This Crochet Tool Nearly Drove Me Crazy… But Does It Actually Work? | Crochettobe Holder Review!

Hey everyone, today I'm diving into the 3-in-1 Magic Circles Crochet Tool, a $20 gadget that claims to make crocheting easier, reduce hand pain, and even regulate yarn tension. I bought this myself even though I was offered it for free so that way I can give you my brutally honest opinion of it Is this worth your hard-earned cash, or should you stick to holding your yarn the good old-fashioned way with your hand? I'm going to let you know. But first be sure to hit the like, subscribe, and notification bell if you like reviews, tutorials, and free pattern videos so you never miss out. So first impressions, this tool is lightweight. I got the purple color but it does come in a pink and orange as well. It has an ergonomic design that's supposed to reduce hand fatigue and it comes with some detailed picture ...instructions and links to beginner-friendly video tutorials, which is nice. But it's important to note that this tool is made to be held in your left hand only for right-handed crocheters, a definite con if you're left-handed. Of course this means nothing if it's not comfortable and easy to use. So right out of the box it comes in a cute little box but in the box you will get the tool, it comes in a little handy carrying bag in case you need that, and then there are some instructions that include a QR code to video Instructions, as well as a pretty detailed picture instruction booklet. So let's go grab some yarn and a hook and let's try this guy out and see how I feel about it. Okay, I've got some worsted weight yarn, a 4mm hook, and my crochet helper. So I'm going to go instruction by instruction so that I... See how easy this is to use. So how to hold the tool, let's see, hold the tool handle between the index and middle fingers, so index and middle, oh okay, I think I was thinking it was like two and two. So good thing I'm reading the instructions. Index and middle fingers closer to the inner side of the fingers. What side is that? Why am I, what does that look like on that side? Is that just showing you like how far? Or is that the back side? What am I? Oh, I've got this backwards. Just kidding. Okay, that's how we're supposed to hold it. I was holding it kind of around the groove, so that's another... I'm glad I'm reading these instructions. So index, middle, grab on, okay? Pull the yarn in your left fingers and the hook in your right hand, making sure to keep your hands relaxed, okay? When making a magic circle, hold the tools as described in How to Make Magic Circle. Okay, looks like we're putting the yarn in, so how to wrap the yarn around the knob. Unscrew the knob C, which is this guy, so we're going to unscrew it, give it some room to move. And wrap the yarn tail between A and B from front to back. So B is this middle thing. So we're going front to back with the tail. If I can get it in there. I have to let go. Okay, got that. I think this goes under here maybe. Let's see, now it's showing in front. So watching the video might be easier than... Using your hands to try to do this. I think this goes, this yarn is supposed to come through this little hole here. That slides in very easily, so that's nice. Hopefully it's not easy to slide out. Hopefully that's not an issue. Tighten the knob C until the yarn tail can be pulled smoothly. I can already pull it smoothly. The yarn tension can be adjusted by adjusting the knob according to personal needs. So it pulls easily like that, but let's see. Let's tighten it a little bit. It's still easy to pull. That's a little harder to pull so depending on the tension I'll leave it at that for now just to see how we go. How to crochet chain stitch. So pass the yarn through the yarn guide hole which I already did and then through the knob two which we did and finally through the yarn guide hole one again. Okay so we're coming back through. I feel like this is supposed to be in front like that and then I think I tightened that too much. Let me give it a little bit more room, here we go. Okay, back through, okey dokey. Lost my page. Then we're going to gently press at the intersection of the loops with your fingers, then pull the yarn out of the loop to form a, oh. Sorry, I skipped a page, I thought I lost my place. So it's talking about how to make a slip knot. So if you're not familiar with that, I'm just going to do one by hand. This one, that one was showing how to do it with your, um, with your hook, which you can totally do, but I'm just going to do it with my hand and lose my hook. Okay, let's see. Looks like we're going to try to start chaining now. So let's see how our tension is for this. Pull this back a little, here, my slip knot is gigantic, okay, so, I am supposed to hold this tail with the working hand, and then, I think I made my slip knot backwards, hold on, I'm so sorry, don't make your slip knot backwards, it makes it difficult, okay, one, Let's see how our tension is feeling. Okay, I'm, remember I'm using a smaller hook on worsted weight, usually you'd use kind of like a J hook, but I'm testing it for amigurumi, because I want to make sure that this thing is going to feel better than what I, you know, my finger that I was using before. So this is working pretty good for my chain. I think this yarn is just cheap yarn, because it's splitting as I'm working. Oops. The yarn's flowing smoothly. It does feel a little strange, whoops, feels a little strange holding this and not the yarn or having something on the yarn, but it's kind of cool. So I'm not, I'm not hating it yet. Let me just try to start working like a single crochet here. We'll do the magic circle portion in a second, but I want to see how I'm working. Just a regular row. I think I got the tension kind of perfect because it's, it might be a little tight, I don't know, like these stitches might be tighter than I normally do because of how the tension I'm set. Let me loosen it a little and see what happens. The first row is always the worst when you're working any kind of project because you don't have much to grab onto, so you just kind of got to work through it. Let me get through this