Wednesday, December 7, 2011

The Sharp Crochet Hook Review


A couple weeks ago I was asked to review a new product called the Sharp Crochet Hook
http://www.sharpcrochethook.com/ . Now that I'm back from vacation I've been able to experiment a bit!


"With the Sharp Crochet Hook, you can easily crochet a cute edging or border on any fabric you want. There is no need to get it hemstitched or poke holes through the fabric before crocheting." - SharpCrochetHook.com

In other words the hook is exactly what it sounds like, a sharpened crochet tool which provides you with the ability to put a base edge on fabrics without prior work. I was intrigued by the concept and was excited to work on something!

I picked up a thin handkerchief to experiment on. I didn't use any of the provided patterns, of course. If you've followed my blog at all you know I'm far too lazy to follow patterns! However, I can see where on delicate lace-like edging a pattern could come in handy. My brain doesn't think in negative space very well, so naturally amigurumi are my forte.



The Sharp Crochet Hook is indeed sharp. I constantly pressed too hard through the fabric (because it does still take a bit of effort) and caught my finger or ran its edge along my knuckle as I pulled a loop through. I did develop a rhythm after a bit, but I found a few hang ups along the way.


The hook isn't only sharp on the tip where you push it through fabric, but it was also sharp on the inner portion of the hook which you use to pull the yarn through. I kept accidentally separating the yarn I was pulling and took only half of it, or I would catch it on the fibers of the cotton handkerchief and accidentally make a bigger hole that I needed.


(Stitching that I removed during trial and error.)

The construction of the hook has a very homemade feel to it. The grip is rough and feels a bit like a nail file and my hook has scorch marks from processing the metal. All of which are purely cosmetic, as the hook still functioned as advertised.


I can see where if you spent a lot of time putting edging onto blankets or gloves/socks/cloths/etc. that a dedicated tool would come in handy. Later I want to mess around with an old tank top and see about adding little sleeves or other details, but for now I stuck with the basics.

Overall the hook is great for it's intended purpose, but that's about it. I feel like the construction is still in it's infancy and could use a little more adjusting, but it does work. The site not only offers the hooks at $6.99 with three free edging patterns, but you can also buy a small crochet edging handbook that offers 15 different simple to complex patterns. The sample images are quite stunning and it makes me wish I had the patience to work such detailed projects!


Below is an example of one of the simple edging designs.


As a side note the Sharp Crochet Hook is not intended to use for anything except creating the edging base. Trying to use it otherwise will result in a lot of frustration since, like I said, the hook has the tendency to split the fibers.
The size of the hook is not written, but "The Sharp Crochet Hook will work with size 10, 5, or 3. I like size 3 the best for baby blankets and burp cloths because it is the softest. Some people like to use size 10 because it has a more "lacy" effect." According to the site's FAQ.



So there you have it! Sharp, very sharp according to my fingers. Great for one specific use. May need a little refining. Wish I had patience for lacy work. Perfect for those that do!

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