Apr
okay so clover amour hooks
I picked up my first set in spring 2022 when I was working on this blanket that was taking forever and my hands were absolutely killing me. like I’d been using these cheap aluminum hooks from the craft store and after maybe an hour my thumb would start cramping up real bad. someone on reddit mentioned the clover amour hooks and I was like whatever I’ll try anything at this point.
The handles are this soft rubber grip situation and honestly that’s the whole point of these hooks. they’re not gonna make you crochet better or faster but if your hands hurt from regular hooks these might help. the grip part is kind of squishy and fits in your palm differently than regular hooks. I got a set that came with like 10 different sizes which seemed like overkill but actually I use most of them now.
what they actually feel like to use
so the rubber grip is color coded by size which is helpful I guess. the 5mm is teal, the 4mm is pink, whatever. you can grab the right hook without squinting at the tiny size numbers printed on regular hooks. the shaft part where the actual hook is stays metal and smooth which is what you want because that’s where the yarn slides.
first project I used them for was this baby blanket with red heart super saver in that cafe latte color. I remember because my cat kept trying to lay on it while I was working and I had to keep moving her. the difference was pretty immediate honestly, like my hand didn’t start hurting after the first few rows. I could actually work for 2-3 hours without needing to stop and shake out my hand.
the hook part itself is kind of inline style I think? like it’s not a super deep throat hook but it’s not completely flat either. it catches the yarn fine with most stuff I’ve used. I’ve worked with red heart, lion brand wool ease, caron simply soft, some random acrylic from michaels, and this one time some fancy merino that my friend gave me. all of them worked fine except—okay so here’s something annoying.
the annoying part nobody mentions
the rubber grip gets DIRTY. like really dirty. I don’t even know what it is but after a few months of regular use there’s this grayish tint to the rubber that won’t come off. I tried washing it with dish soap and water and it helped a little but not completely. it’s not a huge deal because it doesn’t affect how it works but it looks kinda gross. also if you have lotion on your hands or whatever the grip can feel weird and slippery which defeats the whole purpose.
another thing is the hooks are longer than regular hooks. the whole thing with the handle is maybe 6 inches long? regular hooks are usually around 5 inches. doesn’t sound like much but when you’re used to regular hooks it feels weird at first. I kept hitting the end of the handle against my palm in a awkward way for like the first week. you get used to it but it’s definitely different.
specific sizes and what I use them for
the 5mm and 5.5mm are my most used. that’s the range for most worsted weight yarn projects. I made this whole granny square cardigan thing in summer 2024 with the 5mm hook and lion brand vanna’s choice in mustard yellow. took forever because granny squares are tedious but the hook held up fine. no weird bending or the rubber coming loose or anything.
the smaller sizes like 3.5mm and 4mm I use for amigurumi type stuff when I’m making little animals or whatever. the rubber handle is actually more annoying with smaller hooks because you need more precision and the chunky handle gets in the way sometimes. like I was making this tiny octopus thing and I kept wishing I had a regular thin hook because the fat handle made it harder to see what I was doing.
I don’t use the really big ones much. the 6mm and up just sit in my hook case mostly. I tried making a super bulky blanket once with lion brand wool ease thick and quick and the 10mm amour hook but honestly for big hooks the rubber handle doesn’t matter as much? like you’re not doing tiny precise stitches you’re just chunking through it.
comparing to other ergonomic hooks
I haven’t tried a ton of other brands but I did get one of those boye ergonomic hooks at some point. the boye one has a flatter wider handle that’s hard plastic with like a thumb groove. I hated it honestly. the clover ones are way better because the rubber actually cushions your hand. the boye one just felt like a weirdly shaped regular hook.
there’s also those furls hooks that are wood and super expensive. I’ve never used them because I’m not spending $30 on one hook but people seem to love them. the clover amour hooks are like $7 each or you can get a set for maybe $50-60 which is way more reasonable. for the set you get a little case too which is actually nice, it’s this zippered fabric thing that keeps them organized.
does it actually help with hand pain
okay so real talk. if you have actual medical issues like arthritis or carpal tunnel or whatever you should probably talk to a doctor not just buy different hooks. but for regular hand fatigue from crocheting a lot these do help. the wider grip means you’re not squeezing as hard and the rubber absorbs some of the pressure.