row, and then I'll come back on the second row, which should be a little easier to work into. Okay I've been working a couple rows with this and you can see my my tension is not super consistent because I keep playing with the knob. I think I got a good tension now. Definitely play with the tension and the knob because it's very it's probably going to be very subjective for the yarn you're using and also for what you're making like if I was making amigurumi I would probably I'll probably make this a lot tighter on the tension. But this is, I'm just trying to do stitches right now, so it took a little bit of getting used to like where I should put my fingers, like it's showing, I don't get this part, I'll do the magic circle next, but like it looks like you're using kind of basically your thumb and your forefinger, and then all of a sudden it looks like it's, let me get it in screen here, it looks like it is Not like you're not holding anything anymore once you get over here and it's like you have to keep holding this thing while you're working. So normally, you know, when you're working with your tension, you have your finger kind of out here and you're holding everything with your bottom fingers. But with this, you're using this finger to hold and you're kind of holding on here. I keep on Going back and forth, grabbing it different ways, trying to find out what's most comfortable. And to be honest, holding... This, like this, and using these fingers is actually giving me hand pain right here in my left hand, and I usually never have hand pain except for my finger, like if I'm doing amigurumi and I'm holding it so tight and the tension from the yarn is, you know, pulling on it, that's about the only hand pain that I usually have, but you can see I'm already starting to grab it with these fingers again and sticking this finger out, just as if I I don't know if I was normally crocheting. So, um, yeah, if I want to use this correctly, I might have to really sit there and play with this. I don't know. I just, I feel like this, gripping it this way doesn't feel natural and it doesn't feel very good. So if you guys have this, how do you grip it? Do you use your fingers kind of like you normally do and you just don't have the yarn on your finger? And I like, I don't know what to do with this finger over here. Tell me what you guys prefer if you're using this. I think it definitely is an interesting tool for beginners. If you are a very seasoned crocheter, this may frustrate you more than help you, but I want to try a magic circle and see With like the amigurumi style, if it's really tight, if this is going to help me more than this is for just a regular project. But for me, normally my hand pain is in my right hand from all of the movements, but I'm getting pain right in here from gripping this thing. And if I'm gripping it the way that it shows in the booklet. Where it's saying, you know, kind of use your fingers, I'm not, or your first two fingers, your thumb and your forefinger, it's not quite. Working out well and one thing I did notice is that if your yarn is higher than this you're going to lose it outside of these so the yarn always has to be below the tool so if you like have any kind of hanging um yarn holder or something that goes higher than you normally crochet you'll need to adjust that and put it maybe on the ground otherwise just gonna pop out All right. Thank you. One thing I kept doing also was when I had it a little bit tighter, Thank you very much for coming out. I was pulling on this portion to give myself more slack, but, you know, normally when you're pulling on your ball of yarn to give yourself slack, see I just pulled it out right now. Thank But I can't do that because this is our tension, so you're used to kind of pulling on this to get the ball, the yarn. You have to remember to pull the yarn from the ball on the other side, if that kind of makes sense. I'm rambling because I'm so confused on if I like this or not. you. Let me do the magic circle, and then we'll decide if I like this or not. Or, you know... What this is going to be best for, so let's go cut this and start with the magic circle. Okay, ready for the magic circle. I think I am. Okay, so it says pass the yarn through the yarn guide hole, number one, and then let's Let's do it in the frame here and then. Through the knob too. So just like we did for regular crocheting. I like I'm trying to do this all one-handed. Take your hand out. Use two hands to get it started. Okay then with your left hand hold the handle with the groove facing you. Okay so I think I go this way. With your right hand, wrap the yarn tail below the groove and over the handle. Below the groove. See, that looks like it's under the handle. It's saying over the handle. Doesn't that look like it's going under the handle? Okay, I'm gonna, I'm going under, because that's what that picture looks like. Then leave a tail of seven to eight centimeters and place it on the right side of the groove. I guess that's pretty similar to this picture, okie dokie. Keep pressing, ok. A complete circle is formed, yeah I got a whole circle, around the groove. Press down on the sides of D and E with your fingers to prevent loosening until all stitches are completed. Ok, how many stitches? Step five, let me push this back a little. Insert the crochet hook into the circle, through the groove, and catch the yarn in the bowl or mouth of the hook. That's okay. Pull it up, form a loop, rotate the hook slightly, and... Rrrr! Why can't I grab this yarn? Okay. Okay, got it. One stitch is complete. One chain stitch. Okie dokie. Shake it here. Insert the crochet hook from the groove into the circle, wrap the yarn around, and bring it out of the circle. Okay, we're doing a single crochet now. Okay, still holding our circle. We're bringing it through. Why? It's so difficult to grab. I feel like I'm supposed to have my hands somewhere, like, maybe tighten this a little more? Get a little more tight here. Oh, jeez, I can't grab this yarn. I just got like, oh, I lost my, I lost my thing. Lost my guide. Okay, how am I gonna get this guide better? Let's move the yarn over here. Maybe that'll