Felting a Crochet Hook Handle

Making a Felted Crochet Hook Handle

Those tiny metal hooks are invaluable when crocheting lace or working in hard crochet, a la Mark Dittrick, but they can be very painful for some of us to hold. In looking for a solution to this problem, I had to look no further than the tool I use to remove fiber from my drumcarder. Over time wool has built up on the tool. I was holding it one day when I realized I had the perfect solution to cold, hard, metal - soft, warm, wool!

Our customers know that when we ship out hooks, needles, or spindles, they arrive packed in a colorful assortment of wools. These are perfect for making a hook handle. Usually there is enough fiber in the box, in fact, to make several handles. These make great gifts and take all of 15 minutes, just a wee bit of fiber, and an inexpensive metal hook.

Start with a metal hook. Coat the hook from the finger rest down to the end of the handle with a bit of SuperGlue or an epoxy. Wrap a very light layer of wool around the hook, careful not to get any superglue on your fingers. Allow the glue to dry.

Then begin wrapping the hook, using a fine layer of wool each time. Wrap it from above the finger rest to beyond the end of the hook.

Once the handle is about half an inch thick, wet it with hot water and dab a bit of dish soap onto the hook. Use very little soap. Unless you are fanatical about cleaning off the top of your soap dispenser each time you use it, merely dabbing the hook with the top of the soap dispenser will deliver enough soap. Now the felting begins. Wrap the hook in a sandwich bag or clear plastic wrap. If you can use your hands to roll the hook back and forth, fine. To save my hands unnecessary work, however, I set the hook on the floor on an old braided rug and roll the hook back and forth under my foot. After just a minute or so, the wool will have begun to turn into felt, but will still be somewhat loose. Felt it down just a bit further until it seems as though peeling it away would be difficult but not impossible.

Begin wrapping more wool, again using very fine layers. You can add colors, make a pattern, build up one portion of the handle over another - the only limit is your imagination.

Then repeat the felting process, using your foot, your hands, whatever works for you. At the stage where I have added decoration, I tend to just twirl the hook in my hand while rubbing my fingers over the hook. A tail will form off the end of the hook. Ignore it for the moment.

As you work the hook, squeeze it to remove excess soap and water. If the hook gets too many bubbles, a quick rinse under the tap will remove them. Soap assists the felting process, but too many bubbles can actually interfere. Feltmakers often use olive oil based soap as the bubbling action is much lower on those soaps. Dish soap works just fine, however, provided you don't let it get too soapy, and is usually right there by the kitchen sink.

Another thought to keep in mind: Felt shrinks in the direction it is agitated. If the felt has worked itself too close to the hook head, push it further down the base handle and rub the felt up and down as you twirl the hook. If the felt feels too soft and squishy on the handle, rub the felt around the hand. Once the felt feels pretty firm, use a pair of scissors and cut the tail that has formed at the end. A dab of soap and some rubbing of the end of the hook in the palm of your hand, and that rough end is suddenly smooth and round.

Once the hook is reasonably firm, add any final decoration that you wish to have felted in. Be sure to use just a few fibers or the wool will simply clump and fail to adhere itself to the wool below. Smooth the felt - again, I use that little sandwich bag, as my bare hands tend to rough up the surface of the wool too much. Just slip the bag over your hand and then rub the hook until it is smooth and firm.

Rinse the handle well, squeezing repeatedly to remove all the soap. Rolling it up in a paper towel and pressing helps to keep it from getting roughed up. Allow the hook to dry for several days. If you want a very smooth finish on your handle, you can apply several coats of clear shellac, white glue mixed with water, or one of the commercial fabric stiffeners. Be sure the hook is completely dry prior to application, as you don't want to seal in moisture.

Voila! You have a warm and comfy hook made to fit your hand.

1. Use a very small amount of soap and rinse if too many bubbles build up.

2. Using plastic wrap or a sandwich bag over your hands will prevent your hands from roughing up the felt.

3. Add more wool before the felt becomes too firm, or the new wool won't readily adhere to the wool already on the hook.

4. Rinse all the soap out of the hook when dry.

5. Allow the hook to dry thoroughly before applying any finish, if desired.