Testing 10 VIRAL CROCHET TIKTOK Hacks | DO THEY ACTUALLY WORK? 

My favorite hack is to keep the little yarn ends in a little jar and use them as stuffing. They add up really fast if you crochet a lot and it's a nice and cheap way to save on new stuffing cotton and use what's already there

My Marine Corps dad used to cross stitch the designs for my mom on her Tunisian crochet potholders, and would also stitch them together and crochet the ruffle edges on for her when her arthritis bothered her. He was cool like that, and I miss him every day!

I crocheted a handle for my hooks. I used bernat blanket yarn, made a pill shape ball and overstuffed it. Bonus, it doubles as a stress ball that I use to exercise my crochet hand every 10 minutes or so while working. It keeps my hand from aching.

I love the fact you are clearly a skilled crochet(er) and are so receptive to others skills tricks or techniques. Always shows your never too good to learn from others.

The tennis ball one was actually what I did after surgery on my hand and wrist! I wasn't able to close my hand and my physical therapist got me a tennis ball for my hooks! Yes it was slow but I was just happy to be able to crochet again!

I've been crocheting for over 55 yrs and I've used, figured out and/or adopted most of these hacks on my own (or a variation of) throughout that time, but not being social media savvy, there was no way to share...I'm glad others do so...for my own ergonomic hack for hooks, I use the foam hair rollers (the long flexible ones) and just take out the center wire (which I save for amigurumi armature) and if need put a spot of glue inside for the smaller hooks...love your channel!

ALWAYS use a larger hook for foundation.. sometimes 2 sizes... easier to pull it in with a trim row than to be disappointed when it's too tight and ruins the project!

Maybe put the beauty blenders ends to end so they would be a little more narrow.

For the tennis ball trick, I would try small tennis balls meant for tiny dogs!

As a crocheter with a younger sister the last tip is a life changer, i now have a sister weaving in my ends to 20 crochet patches. VICTORY!

'No pigs were harmed during this experiment' 🤣 Loved this one Elise! Thank you for all the time you spend on your videos - always appreciated! xx

I taught my mom to crochet years ago and she crocheted so tight that she had to always go up 2 hook sizes to do her base chain. I love the tip of finding someone else to weave in your ends. I also taught my husband to crochet and he will weave in ends for me if I ask him. He is also great at untangling yarn for me!

Love the beauty blender idea but my immediate go to would be only use 1, insert hook longways and you have a manageable cushy grip! Thanks for the super fun video 😊❤

Better economic winding tool than a sharpie for US crocheters: Get a large cylindrical prescription pill bottle (the ones that are about 5.5 inches tall and about 2 inches wide). Take the childproof lid off and poke your yarn end in. Put the cap back on. Wind around the cylinder. When it's wound, take the cap off and slide ball of yarn off the end of the bottle. The end that you had inside the pill bottle is your center pull starting yarn. Works like a charm, especially for a full skein. Very portable as well. For those of us that take a lot of medications, it's a bonus crochet tool with purchase!

Another hack is to build your own grannie square stretcher thingy out of Legos. Did that for a cardigan I made and it worked well. Very customizable to whatever square size you're working with

I saw that beauty blender hack a few weeks ago on RU-vid and this changed my fibromyalgia + rheumatism life totally! At first it felt weird, but as you said, you'll get used to it ☺️

Love the bigger hook foundation chain idea and the stacked single crochet stitch instead of a chain 3 idea! I will be using those. Also, getting the label into the skein was awesome, too.

This was brilliant! Now we need a whole video on the art of persuasion so I can get my hubby to do this. It would change my life!!!! LOL!!!!!

Kudos for attempting the tennis ball. The makeup blenders seem more my style ... or foam stress balls etc of a shape that suits the length of the hook. I will try the yarn label hack for sure. I think the end weaver could be a new game changer for those on the dating scene! My hubby wouldn't do that but he's still a keeper cause he doesn't mind my stash!

