Crochet hooks size 7 and up—is there a trick to it?

Hi everyone,

I’d consider myself an experienced crocheter by now.

But there’s one thing I always wonder:

Is there a trick to
working with large crochet hook sizes?

I have such a hard time with the thick hooks that I usually
end up giving up on the project before it’s even really gotten started.

Maybe you can give me a tip.

Best wishes, Heike

Hi Heike!
I’m very familiar with that problem. I usually crochet with sizes 2–4, and when I “quickly” made a draft stopper for the door last week using thick yarn and a size 7 hook, my fingers were already hurting after just a few rounds. I then switched from the wooden hook to a smooth metal hook, and after a while I got used to it and it became manageable.
I guess it’s just a matter of getting used to it.
Just take a few breaks in between.

I work with crochet hooks up to size 12. I tend to crochet very tightly. But I’ve found that the higher the hook size, the looser you have to crochet. Otherwise, your wrist gets sore very quickly.
And as Nadeleule already mentioned, take breaks in between.
It’ll work out, and maybe work your way up slowly. Don’t jump straight from size 3 to size 7. Try crocheting something with size 5 in between.

The thickest hook I’ve used so far was a size 15. That took some getting used to. It wasn’t tiring in itself, but I noticed that it just goes slower. I had to re-grip after each stitch, which I don’t have to do with thinner crochet hooks. And I definitely had to crochet more loosely. It was a blanket, which was still finished quickly thanks to the thick yarn, but I noticed that the movements were just different.

Thank you so much for sharing your experiences.

And here I was thinking I was just too stupid to crochet with thick yarn and
a thick hook.

It’s really very tiring for me, since I also crochet very tightly.

Best regards, Heike