I hope they work for you, too!
Why I Needed to Crochet with the Use of One Hand
Awhile back, I had a painful shoulder injury, which was diagnosed as a “frozen” shoulder. There’s a more technical medical term, but it definitely felt like it was frozen in place. I was unable to crochet due to the pain with movement.
During the months of recovery, I attempted to crochet several times. I love crocheting so much that I devised a few ways to adapt the hook so I only had to use my left “helping” hand with the yarn. It slowed me down at first, but I quickly adapted to the new one-handed methods. Completing a project brought me such joy!
Below are links to videos I made for low-tech adaptations utilizing what I had available. As a retired early childhood special education teacher, I was used to being creative to adapt tools for my students. Maybe you’ll be able to use, or adapt, one of these methods to help you out.
First Method to Adapt a Crochet Hook to Use with One Hand
Using a longer Tunisian crochet hook, I taped it into a piece of pipe insulation and secured between my legs. The insulation was flexible enough to bend and fit under my leg. It was comfortable to use this way. While this method worked pretty well, it wasn’t always as stable as I’d like, and I sometimes had to adjust it with my right hand.
Second Method to Adapt a Crochet Hook to Use with One Hand
I taped a crochet hook to my phone stand. The stand has a metal base that I was able to secure with one leg. It was much more stable and I was happy to be able to crochet for longer periods. Securing the crochet hook with a hair band worked even better than tape. It felt more natural than the first method.
Third Method to Adapt a Crochet Hook to Use with One Hand
Finally, what worked best for me was securing a hook to a stand I had for holding my iPad while sitting in bed. Securing the hook with a hair band also worked best for this method. The stand held the crochet hook perfectly and I didn’t have to hold anything with my legs. I just made sure the base was under a chair or sofa, so it stayed secure. Bingo! This is my favorite method of the three, mainly because it was so simple to use. I was able to stand up, leave it, come back and pick up where I left off with ease.
Three winners!
All 3 methods of adapting a crochet hook to use with one hand worked with varying degrees of success. The last method worked best for me, but play around with whatever you have available. I call it, “shop the house.” You never know what be available. Who knew a piece of pipe insulation could be used in place of my hand?
I hope these work for you, because if you love to crochet and are unable to use one hand, you’ll definitely get creative.
Have you devised a way to use one hand while crocheting? Let me know how it worked!
