HOOK REVIEW – EXOTIC WOODS

With the mass market introduction of exotic wood crochet hooks several years ago, we crocheters have been enticed to buy and use these beauties. Rosewood was one of the first exotic wood hooks I held in my hands. I was familiar with Brittany hooks and had actually held a wonderful Greydog hook, but had not seen any such hooks in the LYS or other local craft store.

Now, even Hobby Lobby sells a line of rosewood hooks (ChicCrochet). Beware of these. They are nicely priced but poorly finished. And, I really don’t think they are rosewood. I have a house full of rosewood furniture, and tho’ I am not a wood expert, I know a thing or two about rosewood. I think the HL hooks are painted a rosewood finish. And, I know for sure that they are not finely finished.

There are several lines of rosewood hooks that are available online and in better local yarn shops. These can be removed from their package before purchase to determine the quality of their finish and the fit of the hook in your hand. As with most woods, fine rosewood will become smoother and satiny finished with age. Caring for them requires only an occasional rubbing with a tiny bit of good furniture oil and keeping them out of the hands of children and husbands who might want to pry or bang with them!

More exotic wood crochet hooks are available from artisans who sell mostly online. Brainsbarn and Greydog come to mind. These are truly one-of-a-kind hooks that are finely crafted, shaped and weighted for the hands of a crocheter. This kind of hook will never be mass marketed and you’ll always pay more for them. They’re usually worth it, especially if you appreciate good craftsmanship and prefer the warmth of wood over the cold feel of metal hooks.

http://www.stitchdiva.com/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=EDJE12

Many people swear by their Brittany or Turn of the Century hooks. These are beautiful hooks, and a good value, but not for my hands. I really don’t like those turnings on the end (sometimes the middle for me) of the barrel or shaft of the hook. I much prefer a simpler, smooth shafted inline hook.

There is now a line of hybrid hooks called Susan Bates Bamboo :

These hooks are pretty impressive. They combine the warmth and durability of a bamboo hook (with no turnings on it!!) with the strength and usability of the Susan Bates inline aluminum hooks that I favor. And, they dirt cheap, costing less than $3 each at mass marketers. So far, I have only found the larger hook sizes, but some of these are really hard to find – L, M, N. These hooks might fit nicely into your hook stash for the size range and price alone!
Another consideration is the availability of those exotic woods. I know that rosewood is an endangered wood, especially the South American rosewoods. For that reason alone, I would think twice about the place I order them from. I want to be assured that the hooks I purchase are taken from trees that are sustainable so that I don’t personally contribute to the demise of a species. A bit of research on a particular wood that you like should give you all the information you need. Try this site for more information:

http://www.woodblank.com/

Since there are no wooden thread hooks, threadies will have to stick with steel hooks. But for those of us who prefer to work with yarn, we have lots of hook choices, from mass marketed to remarkably finished works of art.