help. Okay, now we're making another one. I'm just gonna make six like a normal single crochet ring. What did I do? Two? Stressing me out here. Okay, why is my loop so big? I don't, like, there's no tension. I ain't, like, I gotta tighten. It was fine for the other way, but not doing the magic circle because I didn't. I think this is six. I'm just gonna say this is six. Okay, what do I do now? Oh lord. I lost my, I lost my thing again. Okay. Oh boy. All right. Okay, I made six. My loop is gigantic for some reason. I don't know. I wasn't pressing tight enough, I guess. It's making me sweat. Okay, six, whatever. Remove the circle from the groove. Okay, like just whoop. Just whoopity whoop. Okay. Then we pull our tail to close. Do I have six? I got two, I don't know. Okay, now I'm back to the front. Okay, let's move this back over here. Grab our ching-a-dinger. And let's work in spirals, because I don't feel like slip stitching. I feel like this is too loose. Well, we made a magic circle, so that did work. Was it easier than kind of the normal way? Oop, I gotta do two in each one. Um, no. It so was not. I'm going to, like, mess around with this for a little bit and try to do some more so I can give it a fair chance, but the instructions were kind of confusing. Not super confusing, but it's just, it's getting the right tension for this and getting it set up the way you're supposed to is some trial and error, and I don't know if I have enough patience That when I am switching yarns and I have to adjust the tension every time, if I'm gonna want to actually do that. And I'm, I want to see like, is this going to cause me pain? Like I don't think I'm holding this the way that I'm supposed to be holding it. I'm just, I'm not even paying attention to what I'm stitching. I'm just throwing stitches everywhere just trying to Get this going. See, I keep going, I keep grabbing it with these fingers instead of this finger. I think I'm supposed to hold it with this finger. I'm gonna go watch one of the videos and then see what it shows me working these stitches. See, I'm like, I'm getting all close to the ball instead of like getting, getting slack. Yeah, I don't know about this. Okay, let me go watch a video, see if it gives me some tips, and I'll come back and we'll try a little bit more. So far I'm not digging how that's looking at all. A lot of a lot of gaps going on. Okay let's see what we can do. So this is my second attempt at the magic circle. I watched the videos on YouTube that come from this QR code. One thing the music was not enjoyable. But they didn't really go too far in. The first two videos are basically what's in the instruction book. It's like how to do the chain and then how to do the magic circle. It doesn't really give you any kind of information on like what to do after that, like how to hold it or anything like that. They did have an octopus, little octopus tutorial that's about an hour long. I did not watch the whole thing. I just kind of watched, like, once they got to... you know a good sized little bowl and how the person was holding it and that person was holding it down here and kind of using this one like stick it out like it was you know what she what they're normally used to with the yarn over their finger so i felt a little validated on that but i feel like that was not the purpose of this tool Does it give you tension? Yes. Does it keep it off your finger? Yes. Is this super comfortable to hold on to? Not really. It's not the most intuitive thing. I feel like if I keep practicing, I'll get better at it. But because I already have a way that I hold my yarn when I am doing crocheting it's just you know I have a whole certain way like that is really slowing me down I'm having to it's not as easy to grab the yarn because when you're Using both, you're using your other finger to move the yarn around, you're not, you don't have it in this stationary over here where you have to go grab it and bring it forward and bring your hook out further, you're moving each piece of your hand. together to get the yarn faster. So with it being stationary on the tool it's a lot more time. I'm grabbing it, pulling it, ensuring your tension is always right, getting the slack. It's not quite as quick as if you are doing it by hand, but if you have that work, you know, you're getting that thing. I get the finger pain, you know, when I'm doing amigurumi. I don't get it any other time. It's only when I'm doing. tight stitches where I'm like really you know you get that white on there because you're pulling so hard on the yarn to keep it tight um that's really the only time I have pain when I'm crocheting with my left hand it's usually the right hand you know so let me let me do a little bit of last thoughts with this and you can let me know what you think in the comments below While this crochet tool holder might be a good option for a beginner just starting out, I think seasoned crocheters may find the learning curve frustrating when trying to adjust from their usual methods. Personally, I found that it caused more hand pain due to the way it needs to be held. I think perhaps if this grip were wider it could be more ergonomic so that you're not like having to squeeze it you know so hard like if it was a bigger kind of grip that would probably work better but as it stands it wasn't comfortable for me to use it also significantly slowed me down and made it harder to regulate my gauge which is the whole point of this thing so that was a deal breaker for me so because of these issues I don't see myself using it regularly if at all If you tried this tool and love it, especially if you use it for all of your projects, I would love to hear your experience. Please leave a comment. I am always looking to support small businesses. With that said, I also want to be honest with everyone and not pretend that this was a game changer for me. So if you're curious and want to see if it works for you, I've included the link below. It might be just what you're looking for, you never know. But be sure to go check out my free patterns and tutorials for more crochet goodies. I am Deja with Knit and Crochet Ever After, and thank you for watching.