I use several of these hacks but on the yarn winder putting the label inside I also pull the end of the yarn through the label so it’s an easy center pull yarn cake.😊

Hey :) I just wanted to point out that even though wool can burn, it usually goes out pretty quickly :) I actually did a massive yarn haul from a second hand shop around the new year and burned pieces of each mystery skein to figure out what kind of material it was made of -- if anyone intends to do the same, or follow the tip in the video; DO IT OUTSIDE. Each fiber, synthetic or otherwise, give off different *strong* smells. Wool--burned hair, cotton--burned paper, acrylic--some kind of fish-like odor :P

Lots of great ideas, going up a hook size for foundation chains makes a lot of sense. I also use a crochet hook for casting on blankets when I'm knitting. It leaves a nice clean edge. My favorite crochet hack is to stuff pantyhose with fiberfil while you stuff amigirumi, it stops the stuffing from popping out.

That wrapping paper book😭😭 I bought one in Gatlinburg in like 1991 and I LOVED it. I used it up over the years because saving it made no sense, but wow I wish these were still a thing.

Thanks for putting all these tips together for us! I know I won’t use the ergonomic hook tips but I think I’ll be using beauty blenders to make my hook easier to find in my travel bag! I’m always digging for my hook…the squishy blender would help tremendously!!❤

The Sharpie hack is really an updated use of a Nostepinne from Scandinavia - a yarn winding stick. I do this for leftovers to make center pull balls.

I discovered the label inside the cake one on my own! Feels like magic! Also, better than sizing up for a foundation chain: do foundation stitches whenever possible! I think for the beauty blender one, it might be better to use fewer, or at least place them farther down the hook so that you have some more space near the tip.

I've used just one beauty blender lengthwise and it worked pretty good. Also glad someone else uses old wipe containers. I've done it for years. Actual baby wipe containers are great for small/mini skeins when doing color work. I know this is for crochet, but going up a size when casting on knitting also gives better stretch and helps with it not being too small.

Absolutely love the alternative to the ch 3!! The struggle is so real trying to find the right spot! ♥🌸

Hi Lori, this was a very interesting video! I love the idea of using the Clorox canisters for storage and for a yarn holder! Some of the tips I have been using already or my own variation. For example the one where she does the color change, I do it your way, but leave on a long tail. Then when I weave in the yarn with a needle I go down to where the join is and make a little V stitch and it makes the colors come together almost seamlessly. Another thing I have always done with crochet and knitting is use the bigger hook or needles for the foundation row, always works. With regard to the hack about the double crochet turning technique, that sounds really effective. The only thing I worry about is if I am making a blanket and am going to but a border of some kind around those stitches. It may not look quite as neat, but I would have to experiment to be sure. I worry about the tennis ball hack , because as I was watching you, you were having to use a lot more wrist action. It might be easier on the fingers but I think it would hurt my wrist and forearm after awhile. I love the make up sponge idea! I wonder if you could trim the edges a bit and make them a little smaller. I bet that would still feel real nice and again protect the wrist from excess movement .I am going to try! That was really interesting about using the lighter technique on the fuzzies. My personal preference though is that I love the fuzzies or what I have always referred to as the hallo effect because it makes the animal doll look like it has fur. :). Wonderful video today, thank you for checking all these out for us! Have a wonderful week ahead and happy crocheting!

You are a woman after my own heart. I’m a baby RU-vidr, and I have been telling my people the same thing. Don’t buy (note I did not say “invest in”) expensive gadgets. I recycle coffee cans to act as a yarn bowl.😊 I also teach the stacked single crochet. It just makes sense.

Thank you for compiling these hacks for us! You saved me a ton of time. I definitely will try the burning the fuzziness off my projects and using a larger crochet hook for the foundation chain! ❤

Thank you for sharing. I figured it out quite early in my crochet life of 60+ years to do my foundation chain in a larger hook. I love the Clorox jar as a yarn holder as you can still release your yarn from it it you want to. The ones that you buy, you can't as it is just a round hole. 💜

Thanks for sharing! As a new crocheter I will definitely be incorporating some of these hacks as I move forward. This is a video to save, for sure.

