Lesson 2: How to Hold a Crochet Hook and Yarn – The Beginner’s Guide to Crochet

Want to learn how to crochet? The Beginner’s Guide to Crochet is an in-depth course for beginners to learn everything you need to know about crochet. In Lesson Two we’ll how to hold your crochet and yarn!

Welcome to Lesson 2 of The Beginner’s Guide to Crochet! In Lesson One we learned what tools and supplies you need to get started in crochet. In Lesson Two we’ll learn how to hold your crochet hook and yarn.

There are so many different ways you can hold your hook and yarn and it’s important to find a way that’s comfortable for you! Below I’ll show you how I hold my hook and yarn, as well as the most popular ways I’ve seen.

There is no right or wrong way to hold your hook and yarn, as long as you’re comfortable and able to make your stitches.

If you’re a visual learner, check out the video tutorial for this lesson on my YouTube channel!

Follow along with the video tutorial on YouTube!

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Supplies Needed

When you’re first learning to crochet it’s helpful to use a larger crochet hook and thicker yarn. This makes it easier to hold and see your stitches. I recommend using Lion Brand Yarn’s Wool Ease Thick and Quick, which is a super bulky (6) weight yarn. My favorite crochet hooks are the Clover Amour. The Clover Amour size M/N 9.00mm is the hook I use for the photos and video for this lesson.

How to Hold a Crochet Hook

There are 2 main ways to hold a crochet hook. The pencil hold and the knife hold. Try out both methods below to see which works best for you. Adjust your grip to find what’s most comfortable, and remember that it will take some time and practice to be 100% comfortable.

You will hold your hook in your dominant hand.

Pencil Hold

Place the hook in your hand between your thumb and your index finger with the tip of the hook facing you. Your thumb should be near the top of the handle grip or in the center of the hook. Some hooks have a flat spot to rest your thumb. Place your index finger on the top of the hook then the rest of your fingers will be behind the hook. 

Knife Hold

With the tip of the hook facing you, place your thumb on the thumb rest, or if there isn’t one it’ll be in the center of the hook. Then the rest of your fingers will be behind the hook and you can grip it however feels comfortable, so you can do a tighter grip or more loose grip. 

How to Hold Yarn

To have even and consistent stitches, we need to have an even and consistent tension. Tension is how tight or lose your holding your yarn. So you need to find a way to hold your yarn and provides an even amount of tension.

You will hold your yarn with your non-dominant hand.

Start by making a slip knot and this is how we’re going to attach the yarn to the hook. To make a slip knot take the tail end of the yarn and wrap it over itself to make a loop, then pull the working yarn, the yarn coming from the skein, and pull it through the center of the hole. 

Method 1

Start with your palm facing up. Wrap the working yarn around your pinky finger, behind your ring finger and middle finger, then bring the yarn over and around your index finger.

Use your thumb and ring finger to hold the slip knot so you have a secure hold where you’re going to be working my stitches. The working yarn will slide through your fingers when you make your stitches. It’ll give you an even tension because when you pull on the yarn it doesn’t slide so easily that it’s too loose and it’s not so tight then it’s hard to pull. It can slide nicely with a medium amount of effort.

Method 2

Hold the working yarn between your index finger and middle finger, then hold the slip knot with your thumb and ring finger. You can squeeze your fingers together tighter or looser to adjust the tension.

Keep in mind that both these methods may feel awkward at first, with more time and practice you will find a method that works for you!

If neither of these methods are working for you and you just can’t find a comfortable way to hold your yarn, they actually make yarn tension rings!

It’s just a ring you wear on your finger and the wrap the yarn through, then you don’t have to worry about having your fingers holding the yarn in a special way. I have never personally tried these so I don’t know how well they work, but it could be worth a try if no other methods are working for you! There are many different style on Amazon, but here are a few I found with high reviews: Option 1 (style birds) and Option 2 (style swirl).

And that’s lesson 2 of The Beginner’s Guide to Crochet! I hope you found these tips helpful. I would love to hear what methods of holding your hook and yarn you use! Is it one of the methods provided above or do you have a different style you use?

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