I absolutely love Susan Bates crochet hooks. So much so, that I did an entire review of them called Are Susan Bates Crochet Hooks For You? However, as much as I love these hooks there is no denying that they have one major flaw! They are extremely uncomfortable when used for a prolong amount of time (sad sigh).

For Christmas one year my sister bought me some cushions to help finger stress while using the hooks. Sadly, the cushions didn’t do a lick of good! So, this got me thinking why couldn’t I use polymer clay to make my own DIY ergonomic crochet hooks? And…… after much playing with clay this tutorial was born!

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What You Need!

• Polymer Clay ~ I used Sculpy brand clay
• Crochet Hooks ~ I used my favorite Susan Bates hooks but any metal hooks will work.
• Sculpy Bake and Bond Glue
• Needle to Make Indentions in Clay ~ I used an embroidery needle
• Ceramic Tile or Wax Paper
• Wilton Fondant Tool Set ~ Optional
• 2 Roasting Pans
• 2 Large Binder Clips
• Small Piece of Cotton Batting

FYI! You want to make sure to protect the surface that you are working on with the clay. This is where the wax paper or ceramic tile come in handy. If you don’t properly protect your working surface the clay could permanently stain it!

What To Do!

Now, I’m not sure if other brands of polymer clay have lines in their clay, but Sculpy has four line on each block of clay. This makes measuring the clay so easy!

I used 1 3/4 of the lines to make my DIY ergonomic crochet hook handles. Because I wanted a pinkish red and gray hook handle I mixed the colors of the clay. So, I measured out the individual colors and made sure I had 1 3/4 lines total.

If you are not mixing colors to use then you can skip this part. However, if you are mixing colors for a unique look then roll out your colors in thin strips.

Then twist those strips together!

Next, roll the strips on your tile or between your hands.

Fold over your roll so that the two ends are side by side.

Then twist the strip again!

Next, keep rolling and twisting the clay until your colors have completely combined. Look how good the gray looks!

Like I mentioned, I wanted a pinkish red so I used the exact same steps that I used for the gray to combine my red and pink clay.

Once I had the colors I wanted to use for my DIY ergonomic crochet hooks I rolled them into thin strips.

And……guess what? We are going to do the exact same thing we did with the other colors. Only this time we won’t combine the colors completely.

Keep rolling and twisting until you have the marbled effect that you want. Please note that the more times you twist and roll the more the colors will completely combine. For the below clay roll I only rolled out and twisted 2 times. Once you’re happy with the marble look roll your clay into a thin roll.

Then coil your thin strip onto itself.

Gently squeeze the coil into a ball like form.

Start rolling the ball in your hands. You may need to take your finger and smooth down the lines that remain on the ball (where my needle is pointed).

Gently roll the ball in your hands or on your tile until the ball looks completely smooth.

Then take your ball and roll it out into a roughly 3 1/2 inch log. Now before we begin with the next step be sure to write down the size of your crochet hook. Because if you don’t you will really regret it. That’s right, for one of my hooks I totally forgot to do this and had to completely remove the hook from the clay to see what size it was (insert eye roll here)!

Next, take your crochet hook and insert it into the top of your clay log.

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Keep pushing your crochet hook into the clay log until the hook goes to the bottom. Make sure to not just shove the hook into the clay log but gently push it in. This way you don’t mess up the shape of the log too much.

Next, roll the clay log between your hands or on the tile to make it smooth. If you like the way it looks then by all means stop, add the size tab, and bake! However, if you want to add a little character to the hook handle keep going.

Cut off a small piece from the end of the clay handle to use later as a size tab.

Now comes the fun part! Take a knitting or embroidery needle and gentle press into the clay where you want your first indention to go.

After you press the needle around the entire clay hook take your fingers and smooth out any rough parts.

Next, decide where you want your other indentions. Then…. go to town adding them wherever your heart desires! Once you have all of your indentions added keep gently rolling your hook handle to smooth any remaining wonky parts.

Remember that little piece of clay we cut off earlier? Yep, we are going to make it into a size tab for the hook handle. To do this I make the piece into a small ball then squish the ball between wax paper with something heavy. Next, I measure to make sure the tab is the same size of the bottom of the crochet hook.

Once you know the tab is the right size take a sharp needle and etch the size of the crochet hook into it.

Then add a little dab of the Sculpy Bake and Bond on the bottom of the size tab.

Next, gently press the size tab to the bottom of the crochet hook. Trust me you are always going to be thankful you added a size to your crochet hook handle!

Then lay down your ceramic tile (if you have one) then a piece of cotton batting in your roasting pan. I know what you’re thinking that cotton batting is probably not the best thing to put in an oven. Well, rest assured that since you are using such a low heat to bake these that it will be perfectly safe to use the cotton. Then add your unbaked DIY ergonomic crochet hooks on the batting bed!

Take the other roasting pan and put it on top. Put binder clips on both sides to keep the pans together. Now, if you don’t have a second pan you could also use foil to make a tent over the top.

Place the roasting pan with your fabulous crochet hooks on the center rack of your oven. Bake at 200 degrees for an hour. Once the hooks come out of the oven they are going to be SUPER hot! So, make sure to let them cool completely before you handle them. Once cool remove any pieces of cotton batting that may have stuck to the hook while baking. Then you are all done!

So, now you are fully equipped to make your own DIY ergonomic crochet hooks! Whether you use my favorite Susan Bates hooks or a different brand I hope you enjoy your new upgraded hooks as much as I do!

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