DIY Crochet Hook Handles

Polymer Clay DIY Crochet Hook Handles Tutorial

We all have those plain metal, boring, and VERY uncomfortable to use hooks from when we first started crocheting.  Like this one:

Sara asked me to test a pattern with a 3.5mm hook. My smallest comfy grip is 4mm, so I had to go back to my first set of hooks, those simple aluminum ones.

I found that the hook was difficult to hold and spun around in my hand while I was trying to work with it.

Sara mentioned that she had a similar problem and used polymer clay to make her own grips. I was intrigued but had questions:

Is it really comfortable to use?

Does it stay on the hook or work its way loose after a few uses?

Can you really put a hook in the oven?

Will it be durable?

The Research:

I went on Amazon and looked up the prices of the clay and found this complete set with a decent range of colours, this one on Amazon.

The price seemed reasonable, and I figured, if nothing else, it would be something that I could spend an afternoon doing with my daughter as she could use the leftovers to make gifts for family. We would create those precious memories, and it was cheaper than going to the local pottery place.

The Method:

As Helen mentioned, she needed a better grip on some of those old hooks.  It was a lot cheaper than buying new ones.

You will need to get some supplies and grab all your old hooks to get started.  By the way, you can use both metal/aluminum and bamboo hooks for this.

Materials:

Polymer Clay Kit—I like this one on Amazon

Old hooks

Paper towels or newspaper or old cloth to work on

Oven (for baking….)

Gloves (optional)

Getting Started:

You might need to wipe down your old hooks to make sure there’s no dirt or smudges on them.

1. Open the polymer clay kit and pick the colors you’d like to use.
2. Clear an area and lay down the protective towels or cloths, or newspapers.
3. Get your gloves on and get ready to start mashing clay together!

Getting a certain look out of your clay:

There are several looks you can go for, but the most common is a marbled look.  Alternatively, you can go for a striped look or a mottled look.  The possibilities are endless!

For a Marbled look:

1. Grab 3 or 4 of the colors you want to put together.
2. Using the cutting tool (which looks like a knife), cut little chunks of each color. Cut it all up.
3. Grab even amounts of chunks of each color and start rolling it and mashing it in your hands.
4. Roll it into a “worm” or “snake.”
5. Start wrapping the rolled-up clay around the handle of the hook. You can start at either the end or just below the thumb indent of the hook.
6. As you’re wrapping the hook, be sure to press the clay onto it so there are no air pockets.
7. Fully cover the very end of the hook. This is where I pressed the bottom into a bit of a flat squared-off bottom.
8. Have your oven ready—the instructions that I had called for 200 degrees F. Yours might be different; just be sure to read the instructions (if it has any!).  If you cannot find instructions, a safe bet is 150-200 degrees F.
9. I lined my cookie sheet with foil. I recommend doing this so that you don’t leave behind any smells on your sheet. Or colors.  Or Clay.
10. Place the hooks so that they don’t touch each other on the cookie sheet and put them in the oven. Bake for about 10-12 minutes.  My instructions said 5-10 minutes, I think I ended up around 10 or so. It just depended on how wet the clay still looked and how bad the smell was getting!

Be prepared for a little bit of an annoying chemical smell.  It won’t hang around long—it goes away as soon as you are done baking.

The result is some cool-looking handles!

Braided, twisted, and child-like:

For these results, you will need your child to braid the clay.  This project really is awesome for little ones to join in with.  You get custom crochet hook handles and time with your kids!  Bonus!

1. The baking instructions are the same as the ones above. Also, have that cookie sheet ready.
2. Get your gloves on and cut some colors into larger sections this time.
3. Pick 3 of the colors and roll them out separately—do not mash them together.

Once you have 3 different colored “ropes,” put them next to each other and press the ends together:

4. Start braiding! If you’re not familiar with braiding, it’s quite simple.

1. 1. You have left, right, and center strands. Grab the right strand and place it over top of the center strand, moving the center one over to the right side.
   2. Grab the left strand and place it over the center strand, moving the one that was in the center to the left side now.
   3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 until you reach the end.

5. Now that you have your braid, roll it out!

6. Wrap the rolled-out clay around your hook, making sure it’s clinging to the hook and that there are no air pockets.

7. Place the hooks onto the cookie sheet and bake for the instructed amount of time.

Alternative Style Handles:

You can alternatively make knobby handles like the wooden ones you see online or at the local hobby shop.  These will take patience and a lot of sculpting.  If you’re up for that, by all means, go for it!

You might also consider making your handles look similar to the Furls crochet hooks with tapered bottoms and fatter middles.  It’s really all down to personal preference.

Color coding might also be a great idea.  And if you cover the size markings of your hooks, you will need to etch them in with one of the fine-pointed tools that come with the kit.  It will bake up just fine; I had to do that on my bamboo ones!

Final Notes:

This is a fun, quick project to do with the family or friends.  Kids love doing this stuff, and their creativity really shines when they have these sorts of crafts to do!  I know Helen’s daughter, Jorja, had a blast!

For more tutorials like these, visit our other pages and posts!  We have all things crochet here, including stitch tutorials, technique tutorials, patterns, and more!

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Thank you for being part of our crochet journey!