A little over a week ago, I saw this blog post from Petals to Pecots about polymer clay hooks, and I had to make my own. I had one crochet hook that had a grip at that time, and it was my favorite hook. The grip made it more comfortable to hold, so I wanted more hooks with grips.
So, I went to Wal-Mart and got a variety pack of Sculpey for about $9 and some cheap and colorful metal crochet hoops. I already had some metal hooks, but I was afraid that I might melt them or have some other accident that would ruin them, so I bought more. (Note: None of the hooks melted or even came close to it.)
The polymer clay was pretty easy to use, and I love the way these hook grips turned out. :)
Supplies:
--polymer clay in a variety of colors
--metal crochet hooks
--rolling pin or other rolling tool
--razor blade or very sharp knife
--baking pan
--aluminum foil
Directions:
Step 1: Pick your clay colors and roll design. I tried to match colors with the hooks as best as I could.
Step 2: Knead your clay to make it pliable.
Step 3: Make rolls. I found some easy roll ideas and tips online, such as at the Sculpey website. I made very simple rolls for this project, but more complicated rolls would look great too.
Step 4: Cut the roll into slices and place the slices around the hook. Keep putting slices around the hook until you have the size and shape of your grip that you want. For the really skinny hook, I actually put a thin base layer around the hook, and then placed the roll slices on top of it.
Step 5: Bake your crochet hook. Follow the baking directions that came with your clay.
Tips & Resources:
--It's best to finish with one color and clean your hands before touching the next color. I found that the clay would stick to my hands and change the color of the next piece of clay if I didn't first wash my hands and use a paper towel.
--I found that I needed a really sharp cutting instrument like a razor blade to cut the rolls slices. Otherwise, they kept mushing together and blurring the pattern
--For my work surface, I used a baking sheet and covered it in aluminum foil, so it doubled as a work space and my baking tray.
--Google images of polymer clay rolls, so that you can get ideas for rolls
--Sculpey's How To on Simple Canes
--There are also lots of videos on YouTube and examples on Pinterest
Update: This post was featured at Sugar Bee Crafts.
