My personal preference shouldn’t really come into anyone else’s crochet hook experiences but I’m a Clover Amour gal through and through. I use and love a variety of crochet hooks but if I have the choice, I generally reach for a Clover every time! For both beginners and experts, Clover crochet hooks are a popular choice. Known for their quality, affordability and bright colours, it is easy to see why Clover has many loyal fans around the world. For a selection of Clover hooks, look no further than Knitting Co.

I’m naturally a very twitchy person – I don’t sit still for very long – and this behaviour translates with crochet hooks as well. If I’ve been using a Clover Amour all day designing something in the Crochet Coach studio and I want to switch to another project, I’ll often change to a different style of hook too just to mix it up. It’s like exercise – if you run 5km every day your body eventually gets used to it and you need to change your exercise routine to incorporate something different. I’m a knife grip crocheter and found it fine to use the Addi Swing but I’m pretty sure a pen grip crocheter would struggle – they look to me like they’re designed for knife grippers. The Soft touch handle is made from ABS resin, which is a strong plastic. The handle has a very slight texture to it, but not something you will noticeably feel in your hand. It just provides a bit more grip than a smooth plastic. While the Soft Touch is less grippy than the Amour, I still find they have excellent control. Top: Clover Amour, Bottom: Clover Soft Touch Markings I personally don’t rotate my hook very much, so I have no issues with the shallower bowl of the Soft Touch. One caveat though: I do find I drop more stitches with the Soft Touch than the Amour when I’m using a chunkier weight yarn.

The Amour has a different color handle for each hook size. This is great not only because it’s more fun to look at, but once you learn which color belongs to which size, you can reach right in your bag and grab it. The downside is, the markings are less visible. Until you memorize which color belongs to each size, you’ll still have to pull them out of your bag, and it may be harder for some to read them. Shaft and Hook

That’s not to say the Soft Touch is by any means uncomfortable, or should only be used if you’re a more experienced crocheter. I learned on the Soft Touch, and there’s a reason I’ve used them for so long. I can’t speak to the longevity of the Amour hooks, as I’ve only been using them for a couple of weeks, however Clover is known for making quality hooks. There isn’t anything that immediately stands out to me as an area of concern. I also haven’t heard of any complaints in the crochet community about the quality. Materials While I love the gold hook on the Soft Touch, the weird brownish tan of the handle just isn’t as nice to look at, and gets pretty boring.Since the Soft Touch are all the same color, you have to pull them all out of your bag to find the right hook. However since they’re clearly marked, you can easily see what size they are. The Amour hook has an elastomer handle. It’s basically a nice smooth rubber that feels very soft in your hand, but still provides excellent grip and control. Side note: I actually think it’s kind of ironic that the Amour isn’t called the Soft Touch. Each size is a different colour which is great when you’re trying to remember what hook you were using for which project I will do a full post on the whole shebang of hooks but for now you just need to know that there are basically two kinds of hooks and most brands are based on these kinds of hooks.