I was holding my breath when you took the lighter to your pig. 😮 😊 I felt like I was watching a suspense movie. Yelling at the screen, don't do it! I am glad it worked. I can breathe easily now. 😅

I love the prym ergonomic hooks she uses! They are my favorite off the shelf hooks.

That’s a cool way to change colors. I love “the almost perfect color change” myself. It’s almost perfect like it says. 😂 You can also go up a half size instead a whole size if you want. I made a wrap with a 6.5mm and my chain was a 7mm. Maybe the tennis ball would be better for those with larger hands or longer fingers. I use something else for my crochet handles but the beauty blenders and tennis ball sure look interesting. Thanks for sharing, Elise! Love your videos!!!

Thank you for taking the time to make this video and try out the hacks so we don’t have to! I’m not even going to bother asking my husband for help since he loves Cheetos. Lol.

I love the tips. One I have used for years is slipping pencil cushion grips over my hook. Smaller hooks need a little help from some tape but so much cheaper than actual cushioned hooks. Enjoy your tips very much 😊

I have seen a number of these, but from a much older generation. Some of these are also updated ideas for the modern crocheter! I love it and I love seeing how media can get these ideas moved through our community!

I love the sharpie hack!!! Yes! I have a cake winder but this is great for smaller scraps like you said, and plus hand-winding can be very relaxing.

Hi Elise! I have to say I found your channel a few days ago, and have really been enjoying you. The content is great, but your vibe and personality is even better. You’ve got a new subscriber. ❤

I've only seen the Aurora once, but it was mesmerizing! The colorways are a lovely choice.

The yarn dispenser is great! Seems like an easy idea for a to-go crochet kit or for a crocheting kit gift. I like the tennis ball idea, but I'm gonna give the smaller dog tennis balls a shot. The main idea is to keep your hand in a more open position, so some thing is better than nothing. Nothing = pain. 😅 But stretches and hand strengthening exercises and/or those silicone bands for rock climbers help your hands prevent pain..... Thanks for the video! Happy hooking! 😘

i have BAD carpel tunnel, i use those small triangle makeup sponges on my crochet hook handle, you can puzzle them together however you need for support in different hand areas, they dont move around and you dont need to cut them

I saw Hooked by Robin do that beginning double crochet and have been doing it ever since! She used it on a shawl tutorial💗

My favorites are: the base with a larger crochet, using sharper to make a nice yarn ball, the ergonomic trick with the makeup sponge (I would use only two) and the fire one.

A crochet buddy told me about the stacked sc about three years ago and that has truly been a game changer. Thank you for this very nice and informative video.

Some funny and mostly doable hacks!😃 I love that you try new thing for us - such as roasting Piglet!😆😁 But the "hack" about using a larger hook for the foundation chain is old news (at least for me), I've been doing that for many years.

In the uk, Vanish is in pretty bright pink tubs and I get the labels off quite easily and use them for storing hooks, needles and they match my pink manual folders 👌they also come in various sizes too.

I’ve just found your channel and have been binge watching your videos. The last one on reviewing products, I nearly spat my tea out when you talked about the hook that lights up! I love the soft grip hooks and was looking to purchase some new ones and came across the light up hooks! I was so preplexed by them and couldn’t think how they would be of any use! You said it all with your rant! 🤣 Loving your videos so much and after crocheting for 20+ years, I’m learning new things and techniques from you, so thank you very much, got yourself another subscriber. ❤

Omgosh your pig is absolutely adorable!!!

Such a good video! I've been wondering about some of these hacks before (especially the burning one!), and now I have answers to my questions! I'm so excited to try the one about how to put the label inside a cake of yarn!

As a knitter, I was taught the hack for going up a size for both the cast on and cast off row, back in the days before the word hack was used 😂 so it seemed sensible to do the same thing with crochet when I realised my starting chain or foundation row was so much tighter. Who would have thought it was a hack? 😊

it's good to see you on again I absoutly love those big warm shawls

Thank you for compiling the top tips, especially for those of us that don't use tiktok. I've started wrapping my hooks with athletic tape- I got a big pack of different colors from Amazon and wrap them just enough to add some bulk, but not too much so it's not as big as the tennis ball or beauty blenders. I've always been a really tight crocheter and sometimes use the outer edge of my hand to add pressure to the back end of the hook, and it will feel bruised just below my pinkie. Since I've started using the athletic tape, it adds a cushion to the back end of the metal hooks as well as opening up my hand to decrease muscle tension, so I'm not as tight and, sadly, sore from crochet.

