In May of 2009 I went to my second Knit & Crochet Show. It was there that I first saw Laurel Hill Hooks in person and tried them out. I ended up purchasing 5 hooks in my favorite sizes.
One of the fun thing about purchasing the hooks there was looking through all the available hooks to find the ones I considered the most beautiful. There was a variety of color changes in the woods and I really liked the ebony hooks that had some lighter color mixed in with them. My first purchase was this L hook, the beauty of the wood drew me in, plus it is a size that was a bit more difficult to find at that time.
I have used my Laurel Hill hooks quite a bit since I obtained them. They are very pointed on the end, which means that they work nicely when doing tight stitch work as well as when working with fluffy yarns. The shape of the hook is very comfortable in my hand as well.
My dear friend Jan has often heard me bemoan the fact that I didn’t purchase a full set when I had the chance. I’ve been searching the market floors at every yarn enthusiast type event I’ve gone to since then.
Jan & I both have H.A.S. (Hook Acquisition Syndrome, for those of you outside the addiction). This isn’t really an issue since neither of us have any desire to be cured, but it does mean I have a sympathetic shoulder to cry on about missed opportunities for hook purchases.
Recently a box arrived at my house, when I opened it this was inside (with a note about the number of birthdays this covered).
Thanks to my dear Jan, I now have a full set of Laurel Hill Hooks as well as 5 duplicates.
It is very interesting to note the difference between the hooks I purchased in 2009 and these newer Laurel Hill hooks. Can you spot all the differences in the photo?
It seems a lot of hook manufacturers change their products over time. If you are a fan of Bates and Boye hooks for the past 30 years you will have seen this too. The changes are not necessarily bad, but they do tend to be a bit disconcerting if you are in love with the original design.
I still like the Laurel Hill hooks even with the changes, though I think they have lost a bit of their “beauty” with some of the changes. Now if Laurel Hill would just make their hooks in a size “P” life would be very good.
Mamas2Hands 
I would love to try these but i have one question, is the size embossed on handle? I have two hooks where the size just wore off😳. I know what they are but would rather not have size wear away with use
I really don’t know how the hook sizes are put on the hooks that you would purchase now. Mine were from 4 and 8 years ago. Those were stamped with the size, and it is likely that it would wear off after awhile with use. That has never been a problem for me, but if that is a concern of yours you might want to only purchase 1 hook before committing to a set of them. Hope that helps.
I find the shank a bit too fat, not allowing me to do large stitches like double Treble. Any suggestions? It’s like not able to use it past the neck.
Yes, they really are not the hooks for tall stitches like the Double Treble. My suggestion would be to use a different hook for projects that require those stitches.
Thank you so much for your reply! I was thinking there was something wrong with me, as I can’t pass the chubby shank without enlarging my stitch, which alters my tension, making my stitches looser. I thought of returning them because of it, but I will keep them and use them for simple stitches. Have you tried Furls hooks? They are quite expensive, but the reviews are great. I’m trying some of their Odyssey that are metal. I also suffer from Hook acquisition syndrome, LOL. I LOVE the Clover Amour as well as Tulip Etimo, Brittany Birch woods, they are planning to make their black walnuts again this year. Also love simple Suasan Bates, prefer the older ones made in the USA as well as Boye.