How to hold a crochet hook & yarn

Finding the best way to hold a crochet hook and yarn will help with your crochet control and tension!

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Published: March 30, 2021 at 8:00 am

How to hold a crochet hook & yarn

One of the first things that people struggle with when learning how to crochet is how to hold a crochet hook and how to hold your yarn when crocheting! At first it might feel a bit awkward, but once you've found the most comfortable way to hold your hook and yarn you'll be able to crochet a lot faster and start perfecting your tension. Try these methods and find how to hold your crochet hook and yarn in a way that feels comfortable for you!

It's also worth mentioning that if you're a knitter who's picking up a crochet hook for the first time, you may instinctively hold you crochet hook and yarn in the same way that you knit, where you physically wrap yarn around your hook and almost pass the hook back and forth between your hands. There's absolutely nothing wrong with this, but if you're just starting your journey into crochet it's worth perfecting how to hold a crochet hook in one of the ways below, as it will make things easier when learning stitches later down the line.

You can check out our picture guides on how to hold a crochet hook and how to hold crochet yarn below, or take a look at our video!

How to hold a crochet hook!

Pencil method

Hold the crochet hook like a pencil, in your right hand (if you’re right-handed), about 3-5cm from the hooked end. If your hook has a flat area, you may find it more comfortable to hold it there.

Knife method

Hold the crochet hook between your thumb and forefinger, about 3-5cm from the hooked end, resting the end of the hook against your palm. This will give you lots of control.

How to hold yarn when crocheting

You will need:

  • Crochet hook
  • Yarn

Step 1

One of the simples ways of how to hold your yarn when crocheting is to pass the ball end of the yarn between the little finger and third fingers of your left hand (if you are right-handed), then behind the third and middle fingers, over your index finger.

How to hold yarn for crochet – method_01

Step 2

Alternatively, hold your crochet yarn by loopoing the ball end of the yarn loosely around the little finger of your left hand, then take it over the third finger, behind the middle finger and over your index finger.

How to hold yarn for crochet – _method_02

Now that you know how to hold a crochet hook and how to hold crochet yarn, you’re ready to get started. Next you’ll want to learn how to crochet chain stitch, and then you can move on to how to double crochet! And remember, you can find all the info you need to get started in our beginners guide to crochet!

If you found this tutorial useful, why not check out some more!