Weird Hook Size

[LoopyCrochet]

I was going to make me a beach tote using a pattern of the internet...but when I looked at the hook size it said: 4.5mm (U.S. 7). I looked through my hooks I have a G/6 and a H/7 neither one was a 4.5mm...just 4.25 and 5.00. I use Boye...do the hooks sizes differ by brand?

I just thought this was weird.

-Baylee

[Ankh]

yes they do sometimes differ by brand my crochet lite hook says g and is 4.5mm

NiYa

[TaleWeaverLA]

My favorite brand, Clover Soft Touch, used to make a G/4.5 and an F/4.0. Now they have an F/3.75, a G/4.0 and a 7/4.5!!

 

These letters always confused me, so I just look at the mm.

[faedragon]

Brittany hooks have a size 7 . It is the size between the G and the H. It is my very favorite one to use.It's not weird, seems just not be a size seen much in the hooks available in stores like AC Moore or Michaels or JoAnns.

[magiccrochetfan]

here's a hook size chart that Amy posted http://www.crochetville.org/forum/showthread.php?t=38391

 

I've read that G hooks differ in size between brands, like your G being 4.25 mm and the chart listing G as 4 mm, but the 7/4.5 mm is a separate size. I just bought a Susan Bates size 7/4.5mm hook at Michael's, so they are not too hard to find.

[Autumn]

Susan Bates has both a G 4.00 mm and a G 4.50 mm

[Miss Crochet]

As far as I can figure out, 4.5mm is a standard size in the British Isles and Europe but relatively unusual in the USA and Canada! I stil have the first 4.5mm hook I learned to crochet on in Ireland nearly 30 years ago! Before I joined up here, I only used 4 mm, 4.5 mm and 5mm. It seems the European sizes went up in half-millimetre jumps and the American sizes sometimes took half-millimetre and sometimes three-quarter-millimetre jumps from one size to the next

[Miss Crochet]

PS: it's weird but when I saw the title of this thread, I thought: "I bet that's an American poster with a four-and-a-half hook!"

[cupcake]

4.5mm is quite common down here as well. I also have trouble when I translate my patterns from Aussie lingo into US in knowing what letter the hook is as the brands do differ. For a beach tote I would think close enogh is good enough depending on your tension. I wouldnt take the risk though with something where the finished size and tension really mattered! From what I know thre is no exact letter equivalent for a 4.5

 

Here is a handy chart that might help:

http://www.crochetaustralia.com.au/webcontent3.htm#CROCHET%20HOOK%20CONVERSION%20CHART%20-%20Metric%20to%20American

[pat54]

Susan Bates has the 7 between the G & H hooks. I'm a Boye gal myself but while looking at hooks one day I saw it and purchased one. I bought mine at either Michaels or AC Moore.

[Real Deal]

In my Grandmother's day the #7 hook was THE hook to use. Sometime between then and now, while standardizing or resizing or something, the #7 seemed to disappear from the market.

 

I noticed a short while ago it was available in the Bates hooks, so I bought quite a few for myself, my sisters, and my friends.

[HappyOldCro]

7 was very popular when I was growing up. I understand that all companies have agreed to standardize their hooks. International hooks go by mm. Your best bet is to try to match your hooks to the required mm given in a pattern. I have 3 sets (plus a few doubles) one bates, one boye and one international (british).

[stormy]

I haven't shopped for crochet hooks in years, I've never heard of a size 7 hook other than a steel size 7 (for thread). I'll have to look for one!

[Triskele]

I think I'd be more concerned about gauge than exact hook size. Have you tried making a swatch using the hooks you have that are closest to the '7' listed in your pattern? One of them might work just fine if you happen to crochet either a little loose or a little tight. Does it matter so much if your tote is just a bit smaller or a bit larger? (if larger tho' you'll definitely want to be sure you have extra yarn, just in case) Just a thought...

[Gran]

Here's a hook size comparison chart that I find especially useful:

 

http://www.geocities.com/nornsneedlework/crochet/hookchart.htm

 

It would be nice to have hooks in every imaginable increment.

 

I couldn't find the size 7 listed at Michael's or JoAnn's, but ACMoore carries it:

 

http://www.acmoore.com/p-43782-silvalume-aluminum-crochet-hook-5-12-size-7-rose.aspx?Affiliateid=10053