Yes, I really can get an entire post out of the subject of “crochet hooks”. I am Boredom incarnate. The thing is, I’ve been checking out a lot of US patterns recently and for some reason those pesky yanks (no offence to any pesky yanks reading) feel the need to use gimungous crochet hooks. I mean, who ever heard of a size P crochet hook? There’s no such thing. I looked it up on a conversion chart and metric doesn’t even go that high. It must be thicker than a jumbo tampon for gawd’s sake.
My mother, and more especially my grandmother, used to use teensy hooks to create intricate, detailed doilies and sandwich protectors and other bits of useless ephemera beloved of people in the 50s (don’t ask me what sandwich protectors are – I just made that one up but it sounds like something they’d make). If I handed my grandmother a size P crochet hook she’d look at me like I’d gone loopy (whereas in fact it’s the other way round). I’m not even entirely sure what size P means. I’ve looked at lots of different conversion charts and some say it’s 16mm and some say 11.5mm and I’ve also seen it quoted at 10mm, 12.75 and 15mm.
The largest hook I’ve managed to get hold of so far is an 8mm, which strikes me as more than large enough for anything you’d like to achieve. Any larger than that and even I’d start to feel a little embarrassed to be seen crocheting on public transport.
But since it’s currently the US’s turn at running the show, it looks like I’m going to have to concede defeat and put in a special order.
[comedy jumbo crochet hook pic taken from Stitch Diva]
Your other grandmother crotchets with sewing cottons. She would have no use for this hedge stake either.
Hello mother! It’s madness. My jumbo hooks have just arrived. Just wait till you see the pics.
I should be anon as this just a small observation, the picture looks like knitting to me!!!!!!!!!!
It is knitting – it’s someone using a crochet hook to cast off or something. But it’s a good jumbo hook picture.