Twin Birch Products crochet hook review

About half-way through a project, my only size I crochet hook mysteriously disappeared.  I think my cat may have decided it would make a good toy, but he refuses to confess.  So, utterly amazed that I don't have another size I hook in the place, I headed out to my local yarn store.

In my area, neither Jo-Ann's nor Michael's carries Takumi Bamboo crochet hooks, so I decided to check out the one and only yarn shop in the area.  No Takumi  Bamboo crochet hooks, but I did find a Twin Birch Products size I hook that looked interesting.

Size I Twin Birch Products crochet hook

The shift from hook to handle creates a natural stop so stitches can't go off the back end of the hook.

The hook is the normal diameter for a size I hook, of course.  The handle, however, is significantly larger in diameter.  This could be an advantage if you have arthritis, or some other difficulty holding a crochet hook.  The hook part of the shaft is a bit short, so the stitches can't slide around.  The wood is very smooth, and the hook is amazingly light weight.

What I don't like is how the acrylic yarn feels to me like it is sticking to the wood.  The yarn rubbing against the wood keeps squeaking, even though I'm not putting excessive tension on the yarn.  I have not experienced these problems with the Takumi Bamboo crochet hooks.  I will definitely be getting another Takumi Bamboo hook to replace the one I lost.  I just don't like the birchwood hook nearly as much.

If you've had any experience with Twin Birch products, please share.  I'd like to know if I'm the only one having issues.

Quick update

Good afternoon!  Yesterday, I set up, and added a link to, my Amazon.com store.  Right now, it contains crochet and tatting products and most of the items in my store are products I have personally used and like enough to recommend to others.  Fulfillment is done by Amazon.com, and I receive a commission, so you won't be giving me any information.

I am thinking of information or tips I can post, to make this blog more than one huge advertisement.  If anyone has a question, please ask.

Advertising

OK, so today I added the advertising.  Yes, it's a shameless attempt to get a little something for my efforts.  However, I don't intend that my blog should be all adverts and nothing else, so I shall have to some up with something fun for people to read.  Wish me luck!

My first entry

Well, here I am starting my first blog.  We'll see how it goes.

I love to crochet, embroider, cross-stitch, and tat.  Tatting and crocheted are the only laces I make.  Most of my crocheting is afghans, with the occasional sweater, shawl, slippers, lace, and baby layette thrown in for special occasions.

Since a blog is about sharing, I will share some crochet sites in this entry.

I recently found CrochetSpot.com.  Rachel has some wonderful tutorials for those who want to begin to crochet.  There are also tutorials for those wishing to go beyond the basics, most of which I have printed to PDF (look up "cute PDF writer" for a free program), and stored on my hard drive.  There are many free patterns and helpful tips.

I also found  Ravelry.com. It is for knitters and crocheters, with places to keep track of your hooks and needles, yarn stash, and projects.  You can share your info, and look at what others have and the projects on which they are working.  I am on Ravelry.com as loriannj.

One of my favorite shopping sites is Lacis.  The store is located in Berkeley, CA.  However, they do much more business via Internet shopping.  I have ordered a few times, and my information has been safe, and I received exactly what I ordered - no surprises.  Lacis has books and supplies for almost everything to do with any type of lace-making.

That's enough for this entry, I suppose.  Not bad for the first one, really.  I even provided links that work! (I tested them.)