So much fun, Elise!! I love your videos!!

Thanks for trying these out! I found your channel a couple weeks ago and I am hooked 😂. Knitter learning to crochet. *about the tennis ball- as a person newly diagnosed with a neurological illness I have had to switch to adaptive devices. It is always awkward to switch and never quite as natural. So your experience tracks with that and was helpful to know. Thanks for all you do!!

Foam pencil grips work for me, as I have severe Rheumatoid Arthritis. I've been using them for years. Put a couple of tiny rubber bands on the hook underneath the foam grip to keep it from sliding if it's a small hook. Try it.!

Holy Moly ~ the DC turning chain hack!!!

I personally wrap a rectangle of half inch high density foam around my hooks and secure it with self adhesive bandage and it works great since you can really shape it to whatever shape works best for you. Best part is I had the foam leftover from a project!

I just wanted to point out, beauty blenders are supposed to be soaked in water to fluffy them up and make them softer, when they dry out they shrink and get stiffer. But with all crochet hooks, your body adjusts and compensates to use the hooks, so at some point you’ll likely have new pain from any "ergonomic handle". I would recommend the best of both worlds and switch back and forth between two handle options, that way your body doesn’t become overly fatigued. ❤ love your videos!

For safety I would use a nail and hammer to make holes in the tennis ball... but I don't really care to use the tennis ball, but that's just me. OMGoodness the sharpie trip made my jaw drop!

turning a pen into a nostepine - nice. never thought of that.

The chain 3 alternative is also called a standing stitch. Total game-changer.

Elise, this is not a TikTok hack, but I have to share it. I have just discovered amigurumi and your you tube channel, about a month or two ago and have been binge watching. I have been crocheting for decades but I had never made these cute projects before. I fell in love with them, and I am particularly drawn to the dolls. I just finished making my 2nd doll ever, so I really don't know that much about the process. The pattern had me make the head, then the legs, arms and body. I had to sew the head onto the body, but once I had done this, her head was wobbly. I didn't know how to fix it. I thought of wooden chop sticks and poking them through the top of her head, but I didn't have any. But what I did have were small flat wooden coffee stirring sticks. I use to them to stir paint in my little paint bottles. So, I took a few of them, about 3 - 4 and I cut a point on one end (you can also cut the length) and stuck them through the top of her head pushing her head in until I got the stick down into the middle of the top half of her head. I positioned them as close the edge of her neck as I could estimate it, and it worked. Fixing a wobbly head after your project is done is too good a tip not to pass onto everyone. I got the coffee stirring sticks on Amazon, and I think I got about 600- 800 of them for about $5.00-6.00. Please don't quote me on price, I have had them for quite a while.

I use the makeup blenders on my crochet hooks, ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT! But I put them on long ways. Also I buy them at the Dollar Tree and Five Below. So much cheaper and since I have rheumatoid arthritis it really helps.

To use a different size crochet hook in doing the foundation chain is an old trick I learnt before school age from my mother. It also works in knitting by using SMALLER needles when knitting ribbing. But the nicest foundation for crochet is to use the chainless foundation method. All the stitches become even in size, do not twist into a curl, and show the exact size, ea length, without multiple measuring. There are multiple youtube videos showing how to do it using single crochet, double, and trible. All of them make very neat, even starting

I used a plastic Folgers can for yarn cakes.

I no longer use my yarn winder, I use my thumb the way you used the black marker. I learned in knitting that you cast on using larger size needles which gives a more flexible edge the same as you showed a larger hook. Thank you for the tips. This was the first time watching you.

21:53 lol. That extra hack is super cute. XD

With the beauty blenders on your crochet hook...I would try putting just 1 of them right side up (not sideways like you put them on) and see how that feels... If you need more, try 2.

