closed when I wasn't looking.

Amigurumi World retails for $18.95 US and can be found through Martingale, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble. It may also be found at local book stores, but I haven't looked.

I would definitely recommend this book for anyone who wants to try crocheting toys for their children or gifts for friends and family. They are too cute and easy and fun to make! And I hope she comes out with a sequel...I want more!!

Do you have this book, or have you tried making amigurumi? Let us know!

Easy Crocheted Accessories

Reported by Dana Vitek


I'm a beginner crocheter; I just started in January, and while I have moved passed the "what is THIS mess" stage, I'm still new to pattern reading and understanding. I chose Easy Crocheted Accessories by Carol Meldrum as one of my first reference books. It has tons of cute, easy projects to choose from, and is written in a clear, easy-to-read format.

The author included a fabulous "Materials, Tools & Techniques" section as the first chapter, great for newbies like me, but I suspect even a seasoned crocheter might learn a thing or two. She has terrific photos and diagrams of different stitches, which makes it easy to see what the finished swatch should look like. She also included an in-depth discussion on yarn types and how to go about making yarn substitutions. I really felt that this introduction added a lot to the book.

I picked three projects to make, and have spent the last few weeks crocheting furiously. I have an confession to make: I am a pattern maker's worst nightmare, because regardless how how much experience I (do not) have with a craft, I assume that if I can't understand the directions, something is wrong with THEM, not with ME. Thankfully, I had very few confusion episodes with these patterns.

I started with this super cute striped, felted bag.

It's the first project in the book, and as written, requires the crocheter to change yarns every four rows. I assume that is to help you practice changing colors and fastening off, skills that every new crocheter needs tons of work on. I changed the pattern up a little (see, I told you, nightmare), and switched yarns every eight rows (or so). This bag is simple, uses only single crochet, and according to the teen-aged girls I had around as I was making it, "totally CUTE! I would DEFINITELY carry that!"

Feeling pretty good about myself, I tackled project number 19, the Open-mesh shrug.

I have to tell you, I'm pleased as punch with the way this turned out; it fits just like it is supposed to, and is something I would not be embarrassed to wear to work over a tank top. I had a little bit of trouble with the armhole shaping on the first side, but it was easier on the second, once I knew what I was doing. The last couple rows of the pattern didn't make a whole lot of sense to me, but by that time I was feeling confident enough to just wing it, and it turned out great.

Finally, I whipped up this adorable bracelet in a couple of hours, because if there's one thing I have languishing in my craft stash, it's beads!

The pattern was simple to follow, although I'm glad I have a background in jewelry design and construction, because the directions were not all that detailed on how to attach the clasp, and I imagine if you didn't know how, it might be confusing. I dare say that mine came out better than the author's (sorry Carol!), and I definitely see myself making this one (and variations of it) again and again.

Each pattern in the book has a side bar called "Before you start" which lists all of the particulars (materials, hook size, gauge, finished size, key techniques and abbreviations) for that project in one easy-to-find place. I loved that feature, as I was able to tell at a glance whether or not I already had all the right skills, and all the right stuff to do the project. I especially loved that she re-listed the abbreviations on each page, because standard crochet pattern instructions read like another language, and I hate flipping pages to decipher them. She also has "Tips" and "New Skills" boxes scattered throughout the book which I found to be quite helpful.

Speaking of at-a-glance details, here are mine for this book:

Pros:

• Great photos of finished projects as well as detail shots.

• Clear directions in standard American crochet terminology (the author is Scottish, but I never would have guessed).
• Includes a resource section on where to find specialty yarns in the U.S., as well as a project by project listing of each yarn used, a glossary, and an Internet resource list.

Cons:

• Some of the patterns were not to my taste, but many were. I'll get a lot of use out of this book.
• I wish this book was spiral-bound so it would lay flat while I'm working. I have this gripe about most books, though.
• I'm a lefty, and there was not a "special for lefties because you're so awesome" section. Again, I have this gripe about most crochet books, and if I really need special directions, I hold a mirror up to the diagrams and pretend I'm DaVinci.
  

Where to buy:
I got mine at Michael's, but you can also find it at Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, or directly from the publisher. If you have a local yarn shop, you could check with them too. It retails for $24.99, which makes it less than a buck a pattern, a great deal as far as I'm concerned. I give this book two overworked thumbs up!

Do you have this book? Do you love it, or would you change something about it? Leave us a comment and let us know!