What Equipment & Tools Do I Need?

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Recently, I’ve seen a meme doing the rounds on social media stating that crochet is like magic as you have some yarn, you wave a small stick around at it and voila! You have a blanket! And when you are starting out or eyeing up crochet as a potential hobby, it can definitely feel like that.

So, I thought that I would look at where to start. Just a note of caution before you start is to set a budget of how much you want to spend on getting set up. Some of the things that you will need can cost nothing but it is very easy to get lost in all the choice that’s available and spend a lot of money – this is not too bad if you end up sticking with crochet, but what if you try it and decide it’s not for you? So, to start with, stay frugal and keep an eye out for offers at stores such as Lovecrafts and Wool Warehouse, as well as your local craft stores and shops such as The Works and The Range. You may even have a friend who could lend or give you some bits and pieces to get you started.

Crochet Hooks:

Or magic wand, if we’re going to stick with the analogy of crochet as magic! The choice of crochet hooks is massive – all different shapes, sizes, brands, wooden, metal, hook shape, etc. I always try and look at the point of the hook on any needle as I prefer working with a sharper end than a flatter end.

A good starting point is to buy a set of hooks that contain a decent range of sizes and doesn’t cost the earth (some of the bigger brand names such as Tulip can cost close to £100 for a set). However, you can also keep an eye out in your local charity shops to see what they have in. You would probably have to buy hooks individually that way, but you could buy yarn to suit the hook size you’ve found as you learn the basics and if you enjoy crochet, then look at buying a set.

1. Deramore Standard Hooks Set of 5 (Lovecrafts £7.99) – This is a decent starting set if you are brand new to crochet and just want to try it out. It contains 5 hooks, starting at a 5mm size and going up to 8mm, which means these are going to be suitable for working mostly with thicker yarns, starting with aran weight. Most DK (double knit yarns) recommend a 4mm hook, so you could still use these but your work would be looser. The handles are plastic (easier to grip) with the hook end being made of metal (can be easier to work with metal as it tends to be smoother and the yarn can move more freely).
2. Drops Circus Soft Grip Crochet Hooks – Set of 9 (Wool Warehouse £19.90) – Even though this is more money, you could argue that it is better value than the first set as you get 9 crochet hooks and a case to store them, which is very handy to have! The size of this set starts at 2mm and goes up to 6mm making it useful for quite fine yarns up to aran weight. The construction is the same as the first set – plastic handle and metal hook.
3. Prym Ergonomic Crochet Hooks – Set of 5 (Wool Warehouse £19.99) – This set only has 5 hooks (size 3.5mm to 6.0mm) but these are ergonomically shaped to be more comfortable to use and are also made by Prym who is a slightly better quality brand than the previous 2. These hooks are also different in that they are made entirely from plastic, which is definitely a problem environmentally speaking. With regard to these highly shaped handles, I have a love-hate relationship with them. I have tried some of the differently shaped ergonomical hooks which are available from different brands, and they have actually caused more strain. But I like this particular shape and find it easy to work with.
4. Opry – Single End Crochet Hooks – Set of 11 (Wool Warehouse £19.99) – this set has a whopping 11 hooks, from size 2mm up to 8mm, meaning you could work with fine yarns, DK, aran and some chunky yarns and make a range of items from clothing, homeware and amigurumi. This shape and style are what most of my hooks are and I am more than happy with them.
5. Crochet Gift Set (Little Conkers £22.30) – this is just one of the many kits available on Etsy but this is definitely for the person who prioritises sustainability. It contains 3 bamboo hooks (sizes 3.5mm, 4mm and 4.5mm), a cotton project bag and a notepad. This is ideal for a gift for yourself or for someone you know who would like to try crochet. Bamboo or wooden hooks are nice to use but are quite different from the other style as the handle is long and thin with very little shaping and if not treated properly by the manufacturer, there can be snags on the wood that your yarn can catch on. There are also lots of shops on Etsy that make their own wooden hooks so as with anything, read the reviews.

Yarn

This is a massive topic in itself and I will do a post in the future looking in more detail at all of the types of yarns that are available, but for today, I am focusing on which yarns are best for beginners and I have to say that my go-to yarn is Stylecraft’s Simply range. This is 100% acrylic yarn meaning it is washable and it takes well to being undone and worked with again when you make mistakes (not all yarns do), they have a fantastic range of colours and it is so soft! Some acrylic yarns can feel ‘scratchy’ or a bit ‘plasticy’ but not these and they’re available in all sizes, from 4ply up to super chunky. For a good starting point, I would recommend the Stylecraft Special DK yarn (Lovecrafts £2.19 a 100g ball).

There is a mahoosive range of yarns made from all sorts of materials – cotton, bamboo, recycled t-shirts, nettles, soy, linen, etc, etc! So if you are looking for something a little more environmentally friendly, just have a look at this list on Lovecrafts and filter the results (down the left-hand side) to suit your choice of material.

As with the hooks, you could also look at local charity shops for yarn, both donated and new. I recently visited a Cat Protection shop and they were selling new DK yarns in lots of different colours. Finding decent yarns that have been donated can be a bit more hit and miss.

Extras!

If you don’t want to go any further down the crochet rabbit-hole, then yarn and a hook are all you need to get started, but there are a few other extras that you may want to consider as you get more into the craft of crochet. These can be anything from a specific pair of scissors to a tape measure – the choice is yours.

This is my little bag of tricks (or notions as they’re called!) which I keep by my side whenever I am crocheting. My confession is that I didn’t buy any of them! They were all promotion gifts from the front covers of UK crochet Magazines such as Inside Crochet, which I subscribe to.

As a beginner, you definitely don’t need all of this (including the magazine subscription – see below for details!), but once you have mastered the basics and are looking to move onto making items, things like this are so useful to have and Lovecrafts have an excellent assortment here.

A few final thoughts:

• Magazine subscriptions – I love the monthly delivery of my crochet magazine but when you’re starting out, you really don’t need this. However, if you have learnt the basics, they can be chock full of inspiration and patterns and one way to get access to them is through your Amazon Prime membership – Simply Crochet is available for free through Prime Reading here. Just keep an eye out over the month for when it is released and you can then read it for nothing and download a copy of it to your reading device to keep.
• Patterns – there are so many ways to get patterns for free, especially on the internet – YouTube Tutorials (including my channel!), Blogs (this one right here as well as others including Bella Coco and TL Yarn Crafts) and sites such as Ravelry, which offers both paid for and free patterns (you do need to set up an account to use Ravelry, but it is free). Again, local charity shops may have crochet patterns available.
• Library – your local library is a fantastic resource both online and off. They have a range of crochet books that you can take away and nearly all libraries now give you access to their catalogue through their apps. My local library uses BorrowBox and, while they don’t have the best selection, they do have some books available.
• Crafty friends – if you have a friend who crochets, don’t be afraid to ask them for help or guidance.
• My Facebook Group – I have set up a group for anyone to learn how to crochet. We are just starting out, but we have a fab mix of people who are all at different stages in their crochet journey, including beginners, and everyone is welcome.

And that’s about it! I’ve probably missed loads – so if you can think of any more, please pop them in the comments. Just remember that whatever your goal, be it to make a blanket, a jumper or some cute amigurumi, it all starts from the same point.

Update: I’ve created a round-up post where you can access links to all of the posts in this series – HERE.