I notice it most on big projects. like I made this blanket in winter 2023 that was probably 60×80 inches or something ridiculous and I used caron one pound in cream. that’s a LOT of crocheting. with regular hooks I would’ve had to take breaks every day but with the amour hooks I could actually work on it for longer stretches. my hand would still get tired eventually but it took way longer.
that said they’re not magic. if you’re gonna crochet for 6 hours straight your hand is still gonna hurt no matter what hook you use. and if you have a death grip on your hook because that’s just how you learned the rubber handle won’t fix that, you gotta work on relaxing your grip.
the hook shape and yarn catching
so the actual hook part is pretty smooth and rounded. it’s not super pointy which some people don’t like. I’ve seen people complain that it doesn’t catch the yarn as easily as a pointier hook especially with slippery yarn. I used it with some acrylic that was really smooth and shiny once and yeah it was a little harder to catch but not terrible.
with regular acrylic like red heart or caron it’s totally fine. cotton yarn works great too, I made dishcloths with lily sugar n cream and the hook grabbed it no problem. I think if you work with a lot of silk or bamboo or other slippery fibers you might want something with a deeper hook but for normal craft store yarn it’s fine.
the inline shape means the hook doesn’t stick out as much from the shaft. some people love inline hooks and some people hate them, it’s like a whole thing in the crochet world. I don’t really have a strong preference honestly. I learned on whatever random hooks I had so I can use either kind.
durability stuff
I’ve had my set for like two years now and they’re holding up okay. the rubber on the most used ones is definitely worn down a bit, it’s not as squishy as it was new. but it’s not falling apart or anything. the metal shaft part is still smooth and the hook tip hasn’t gotten dull or bent.
I did drop one once on tile floor and the rubber grip got a little dent in it but it still works fine. I was watching that show about the guys who flip houses and got distracted and just knocked it right off the couch arm. my dog thought it was a toy and grabbed it before I could which was fun.
the print on the handle that tells you the size does wear off eventually. like my 5mm hook you can barely read the size anymore because I use it so much. but since they’re color coded it doesn’t really matter. I know the teal one is 5mm even if I can’t read the text.
is it worth buying a whole set vs individual hooks
depends on what you make honestly. if you only ever use one or two sizes just buy those individual hooks. but if you’re like me and you make random different things the set is worth it. I thought I’d only use the middle sizes but I actually use the 3.5mm way more than I expected for smaller projects.
the set I got came with sizes 2mm through 6mm I think? or maybe it was 3mm through 6mm. there’s different sets available with different size ranges. there’s one that’s all the big sizes if you do a lot of bulky yarn stuff. I got the most common range because that’s what most patterns call for.
buying them individually at full price adds up fast. like $7 times 10 hooks is $70 but the set was $55 or something when I got it. so if you’re gonna buy more than like 5 or 6 hooks just get a set.
random tips for using them
the rubber can feel sticky when it’s humid or if your hands are sweaty. I keep a small towel nearby when I’m crocheting in summer because otherwise the grip gets uncomfortable. some people say rubbing a tiny bit of cornstarch on the handle helps but I haven’t tried that.
don’t leave them in direct sunlight for long periods. I left mine on the windowsill once for like a week and the rubber got kind of hard and weird. it went back to normal after a few days but still probably not great for them.
if you’re teaching yourself to crochet these might actually be harder to start with because the fat handle makes it trickier to see what you’re doing. I learned with regular thin hooks and I think that was easier for learning the basic motions. but once you know what you’re doing the ergonomic handle is nice.
you can buy replacement hooks without the handle if the metal part gets messed up somehow but I’ve never needed to do that. I think they’re meant to just twist off but I haven’t tried because mine are fine.
who should actually buy these
if your hands hurt when you crochet for more than like 30 minutes get these. if you’re making big projects that take hours and hours get these. if you crochet every day or almost every day probably worth it.
if you only crochet occasionally or make small quick projects regular hooks are probably fine and cheaper. if you like really thin lightweight hooks these will feel bulky and weird. if you already have ergonomic hooks you like there’s no reason to switch.
I think they’re especially good for people who are self taught because we tend to have weird grip habits that cause more hand strain. like I hold my hook kind of weird, not the proper pencil grip or knife grip, just whatever felt natural when I started. the cushioned handle helps compensate for my inefficient grip.
anyway that’s basically everything I know about these hooks after using them for a couple years. they’re good, not perfect, definitely help with hand comfort, get dirty kinda easy, and they’re reasonably priced. I’ll probably keep using them until they fall apart or I find something better but honestly I don’t see myself switching anytime soon.
