Knook Expanded Beginner Kit Review

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I'll say this again and again: the Knook is a brilliant concept! I've been knitting and crocheting for around twenty-six years, and for a long time I've thought of Tunisian crochet as sort of bridging the gap between the needles and the hook. And now, the Knook actually *does* bridge the gap; I can easily flow from a knit fabric to crochet and back again without ever having to change the basic tool with which I'm working; I can even throw in some Tunisian entrelac crochet for good measure if I feel like it. Crochet edging around a knit project? A snap! The Knook concept is so simple that it's brilliant. If you're already familiar with Tunisian crochet, then you will most likely be able to pick up the Knook rather quickly.

A few weeks ago I bought The Knook Kit at Walmart, and it was cheaper than on Amazon (nothing against Amazon; I just happened to walk past the display in the store and picked it up on impulse). Inside the blister pack, you get three Knooks, in sizes G (6/4mm), H (8/5mm), and I (9/5.5mm), three different colours of cord (which serve as your "lifeline," and hold your working fabric), and a 32-page instruction booklet. The booklet contains patterns for a simple infinity scarf (to practise the garter stitch), a spa cloth (which allows you to practise purling on the Knook), a baby blanket (which is composed of a dozen squares that allow you to switch back and forth from knitting to purling), and a diamond lap throw (which is worked in three long strips). All patterns are designed for beginners and are worked with worsted weight yarns. There are more Knook patterns on-line; there is even a sampler scarf pattern that is worked in both knit and crochet -it's actually pretty cool.

TIP: before you get started with the Knook, I recommend watching the free video tutorials online; there are quite a few of them, and you can see how the Knook can be used to make cables, work in the round, etc. Do a search for them or check the manufacturer's Web site; you'll find them.

ANOTHER TIP: the Knooks are made of bamboo; one or all of them may feel a little rough. If this is the case for you, then simply put a drop or two of oil (grapeseed, olive, coconut, or another vegetable oil) on your hands, and give the Knooks a little polish. Leave the Knooks alone overnight to allow the oil to be absorbed into the fibres. This smoothed out the rough spots on my Knooks; it may do the same for yours.

For an experienced knitter/crocheter, I wouldn't say that there's too great of a learning curve for the Knook; rather, it's more of an "adjustment curve." It took me a little bit of time to adjust to knitting with a hook and a cord, especially because I can knit faster with two needles -and I'm not even an exceptionally fast knitter. The main frustration that I occasionally have with the Knook is that the loops of my working fabric sometimes get smaller and tighten around the lifeline cord. This happens because I might hold the working fabric a bit too tightly, or I accidentally pull on the fabric when turning, or what-have-you. The resulting effect is that it slows me down because I have to manually tug on the next loop slightly to allow the Knook to pass through it. Multiply this minor inconvenience by the number of loops I have to manually expand, and the time does add up. For the sake of a brilliantly concepted product, I'm going to chalk this up to my adjustment curve. As far as doing cables: maybe it's just me, but I'd rather have two knitting needles and a cable needle. While one *can* do cables on the Knook, it's just faster the traditional way.

Really strong positives for the Knook: it's great for crocheters who don't know how to knit with two needles and want to create knitted fabrics; for projects on the road, the Knook is totally portable (no fears of losing the second knitting needle or a broken cable on circulars!); and it's good for simple stitches like stockinette or garter. An added bonus is that once you learn how to use the Knook, you're just one step away from learning to do Tunisian crochet.

Things that made the execution less-than-thrilling for me: it takes longer to knit with the Knook than with two needles; while you're learning (or in the adjustment curve phase), your knitted fabrics may turn out a bit lacier than you'd expect, or uneven in tension (as other reviewers have commented); and the lifeline cord is a bit awkward to work with. On one occasion, I was working on a piece that was kind of wide, and I accidentally pulled out the wrong end of the lifeline. Sadness. It wasn't *too* grim, though, because picking up the stitches is fairly easy ... it's also frustrating.

Would I still keep working with the Knook? Yes. Would I recommend the Knook to someone else, or buy it as a gift for someone? Yes. Its potential as a tool is exciting; I'd like to see this product do well and see more kits with larger sizes of Knooks, too. If I were recommending this or giving it to someone, I'd also want to spend some good old-fashioned, in-person, stitch-n-bitch time with her/him to provide positive reinforcement and encouragement through the awkward adjustment curve phase. A product like this really benefits from the social learning aspect of knitting groups, because when you're having fun while learning, you're teaching yourself to love the process, and that's vital. Video tutorials are one thing, but it's tough to replace the interaction and laughter when learning with others.

The real kicker for me is this: Would I use the Knook every day, or at least on a regular basis? At this point, no. Because I'm faster and more comfortable with my needles and hooks, I'll stick with those for most of my projects; and I'll turn to the Knook every once in a while to mix things up.

Try it out; if you don't like it or get frustrated, then put the Knook away for a few days or weeks, and then go back to it again and give it another shot. Better yet, if you have a friend who's also interested in the Knook, then get one set and learn together. At the very least, you'll then be able to say you gave it a fair shot and made an informed decision about whether or not the Knook works for you. Happy stitching!