The larger hook for foundation row is great when you cannot do foundationless! Nice ideas:)

Mind blown about the bigger hook for the chain!

LMAO thank you for your son's cameo and thank you for pointing out his age for the crowd who panic that you might have endangered a minor or something. The makeup blenders is what I've seen people use for ergo hooks "at home" but only one single one with the point towards the bottom. LOL (I have personally used pencil grips for my metal hooks when I travel with them because it makes them more comfortable to hold.)

For the beauty blender idea, place it length ways tip towards the tip and a larger one. Just use one larger one. That would improve the flexibility.

Hints and helps for the ball trick: I use squash/hand balls instead of tennis, because they are lighter weight, easier to cut, smaller, easier to adapt in different ways such as needing to cut the axis differently [off-center] so that I don't create a new thumb and/or carpal repetitive injury. They're less expensive, and easier to carry around in a bag. *I see you're trying to cut with an unsuitable knife just now. This is another reason why I use the blue squash balls and would use a scissors regardless of which ball type I was puncturing, due to the fact that if you look at the tip of a scissors blade at "point blank range", it is triangular, and it does come to a point, and they are, unless abused, extremely sharp if they are used for cutting cloth. If using a knife, it must be very sharp and works better if it is wedge shaped, and it comes to a sharp triangular point, and, if you have a vise to put the ball in, it's much safer ither way. UNLESS you have an X-acto handy. It is best to make and X when cutting the hole, as it will "give" more (have had a blue ball split entirely in two) when you poke a round object thru it. I have three handballs on which I have actually cut the inner corners of the X away -- using one blade of my scissors as an X-acto -- so that they can more easily accommodate my medium and larger size hooks. Therefore, I have three accommodative hole-y balls, a small, medium, and large; it is very convenient to just keep them in the can, stashing them away in a large tool/hobby bag, and pulling out the size I need whenever I need for thumb, wrist or arthritic ache of grip in general. Using the balls causes you to crochet in a different way, so it can take the ache off of shoulders and elbows as well. Believe it or not the ball works very well when it is at the end instead of up there close to your work. Depending on whether your thumb or your general grip needs the help, you can make the holes off axis, or off center towards one side of the ball. I've helped several women in nursing homes, who've have had stroke, to be able to return to or to begin crocheting. Whether they have had a stroke or some other debilitating injury to their hands, and if paralyzed, a small vice can be screwed on to the edge of the table or mounted onto the middle of a table depending on how they sit, where they sit, where their arm can rest, and even if the hand and arm is unusable, it is helpful for muscle memory and creativity in the brain to be able to see and have the hand resting on the vise as if it is an extension of and helping the hand, then the other hand can work the hook. Or if there a definite right or left hander and cannot handle the hook with the hand that is paralyzed, you put the hook in the vise and move the fabric being made on and off the hook. Adaptations take a little bit of creativity mixed with a bit of logic. On another subject, don't need a Sharpie to ball yarn. I use my finger in the same way. You just need to rotate from time to time. I start with about six inches of yarn put a lot of twist in it and then double it over itself so that it twists into a double twist, then I hold that between my first finger and thumb and then I begin wrapping from my body outward around my finger ~ that puts a little extra twist into the yarn as I'm balling it, especially if you use your forefinger and thumb to add a little extra twist in it when you come to those places where cheap yarn is inconsistent with the twist ~ and since you used that double twist to find your center pull, it shouldn't untwist and pull apart on you while your crocheting, and most likely, while knitting too. Another subject: the chain: if you are looking at the flat top of it, or the V's [ I like to call them hearts, myself ], If you insert your hook under two strands, you actually won't have a stiffer shorter chain problem. It will be fairly flexible and stretch more. I have found the problem begins when you only go under one strand. And if you Use the Alternative Foundation Row where you build it as you go, that tends to always be quite a bit looser than any chain that you might start with! It was the greatest thing when I learned how to do that! And you can do single, double, treble, whatever!

