the best crochet hooks

I learned to crochet when I was 6 years old (I'm 31 now) and I have always used the plain old aluminum hooks....not anymore! My wrist pain has gotten almost unbearable, I have to take frequent breaks from crocheting and that really slows my progress. So I have been trying the various hooks out there and I found one that I just love! It's the Super Smooth Lion Brand hooks. They are awesome! It took a little getting used to because they are slightly bendy (I guess flexible would be a better word, lol), but once I got used to it I took off. They are feather light and very smooth. I also like that they are color coded, so each size has it's own color (if you have a hard time reading little print this will make it much easier to tell which needle you're grabbing.) very convenient.

Along the way I tried the Red Heart Crystalite needles, they are the hard plastic ones and I hated them. There is a sharp hill (lump) going up from the hook part and the yarn kept sticking there so it was making me crochet v..e..r..y s..l..o..w...l..y :P Luckily that one was only $2, so it wasn't a huge loss.

Then I tried the ergonomic hook by Clover. I was really excited to try this one, I figured since it said that it's ergonomic that it would be the best hook. I got it at Michael's where they are $7, so a whole set of these was going to be a small investment if I liked them. But if I could use them and lessen my wrist pain it would be well worth the money. I should have told you by now that they way I hold the hook is overhanded, I think it's called the knife grip. Well the hook has a nice grip on it and it felt good in my hand. There's no awkward lumps on it, so it was very smooth. The hook part of it is just like the old aluminum hooks so there was no problem getting used to it. I was going along just fine until I realized that my pinky finger was totally asleep :( I tried to adjust the way that I was holding it but it didn't matter, it kept cutting off the circulation. Bummer, turns out it wasn't so ergonomic for me.

So I almost didn't even try the Lion Brand needles because I thought that they were going to be just like the Red Heart hard plastic ones, but I am so happy that I gave them a shot! I only wish that I had tried them sooner. I still get wrist pain, but not as soon and I don't have to take as many stretch/rest breaks. I am going to order some of these wrist warmers and see if they make a difference. Oh, there is one downside to the Lion Brand hooks; they aren't as durable as the aluminum ones. As soon as I realized I loved the hook one of my dogs stole it out of my bag and chewed it to the point that it wasn't usable...bad, bad doggies! At Michael's they are around $3, not bad. They have a set of six hooks for $15.99, but I've seen them for less online. I will probably end up using one of their 40% off coupons and just getting them there to avoid any shipping charges. I figured I would post this to try and save someone else from the trouble and money of trying these hooks. Happy hooking!