Editing Crochet (section)

==Materials==
The basic materials required for crocheting are a hook, scissors (to cut yarn), and some type of material that will be crocheted, the most commonly used are yarn or thread. Alternatively, some people choose to crochet with their hands, especially for large yarns. Yarn, one of the most commonly used materials for crocheting, has varying weights which need to be taken into consideration when following patterns. The weight of the yarn can affect not only the look of the product but also the feeling. Acrylic can also be used when crocheting, as it is synthetic and an alternative to wool. Additional tools are convenient for making related accessories. Examples of such tools include cardboard cutouts, which can be used to make [[tassels]], [[fringe (trim)|fringe]], and many other items; a pom-pom circle, used to make pom-poms; a [[tape measure]] and a gauge measure, both used for measuring crocheted work and counting stitches; a [[row counter (hand knitting)|row counter]]; and occasionally plastic rings, which are used for special projects. In recent years, yarn selections have moved beyond synthetic and plant and animal-based fibers to include bamboo, qiviut, hemp, and banana stalks, to name a few. Many advanced crocheters have also incorporated recycled materials into their work in an effort to "go green" and experiment with new textures by using items such as plastic bags, old T-shirts or sheets, VCR or cassette tape, and ribbon.<ref name=":1" />

===Crochet hook types===
[[Image:Crohook.jpg|thumb|upright|Aluminium crochet hooks]]
{{Main|Crochet hook|List of United States standard crochet hook and knitting needle sizes}}
The crochet hook comes in many sizes and materials. Because sizing is categorized by the diameter of the hook's shaft, a crafter aims to create stitches of a certain size in order to reach a particular gauge specified in a given pattern. If gauge is not reached with one hook, another is used until the stitches made are the needed size. Crafters may have a preference for one type of hook material over another due to aesthetic appeal, yarn glide, or hand disorders such as arthritis, where bamboo or wood hooks are favored over metal for the perceived warmth and flexibility during use. Hook grips and ergonomic hook handles are also available to assist crafters.

Aluminum, bamboo, and plastic crochet hooks are available from 2.25 to 30 millimeters in size, or from B-1 to T/X in American sizing.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Hooks & Needles {{!}} Welcome to the Craft Yarn Council |url=https://www.craftyarncouncil.com/standards/hooks-and-needles |access-date=2024-09-30 |website=www.craftyarncouncil.com}}</ref> Artisan-made hooks are often made of hand-turned woods, sometimes decorated with semi-precious stones or beads.

Steel crochet hooks are sized in a reverse manner – the higher the number, the smaller the hook. They range in size from 0.9 to 2.7 millimeters, or from 14 to 00 in American sizing.<ref name=":0" /> These hooks are used for fine crochet work such as doilies and lace.

Crochet hooks used for Tunisian crochet are elongated and have a stopper at the end of the handle, while double-ended crochet hooks have a hook on both ends of the handle. Tunisian crochet hooks are shaped without a fat thumb grip and thus can hold many loops on the hook at a time without stretching some to different heights than others (Solovan). There is also a double hooked tool called a [[Cro-hook]]. While this is not in itself a hook, it is a device used in conjunction with a crochet hook to produce stitches.

===Yarn types===

{{main|Yarn}}
[[File:Yarn hank uncoiled.png|thumb|A hank of wool yarn (center) is uncoiled into its basic loop. A tie is visible at the left; after untying, the hank may be wound into a ball or balls suitable for crocheting. Crocheting from a normal hank directly is likely to tangle the yarn, producing snarls.]]

Yarn for crochet is usually sold as balls, or skeins (hanks), although it may also be wound on spools or cones. Skeins and balls are generally sold with a ''yarn band'', a label that describes the yarn's [[YarnWeight|weight]], length, dye lot, fiber content, washing instructions, suggested needle size, likely gauge, etc. It is a common practice to save the yarn band for future reference, especially if additional skeins must be purchased. Crocheters generally ensure that the yarn for a project comes from a single dye lot. The dye lot specifies a group of skeins that were dyed together and thus have precisely the same color; skeins from different dye lots, even if very similar in color, are usually slightly different and may produce a visible stripe when added onto existing work. If insufficient yarn of a single dye lot is bought to complete a project, additional skeins of the same dye lot can sometimes be obtained from other yarn stores or online.

The thickness or weight of the yarn is a significant factor in determining how many stitches and rows are required to cover a given area for a given stitch pattern. This is also termed the gauge. Thicker yarns generally require large-diameter crochet hooks, whereas thinner yarns may be crocheted with thick or thin hooks. Hence, thicker yarns generally require fewer stitches, and therefore less time, to work up a given project. The recommended gauge for a given ball of yarn can be found on the label that surrounds the skein when buying in stores. Patterns and motifs are coarser with thicker yarns and produce bold visual effects, whereas thinner yarns are best for refined or delicate pattern-work. Yarns are standardly grouped by thickness into six categories: superfine, fine, light, medium, bulky and superbulky. Quantitatively, thickness is measured by the number of wraps per inch (WPI). The related ''weight per unit length'' is usually measured in [[Units of textile measurement|tex or denier]].

[[File:Yarn hank and ball.png|thumb|left|Transformation of a hank of lavender silk yarn (top) into a ball in which the yarn emerges from the center (bottom). Using the latter is better for needlework, since the yarn is much less likely to tangle.]]

