Beginner-Hook keeps snagging

[Shybusch]

 A brand new crocheted—like last week. I’m having a problem with how I’m moving the crochet hook.

the hook is not sliding through easily to make stitches and instead is getting snagged on the stitch below. So I find that I having to pull down on the finished work and wiggling the hook through. This is causing my yarn to begin separating. What am I doing wrong?

[Granny Square]

Could be a few things.  Some yarn is just 'splitty', where you might find yourself hooking 3 plies out of 4 for example (Caron Simply Soft is a bit that way IMO).

Could be you are crocheting tightly, which a lot of new crocheters do (including me ages ago).  In my case, (way before the internet, and no one to help), I figured out I was forming my stitches right at the throat of the hook, not further back at the shaft which is sized to form your stitches uniformly.  If your stitches are too tight, it's hard to poke the hook in there.

It could be (drumroll) the hook you are using.  Kidding on the drumroll, there's 2 hook styles and crocheters will defend to the death the superior attributes of one style over the other.  In the US it's "Bates vs. Boye" as those are the 2 biggest brands here, and they are shaped differently.  Bates hooks are 'inline', imagine taking a wooden dowel, rounding one end, and cutting a slash a little below the end to form the hook.  Boye hooks are more tapered, they more or less start with the Boye shape, but also trim the head 90° from the slash - if the slash (hook part) is the 'nose', the other trimming trims the side of the head.  I suspect the preference is what you learned with, but I for one just can't use one of them because I can't grab the yarn properly.  Google 'Bates versus Boye' and you will find a lot of discussion, here's one site 

Or...are you using a bamboo or other wood hook, versus plastic or metal?  They can be grippier.  Try rubbing wax paper on them.

[magiccrochetfan]

Hi, welcome to the Ville!  In addition to all the factors Granny Square listed, one other thought---your hook could have a flaw in it, a rough spot that is catching on the yarn.  

[Shybusch]

Thanks. I think my grip is a part of it. I’ve been releasing my grip a little and it’s getting better. 

I did just get a cheapy set of hooks because i wasn’t sure if I liked it but I will look into the Bates vs Boyle. Might make a difference.

As for my yarn it could definitely be the quality. I just remember I had an issue with this wool. I bought wool from knit picks for Christmas presents and had a lot of issues getting this wool to felt. Knit picks said I may have gotten a batch that had a flaw in the production. So if it was flawed enough not to felt maybe that flaw is creating issues with splitting too. 

 

[magiccrochetfan]

Bates and Boye are two brands that are widely available, and have been in the US for decades.  You can also find other brands like Clover, Tulip, Addi; the hook shape of some of these are different than either Bates or Boye.  Once you get comfortable crocheting, it's worth it to try a few different types to see what you prefer.  

[Granny Square]

Agree on the brands, all hooks are either in-line or tapered, your 'cheapy set' are undoubtedly perfectly fine, but just note which hook shaping they are.  I bought a 'cheapy set' of double pointed bamboo knitting needles that came out to about $0.26 per needle (versus abut 8x that at the craft store), and the quality was just fine.  If your set is one style, try buying 1 hook of the other style and see if it makes a difference.  

[Bailey4]

When I first started crocheting I acquired metal hooks some from family and others I just picked up as I needed new sizes not paying attention to brand.  Over time I realized I did better with one style over another.  In the beginning I just thought I was having a bad day when I used a different brand.  It was only as I started paying attention I realized that one hook worked better than another.