Wowzers, Maxine's tip should be the standard for crochetz just like you said. That is absolutely amazing. I mean, my jaw dropped.😮

Baby wipe plastic boxes work really well for yarn storage also! I use EVERYTHING for my yarns... i mean everything. My hubby gets annoyed! Lol

Please, please avoid doing the Clorox hack - chemicals tend to stick to the containers they are stored in and could contaminate your yarn!! You don't re-use windex bottles for watering your plants, so please don't do this for other things that you could come in contact with!!

Really love your channel! Thankyou! My GP grandaughter got some 'sponge cylinders' of differing shapes and sizes for different applications... crochet hooks, teaspoon, paring knife, pen etc etc. They help me to keep doing things I would'nt have been able otherwise. I live in South Africa and look forward to your future videos!! Thankyou, Fran

Elise, I loved this video!!! I have been an avid knitter for many years and just started to crochet in 2023. I already know which one of these I am going to incorporate into my crochet projects immediately!!! Fabulous video!!!!! Thank you!

For the tennis ball try using a power drill with a bit slightly smaller than your hook. MUCH less dangerous than a knife. And while you have the drill out; drill a hole in the top of a cleaned out peanut butter jar and pop in your smaller balls of yarn or if you're using cotton thread ro make doilies etc they work great for that too. And since they're clear you can stack them in your yarn shelf (because doesn't everyone have one?) and easily find the color you need for your next project. 😊

Omg. These hacks are actually so good. Thank you 😊

If you love using your all metal hooks like me but have sore hands, i have a little suggestion for you!! I purchased elastics and the rainbow loom and i make what they call pencil grips! All my hooks have them and it's fantastic!!! 🖤

Thank you for these hacks and I love the idea of using a larger hook to chain!🤯

The tennis ball really works. I started with a stress ball and moved to tennis ball after. It took a few weeks of practicing with it to work well but it makes it way more comfortable for me.

Changing the size of the hook for a magic circle is also a must. I also found that if you don't fully pull the magic circle closed, it is easier to find the first stitch that you made so that you can stitch into it. After you do a few more stitches around, then pull the tail to finish closing the magic circle.

For the tennis ball thingy -get some of the smaller -cat toy tennis balls... They feel so much better and work!!

Awesome! I will look at the crochet TikTok hacks from now on! Thanks so much! Enjoyed it!

Thank you for making this video. Love seeing and listening to you ❣️❣️❣️❣️

I'm not a Tik Tokker and don't use much social media in general, but I have heard of at least half of these hacks. Having someone else weave in the ends for you is genius though.

The makeup sponges are genius! I use yarn leftovers to make heavy Single-crochet baskets (also one of your ideas!) and the thick multi-strand yarn makes a 9mm hook hard to push through and hand-wearing! Putting 3 Sponges on my metal hook makes it so much more comfortable to manage! My hand does not wear out from pushing and pulling the hook through the loop which makes my work, go faster, and much more comfortably.

I was looking for someone who was including the label of the yarn I was winding but every tutorial I watched showed how to use the winder but didn't have any recommendation on what to do with the label. Thank you for that hack!!

When winding your yarn on your ball winder I use a small pill bottle when I slide it off and put label in the pill bottle and put cap in the label won't slid out of the cake of yarn. A few years ago I had purchased some of the tall plastic containers for spaghetti I drill a hole in the top for the yarn to pull out if. Thanks for sharing the tips. 🎉❤😊👍👍

I rewind left over yarn on the cardboard of an empty toilet paper roll. Just cut a slit on the edge to anchor the beginning of the yarn before starting the winding. It becomes the center pull.

Best, most helpful video I've seen. Will definitely be using several of these tips. Thanks.

For ergonomics, I purchased large foam pencil grips on Amazon. The holes are a little large for hooks smaller than a 6 so I wrap a rubber band around the hook before I put on the foam and it keeps in place.

Thanks for sharing my tip ❤

Love the idea of the beauty blenders. Thanks for sharing.

Absolutely use a larger hook for the foundation chain! Also consider using a larger hook as well if you need to add chain stitches in the middle of your piece such as creating the space for the handle of a bag, or the hole for your thumb on a mitten.