Knooking: Knitting with a Crochet Hook

Want to Knook?

You may have heard of knooking and wondered what it is.  It is basically knitting with a crochet hook!

When I looked into knooking, I have to admit I found it fascinating.  Of course, I knew of crochet and knitting, but a combination of the two?  I was all in on learning how to knit with a hook.

On this page is nearly everything you need to know to start knooking, even some knook patterns!  Scroll past this introductory text to find the links to the tutorials, patterns, and more!

But it's Tunisian Crochet?

You may think that knooking is just Tunisian crochet, but it's different. While you can probably use Tunisian crochet hooks for knooking, as the long cord holds the stitches, this is where the similarity ends.  

Tunisian crochet uses specialized crochet stitches, whereas knooking is making knitting stitches.

Why Knook?

Knooking was invented in Japan in the early nineties and has become popular in the US.  

Many people are getting into this yarn work, perhaps because they already know how to knit and crochet and want to try a hybrid.  Some who know how to crochet want to learn an easy way to begin knitting.

Whatever the reason for learning to knook, you will find it fun and rewarding, just as knitting or crocheting.

The Details of Knooking

The tool you use is called a knook.  It looks like a crochet hook, but it has an eye at the end opposite the hook.

To begin, the project is started much like starting a crochet project.  But things change quickly after that!

The finished product looks much more like a knitted item.  Knooking uses many of the stitches as knitting, but it makes these stitches in a very different way.

If you know how to knit or crochet, you should still expect a steep learning curve when you begin knooking.  It really is its own thing, and you can’t expect to know what you are doing right out of the starting gate.

One important thing to mention here is that in addition to the yarn you are using, cording is also used through that eye that I discussed earlier.  You work with and around that cord! The cord is used to hold your stitches as you go along.

Basically, your wrist uses the motion of crochet, but your end result looks like knitting because the cord acts as your second knitting needle.

If you already know how to crochet, after knooking and using the knitting stitches of knit and purl, you will more easily learn how to knit.

Pros and Cons of Knooking

Advantages:

• If you already know how to crochet, learning to knit comes easier once you've mastered knooking.
• Those who crochet are used to the same motion used in knooking.
• To begin, you will crochet a chain, so there is no need to learn to cast on.
• You are less likely to drop a stitch since the cord keeps the stitches in place.

Disadvantages:

• You know how I said the cord keeps the stitches in place?   It does unless you drop your work into a bag and all the loops slip off the cord.
• If you don’t know how to knit, you will need to learn the knit and purl stitches, which are not the same stitches you know from crochet.
• Single knook needles are difficult to find independently, so you will likely have to buy a whole kit with the needle, cord, and instruction book.

Here’s What We Have For You!

Please scroll down for our collection of tutorials, which include different stitches for knooking, such as cast-on, cast-off, purl stitch, knit stitch, cable stitch, increase-and-decrease stitches, and so much more.

Are you left-handed?  Not to worry!  We also have left-handed knook tutorials.

And don’t miss the many video tutorials on knooking!

We also provide links to purchase the knook and knook supplies before you begin.  And if these instructional links and videos are not enough, we also have links to instructional and project books and ePatterns on knooking.

Once you learn how to knook, here are some awesome free knook patterns.

Interested in crochet basics? Perhaps you'd like to learn knitting techniques? We have these, too!

So what are you waiting for?  Scroll down to check out all of the great knooking links we have for you below!