The Experiment

We have all been told that your hook can affect your gauge. I decided it would be interesting to do an experiment and make the same swatch with several different hooks.

The Swatches

All swatches are 20 stitches by 20 rows using the same yarn (Cascade 220 superwash) and the same sized hook (6.5mm/K) but with 7 different hooks.

Metal Hooks

Two metal hooks were used. A straight Susan Bates hook and an interchangeable hook from Sewrella yarn.

The Susan Bates swatch weighed 12.3 g and had a gauge of 16 Tss and 16 rows per 4".

The Sewrella swatch weighed 12.6 g and had a gauge of 16 Tss and 15 rows per 4".

Wood Hooks

The two wood hooks are a Lykke driftwood hook and a Furls tunisian crochet hook.

The Lykke swatch weighed 13.3 g and had a gauge of 15 Tss and 15 rows per 4".

The Furls swatch weighed 13.0 g and had a gauge of 15 Tss and 16 rows per 4".

Plastic Hooks

The two plastic hooks are a Denise interchangeable hook and a Knitpro Trendz hook.

The Denise swatch weighed 12.5 g and had a gauge of 16 Tss and 15 rows per 4".

The Knitpro swatch weighed 12.5 g and had a gauge of 16 Tss and 15 rows per 4".

Bamboo Hook

The bamboo hook used is an interchageable hook from Chiaogoo (from their T-spin collection). This swatch weighed 13.0g and had a gauge of 15 Tss and 15 rows per 4".

Summary

There was a fair amount of variation between the hooks. Both material and the shape of the hook can affect the gauge.

Slippery materials like metal tend to produce a tighter gauge (more stitches/rows) while grippy materials like plastic and bamboo tend to produce a looser gauge (fewer stitches/rows).

While all the hooks created hooks with a similar gauge, it is important to remember that being off by even 1 stitch per 4 inches could cause a garment to be dramatically smaller or larger than intended.