Knooking: Knitting with a Crochet Hook

Want to Knook?

You may have heard of knooking and wondered what it is.  It is basically knitting with a crochet hook!

When I looked into knooking, I have to admit, I found it very fascinating.  Of course, I knew of crochet and knitting, but a combination of the two?  I was all in on learning how to knit with a hook.

On our page is nearly everything you need to know to start knooking, even some knook patterns!

Why Knook?

Knooking was invented in Japan in the early nineties, and it has become popular in the US.  

Many people are getting into this yarn work, perhaps because they already know how to knit and crochet and want to try a hybrid.  Some of those who know how to crochet want to learn an easy way to begin knitting.

Whatever the reason for learning to knook, you will find it fun and rewarding just as knitting or crochet.

The Details of Knooking

The tool you use is called a knook.  It looks like a crochet hook, but it has an eye at the end opposite the hook.

To begin, the project is started much like starting a crochet project.  But things change quickly after that!

The finished product looks much more like a knitted item.  Knooking uses many of the stitches as knitting, but it goes about making these stitches in a very different way.

If you already know how to knit or crochet, you should still expect a steep learning curve when you begin knooking.  It really is its own thing, and you can’t expect to know what you are doing right out of the starting gate.

One important thing to mention here is that in addition to the yarn you are using, cording is also used through that eye that I talked about earlier.  You actually work with and around that cord! The cord is used to maintain the size of your stitches.

Basically, your wrist uses the motion of crochet, but your end result looks like knitting because the cord acts as your second knitting needle.

If you already know how to crochet, after knooking and using the knitting stitches of knit and purl, you will more easily learn how to knit.

Pros and Cons of Knooking

Advantages:

• If you already know how to crochet, learning to knit comes easier once you've mastered knooking.
• Those who crochet are used to the same motion used in knooking.
• To begin, you will crochet a chain, so there is no need to learn to cast on.
• The cord keeps the stitches in place so you are less likely to drop a stitch.

Disadvantages:

• You know how I said the cord keeps the stitches in place?   It does, unless you drop your work into a bag and all of the loops slip off of the cord.
• If you don’t know how to knit, you will need to learn the knit and purl stitches which are not the same stitches you know from crochet.
• Single knook needles are difficult to find on their own, so you will likely have to buy a whole kit with the needle, cord, and instruction book.

Here’s What We Have For You!

Our thorough collection of tutorials includes different stitches for knooking like cast on, cast off, purl stitch, knit stitch, cable stitch, increase and decrease stitches, and so much more.

Are you left-handed?  Not to worry!  We also have left-handed knook tutorials.

And don’t miss the many video tutorials on knooking!

We also provide you with links to purchase the knook and knook supplies before you begin.  And if these instructional links and videos are not enough, we also have links to instructional and project books and ePatterns on knooking.

Once you learn how to knook, here are some awesome free knook patterns.

Interested in crochet basics? Perhaps you'd like to learn knitting techniques? We have these too!

So what are you waiting for?  Check out all of the great knooking links we have for you below!