Before use, hanks are wound into balls in which the yarn emerges from the center, making crocheting easier by preventing the yarn from becoming easily tangled. The winding process may be performed by hand or done with a ball winder and [[Swift (textiles)|swift]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=White |first=Sarah |title=Here's What to Know About How to Unwind a Hank of Yarn |url=https://www.thesprucecrafts.com/winding-a-ball-from-hank-of-yarn-2116505 |access-date=2023-10-12 |website=The Spruce Crafts |language=en}}</ref>

A yarn's usefulness is judged by several factors, such as its ''loft'' (its ability to trap air), its ''resilience'' (elasticity under tension), its [[laundry|washability]] and colorfastness, its ''hand'' (its feel, particularly softness vs. scratchiness), its durability against abrasion, its resistance to [[pill (textile)|pilling]], its ''hairiness'' (fuzziness), its tendency to twist or untwist, its overall weight and drape, its blocking and [[Felt#Wet felting|felting]] qualities, its comfort (breathability, moisture absorption, wicking properties) and its appearance, which includes its color, sheen, smoothness and ornamental features. Other factors include allergenicity, speed of drying, resistance to chemicals, moths, and mildew, melting point and flammability, retention of static electricity, and the propensity to accept dyes. Desirable properties may vary for different projects, so there is no one "best" yarn.
[[File:Yarn twist S-Left Z-Right.png|thumb|upright|right|The two possible twists of yarn]]

Although crochet may be done with ribbons, metal wire, or more exotic filaments, most yarns are made by [[spinning (textiles)|spinning]] fibers. In spinning, the fibers are twisted so that the yarn resists breaking under tension; the twisting may be done in either direction, resulting in a Z-twist or S-twist yarn. If the fibers are first aligned by combing them and the spinner uses a worsted type drafting method such as the short forward draw, the yarn is smoother and called a ''worsted''; by contrast, if the fibers are carded but not combed and the spinner uses a woolen drafting method such as the long backward draw, the yarn is fuzzier and called ''woolen-spun''. The fibers making up a yarn may be continuous ''filament'' fibers such as [[silk]] and many synthetics, or they may be ''[[staple (wool)|staples]]'' (fibers of an average length, typically a few inches); naturally filament fibers are sometimes cut up into staples before spinning. The strength of the spun yarn against breaking is determined by the amount of twist, the length of the fibers, and the thickness of the yarn. In general, yarns become stronger with more twists (also called ''worst''), longer fibers, and thicker yarns (more fibers); for example, thinner yarns require more twists than thicker yarns to resist breaking under tension. The thickness of the yarn may vary along its length; a ''[[slub (textiles)|slub]]'' is a much thicker section in which a mass of fibers is incorporated into the yarn. {{Citation needed|date=March 2023}}

The spun fibers are generally divided into [[animal fiber]]s, plant, and [[synthetic fiber]]s. These fiber types are chemically different, corresponding to [[protein]]s, [[carbohydrate]]s, and synthetic [[polymer]]s, respectively. Animal fibers include silk, but generally are long hairs of animals such as [[sheep]] ([[wool]]), [[goat]] ([[angora goat|angora]], or [[cashmere goat]]), [[rabbit]] ([[angora rabbit|angora]]), [[llama]], [[alpaca]], [[dog]], [[cat]], [[camel]], [[yak]], and [[muskox]] ([[qiviut]]). Plants used for fibers include [[cotton]], [[flax]] (for [[linen]]), [[bamboo]], [[ramie]], [[hemp]], [[jute]], [[Urtica dioica|nettle]], [[raffia]], [[yucca]], [[coconut]] husk, [[banana tree]]s, [[soy]] and [[Maize|corn]]. [[Rayon]] and [[cellulose acetate|acetate]] fibers are also produced from [[cellulose]] mainly derived from [[tree]]s. Common synthetic fibers include [[acrylic fiber|acrylic]]s,<ref>{{cite book | last = Masson | first = James | title = Acrylic Fiber Technology and Applications | publisher = Marcel Dekker, Inc. | year = 1995 | location = New York 	| page = 172 | isbn = 0-8247-8977-6 }}</ref> [[polyester]]s such as [[polyethylene terephthalate|dacron]] and [[ingeo]], [[nylon]] and other polyamides, and [[olefin]]s such as [[polypropylene]]. Of these types, wool is generally favored for crochet, chiefly owing to its superior [[Elasticity (physics)|elasticity]], warmth and (sometimes) [[felt]]ing; however, wool is generally less convenient to [[laundry|clean]] and some people are allergic to it. It is also common to blend different fibers in the yarn, e.g., 85% alpaca and 15% silk. Even within a type of fiber, there can be great variety in the length and thickness of the fibers; for example, [[Merino]] wool and [[Gossypium barbadense|Egyptian cotton]] are favored because they produce exceptionally long, thin (fine) fibers for their type.{{Citation needed|date=March 2023}}

A single spun yarn may be crochet as is, or [[braid]]ed or [[plying|plied]] with another. In plying, two or more yarns are spun together, almost always in the opposite sense from which they were spun individually; for example, two Z-twist yarns are usually plied with an S-twist. The opposing twist relieves some of the yarn's tendency to curl up and produces a thicker, ''balanced'' yarn. Plied yarns may themselves be plied together, producing ''cabled yarns'' or ''multi-stranded yarns''. Sometimes, the yarns being plied are fed at different rates, so that one yarn loops around the other, as in [[bouclé]]. The single yarns may be dyed separately before plying, or afterward to give the yarn a uniform look.{{Citation needed|date=March 2023}}

The dyeing of yarns is a complex art. Yarns need not be dyed, or they may be dyed one color or a great variety of colors. Dyeing may be done industrially, by hand, or even hand-painted onto the yarn. A great variety of synthetic dyes have been developed since the synthesis of [[indigo dye]] in the mid-19th century; however, [[natural dye]]s are also possible, although they are generally less brilliant. The color scheme of a yarn is sometimes called its [[colorway]]. Variegated yarns can produce interesting visual effects, such as diagonal stripes. {{Citation needed|date=March 2023}}