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Yes, I read the other reviews and I must admit I thought them surprising. If you do not know how to knit, or if you have issues with using the two knitting needles, then the Knook might work very well for you. I have crocheted for years, and knitted only when forced to because I found the needles ackward. Probably just something I struggled with, having leaned to crochet first, that is where my comfort level was. When I saw the Knook I thought 'what the heck' it is based upon a crochet hook maybe I will like it better. I picked it up at Hobby Lobby for $9.00 (sorry Amazon) and brought it home. In just a few minutes I was creating both a knit and pearl stitch. Having crocheted for years, the learning curve was about 20 seconds. Some say it is not as fast as knitting, and that might well be true for accomplished knitters, but if you have never knitted, or struggled to knit this is an easy solution to get you going. I like it because it is very easy to pick up and put down if interrupted, easy to pick up any missed or dropped stitches as you go, and yes, you can create many other knitted combination stitches. About the only thing I have not been able to get it to do is circular work...but I am working on that! I easily knitted a scarf in one evening while watching television, as the technique seemed natural to me after crocheting for so long. So, if you want to knit but put it off, give this a try. The other nice thing about this was that the instructions were done for left hand and right hand separately so you did not have to try to decode right hand instructions to get yourself going something we left handers appreciate.

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I have been using my Knook for a couple of weeks and I am really impressed with the results I am seeing. I do crochet and have tried knitting with needles several times but just can't seem to get both my hands to work together. I like the smoothness of the knit stitch so I decided to order the Knook.

It works a little differently than regular crochet, so read the directions thoroughly. You Tube is a fantastic resource. Also check out the manufacturer's website for more instructions, videos, and patterns.

One tip: I found it helpful to apply Fray Check, a clear seam sealant, to the ends of the silky cords that are used with the hook. This makes the ends stiffer so they go through the small holes in the hooks more easily. I applied it with my fingers, starting about one inch from the ends and running my fingers down and off the ends of the cords. It dries in a few minutes.

And be patient! It always takes me a while to learn any new skill with my hands (you have heard of people who are ambidexterous? Well, I am no-bidexterous), but I was doing pretty well after a few hours. If you are coordinated enough to already be a knitter, you will probably find that the Knook is slower than your needles. But for those like me that like the look but can't control the needles and yarn at the same time, The Knook appears to be an answer. It is going slower than my usual crochet, but I am improving and gaining confidence. I am working on my first Knooked scarf and have it by my chair so I can work on it while watching TV. Every time I pick it up I find I am a little faster than before. I am glad I ordered the Knook.

Update 10/6/2012 I am now Knooking much faster than I can knit! I have completed a couple of scarves for Christmas presents (and one for me!). I have also found a perfect use for the Knook: Check out the new "yarns" that make the ruffly, frilly scarves. I tried knitting one but I had the same old problems. Then I found a crochet pattern, but that was a disaster! This "yarn" is made into a netting type fabric a couple of inches wide, and after I crocheted the first row, I couldn't find the stitches. With the Knook, the stitches are held in place with the working cord, which seperates them from the rest of the yarn and makes it very simple to make these georgious scarves. Because each scarf is 10 stitches or less across,( I made one with 4 stitches across that made it really long) it doesn't take too long to finish one, but each stitch takes longer to do than working with a single stranded yarn.

I like my Knook more and more with each completed project.

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As a crocheter for 20 years, I was really excited to try something that combines crocheting technique with a knit result.

I just got my Knook last night, and have just tried it out. The hooks are surprisingly smaller than I had expected, since I'm used to the bulkiness of crochet stitches produced by regular hooks, and these hooks look slightly smaller than my regular hooks. I started out watching the videos on the Leisure Arts website and made a swatch.

I gave this only 3 stars because so far the knit fabric looks lacier than what I could have produced on comparative sized knitting needles with this same yarn. Maybe it will take more practice, or just accept that the knit material is not going to be tightly woven.

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I crochet better than I knit. I am a terribly SLOW knitter. It just frustrates me to take 2 hours to knit a 12 inch square when I could do it in half the time with crochet. With that comes a downside to crochet though. You use twice as much yarn! I was feeling rather frustrated about my knitting abilities and then along comes this neat idea.

I can now knook with the amount of yarn that knitting uses AND still have my trusty crochet hook in my hand. I do not have to be concerned about using either the English or Continental method or having my dumb knitting needle go kerplunk on the floor, thus, leaving all those loops staring at me. Ugh, I so hate that. I love that the cord doesn't go anywhere; just safely holds the knooking in place. And the rib stitch should be a cinch as changing to knit and purl is way less cumbersome than knitting the regular way. As for speed, crochet is fastest, knooking comes in second, and knitting comes in dead last. Now, this is for me. For strong knitters, of course, knitting would still be faster. I am going to have to practice with the garter and stockinette stitch for awhile to get my tension figured out. This will just take some time I think.

The bamboo hooks included are a nice way to get started. I would like to see more of a variety, but hopefully, with time that will happen. In the meantime, adding a cord to my regular set works too. (It is better to have the hole in the hook though.) As for the patterns included, they give a good introduction to this craft and other regular knitting ones you already have should also work (with a bit of adjustment).

All in all, I'm going to like this cool tool.

EDIT: I am downgrading this one star; I was a bit too generous at first, being excited about the concept. After writing this review, this 'cool tool' has ended up on my shelf. Since I knit 'some', I figure just knit slower and do the real thing. IF you don't knit at all, then I say, sure go for it and buy one. Hopefully it won't languish on your shelf like my knook does for me.