Open-Throat vs. Closed-Throat Hooks
Mary Beth TempleOpen-throat or closed-throat crochet hook? Bates vs. Boye? Inline crochet hook or tapered crochet hook? No matter what you call this debate, it’s important to take a closer look at crochet hooks and their features to figure out which one is best for you and your project. In this video, Mary Beth Temple examines this debate in order to help you choose the hook that’s right for you!
Mary Beth begins by looking at the throat of the crochet hook. This is the area where the hook is carved out for the hook head. The open-throat hook has a deeper groove in this area, making it so that the yarn can fit down into the throat more neatly and tightly. The closed-throat hook has a smaller groove that’s not as deep, making the yarn rest a little closer to the shaft of the hook. The open-throat crochet hook has a pointer head, while the closed-throat hook has a rounder head. Because of the deeper groove of the open-throat hook, Mary Beth notes that this hook is generally considered the hook that’s built for speed.
It’s important to note that whichever hook you choose really comes down to personal preference. Next time you are at the craft store, try picking up one of each and trying them out. You might find that you love one and hate the other. Exploring new crochet hooks may cause you to enjoy the craft even more!
One thing that people struggle with is selecting the hook that works best for them, and you might think about whether it has a handle or not, whether it has a rubber handle or a wooden handle. There are all kinds of things that you can think about, but one thing that might have a big effect on your crochet that you may not have heard of is whether it has an open-throat or a closed-throat. I'm Mary Beth Temple, and we're going to take a closer look. Let's talk about some of the differences between an open-throat and a closed-throat hook. The throat of the hook is the area where the hook is carved out of the hook head.
The open-throat hook has a deeper groove, and the yarn fits down into there more neatly, more tightly. The closed-throat hook has more material in there. The throat is not as deep, and the yarn rests a little closer to the shaft of the hook. You may also notice that the heads are slightly different. The open-throat hook has a pointier head, and the closed-throat hook has a rounder head.
Now, which one you want is a matter of personal preference. You will find that there's one that you love, and one that you hate, and a lot of people prefer the one that they learned on, but generally speaking, the open-throat hook with the pointier head is built for speed. If you're doing production crochet, or you like to just go really fast while you're watching TV or having a conversation or anything like that, then the open-throat hook might be for you. Whether you're a new crocheter or you've been crocheting for some time, take whatever opportunity you can get to try new hooks. Maybe there's a head shape that makes better sense for you, and the more comfortable you are, of course, the more projects you can make, and the more time you can spend crocheting.
Thanks so much for joining me. I'm Mary Beth Temple. I'll see you later.
Unexpected ASMR with informative craft video. Thanks! 🌈
I have been crocheting 54 years and was not aware of the reason or the name of the different size shape of the hooks, this video was very helpful. Thank you
Please adjust controls for videos to allow for speed control. Not everyone needs to go this slowly.