Clover soft touch hooks keeping me sane!

[Ailsa]

Ok so my story... I was diagnosed with MS a year ago, my hands are the mainly affected areas for me at the minute. I took up crochet when diagnosed as a way to relax, concentrate and also to keep my hands active. Lately my normal basic hooks have been getting harder to use and I was worrying I would no longer be able to crochet (heaven forbid!)

I had mentioned this in the wool (yarn) shop I use and the next week she had stocked some clover soft touch hooks, they were a little more expensive but wow! they are perfect for me!

I guess Ive talked too much in this post but Im just so happy I will b able to carry on doing the hobby I love even when Im not feeling my best

[dobermama]

Ailsa, those are my favorite hooks and other than some gorgeous wood hooks I was given as gifts, they are my only hooks. I have arthritis in my hands and these are perfect for me too! Glad they stocked them and you are using them had can carry on :crochet

[tnkycrochetnut]

Those are my favorite hooks also. I treated myself to some earlier this year after I began to notice how tight I was holding my other hooks and how soon my hands would tire of crocheting. I was beginning chemo treatments (my treatments lasted 4 hours) in January of this year and wanted to pass the time crocheting. With the Clover Soft Touch hooks it was easier to crochet during this time. The only problem I had was with one the drugs they gave me at the beginning of each of my chemo treatments. The drug was Benadryl. It was given so I would not have a reaction to the chemo drugs but unfortunately it made me sleepy. So I ended up sleeping some of the 4 hours I was getting treatment. But when I wasn't sleeping I was crocheting and the Clover Soft Touch hooks made that so much more enjoyable. Glad you like them too. Keep up the . It gets us through anything.

[Monique39]

Love those hooks too.. They are wonderful!

[FrLopLady]

yup they are my fav too. maybe because I broke my right wrist a few years back?

 

I did also find a K,L,N set on Amazon! They are plastic hooks, but I have used the K on quite a few projects and I do like them.

[sopo]

My mom has arthritis really bad in both hands. She was in a bad wreck and broke a lot of bones in her hands so they hurt a lot. She wanted to learn to crochet but it was agonizing. I got her some Clover soft touch hooks and while she still has the stiffness and some pain, it's much easier on her. Glad your store ordered them in so you can keep on crocheting.

[grannyannie]

I'm so glad that I read this post! I have lupus and my hands have been bothering me a LOT lately. I use Boye hooks exclusively now and I love them, but am finding that I have to take longer breaks in between projects to recoup. I wonder if these would help. I think that I will put them on my Christmas list. Maybe Santa will bring me some!

[Ailsa]

I'm so glad that I read this post! I have lupus and my hands have been bothering me a LOT lately. I use Boye hooks exclusively now and I love them, but am finding that I have to take longer breaks in between projects to recoup. I wonder if these would help. I think that I will put them on my Christmas list. Maybe Santa will bring me some!

I hope they help, Im sure they will, its amazing how much difference its made for me.

[SeeJaneCrochet]

I just discovered these hooks myself. I'm working on a scarf design that uses an E hook and noticed my shoulder starting to hurt. That hook is so small and it's hard not to have a death grip on it for fear of it falling.

 

Then I bought a clover soft touch. Wow- what a difference! No shoulder pain anymore and I have found my new favorite brand

 

Ok- that really sounded like an infomercial

[Bailey4]

I just saw the steel hooks in Clover size online and was wondering about putting some on my Christmas list for DH to buy. I have no real issues with my Bates/Boye hooks for the B and up hooks. However I find the steel hooks torture to use on my hands. I looked at the wooden handled Bates hooks and with the way I hold my hook I am not sure those would work comfortably to give me something to hold on to while working with the smaller hooks. However, the Clover handle looks flatter on the larger sizes I have seen in the store. (I'd have to order the steel sizes as they only seem to carry them from E up in the stores around here.) I think this would be more compatible with the way I hold my hook.

 

Anyone have any suggestions?

[FrLopLady]

I cannot use the bamboo handled bates hooks either. They just are not comfortable with how I hold my hook.

 

Again..I LOVE my soft touch hooks!

[Amibel]

I use the pencil grip and the bates with bamboo handles were great, but because of all the amigurumi that I've been doing, that puts a lot of stress on my knuckles with needing to crochet tightly, so I bought a G & H in the Clover Soft Touch.

 

I have always used Boye, Bates standard aluminum hooks, and then a few years ago started with the bamboo handled Bates. I wasn't sure I would be able to use the Soft Touch. I forced myself to work with it for more than 10 minutes.

 

My knuckles felt so much better. I actually prefer them now and will be saving my money to buy more sizes that I use on a regular basis.

[Bailey4]

I use the pencil grip and the bates with bamboo handles were great, but because of all the amigurumi that I've been doing, that puts a lot of stress on my knuckles with needing to crochet tightly, so I bought a G & H in the Clover Soft Touch.

 

I have always used Boye, Bates standard aluminum hooks, and then a few years ago started with the bamboo handled Bates. I wasn't sure I would be able to use the Soft Touch. I forced myself to work with it for more than 10 minutes.

 

My knuckles felt so much better. I actually prefer them now and will be saving my money to buy more sizes that I use on a regular basis.

 

Thanks for your explanation. You explained my concern about the Bates as I make lots of Ami's. Based on pictures of holds I have seen I seem to be closer to the fork/spoon hold, but not not quite like the pictures show. I was thinking the Clover wouldn't bother my hands.

[elationrelation]

If you like Clover Soft Touch, then you would LOVE Tulip Etimo. Once I tried them, I put my Clover's away. They both are in the more flat handle style, but the Etimo is softer and gives a nicer grip and feel. The Etimo (Doris Chan recommends) are pricey, but if you search eBay, esp. vendors from Japan, or JoAnn's with coupon codes, you can save quite a bit.

 

There is a small steel and a larger aluminum collections in rolls, and there are inbetween sizes you can order singly (as they are the ones I tend to use more). There is an online shop that sells them more reasonably also, so it is worthwhile to do some checking if the price is important to you (which it is to most people).

 

You can get Prym in a soft handle but they are round, which some people may not like. There is a vendor on eBay that sells them for a reasonable price, and if you want the whole collection, she will give you a price break including shipping (which is fast). It is item number 190548592821 with a pic, and you can contact her there. She charged $35 GBP which was around $60 USD.

 

Most LYS's and Big Box Stores also carry crochet guards/cushions, etc., which are very soft cushions that slip over hooks. I don't care for them myself, but you can try out the feel and still use the regular hooks you have. I am sure they are available online too.

[needleworker]

I have muscular dystrophy and up to now have been able to knit and crochet.I have some of the soft touch and find these super to use.I also have just bought some bamboo tunisian hook to try from ebay.Tunisian will be a new for me.

[spiritwalker]

I have two sets of hooks my favorite are wood which I received from my Grandmother years ago. My other set is the Clove hooks. I switch off

between them. It depends on what and where I am working. The clove hooks only go to J. My wood hooks go to Q.