This is my very first crochet hook. It's old - so old I can't find anything like it in the stores. It's a Susan Bates 3.75mm hook, made from a solid steel (or what feels like a more solid steel than my new hooks). It's been passed down to me from my grandmother (I would swear to you it was my grandmother. My mother swears it was my great-grandmother. She's probably right, but my memory is somehow connected with my grandmother). I love this hook. I love the way it feels in my hand. I love the lightness of it. I love the sharpness on the point of the hook which makes it easy to do intricate work.
I love that this hook has been passed down from one crocheter to another. I love that when I use it, I'm adding to its repertoire of amazing projects. Maybe with each project or blanket I use it to complete, I strengthen a tie between me and generations of my family.
It's not just my grandmother (or great-grandmother) who I feel tied to. On my mother's side, there are generations of crocheters too. Every time I pick up this hook, I'm reminded of that fact. My family has always been spread out all over the place, hours away from me. It's hard to feel connected to people so far away. But this connects us. The same need to create with my hands, to pick up a hook and bring something to life, flowed through them too.
But it's not just about how this all connects us. This hook also reminds me of my first projects. It's how I started, making one long chain after another. I made my first blanket with it back in college. Not only does this hook hold the memories of my grandmother's past projects, now it holds mine too.
I love this hook.