Cookie Policy

What Cookies Are

Cookies are small text files that a website saves on your phone, tablet, or computer when you visit. They help a site remember things, like your settings or what you did on a past visit. Some similar tools, such as local storage and tracking pixels, work in much the same way. In this policy, we use the word "cookies" to cover all of them.

Why We Use Them

HookRow is a blog about crochet. We use cookies to keep the site running, to remember your choices, to learn which patterns and tutorials people enjoy, and to help pay for the free content we publish through advertising. This page explains what those cookies do and how you can stay in control. For the full picture of how we handle personal information, please read our Privacy Policy.

Categories of Cookies We Use

We group cookies into four categories. We describe each one by what it does rather than listing individual cookies, because the exact set can change over time.

Strictly Necessary Cookies

These cookies are needed for the site to work and stay secure. They help pages load correctly, protect against misuse, and remember your cookie consent choices. Because the site cannot work properly without them, they do not require your consent and cannot be switched off in our consent tool.

Functional and Preference Cookies

These cookies remember choices you make so the site feels more personal. For example, they can remember whether you prefer a light or dark theme, or keep track of articles you have saved to read later. If you turn these off, the site still works, but you may need to set your preferences again each visit.

Analytics and Measurement Cookies

These cookies help us understand how people use HookRow. They show us things like which posts are popular, how visitors find us, and where a page might be confusing. We use this information to improve our tutorials, patterns, and layout. The data is used to understand overall trends, not to judge any one person.

Advertising and Personalisation Cookies

These cookies help show ads and other content that may be more relevant to your interests, and they help measure how well ads perform. Advertising helps us keep HookRow free to read. If you choose not to allow these cookies, you may still see ads, but they will be less tailored to you.

Third-Party Cookies

Some cookies on HookRow are set by companies other than us. These can include analytics providers that help us measure site use and advertising partners that help deliver and measure ads. These third parties may set their own cookies and identifiers when you visit our pages. We do not control these cookies, and each company has its own rules for how it uses the information it collects. Please check the privacy information of those providers if you want to know more about their practices.

Your Choices and How to Change Them

You are in charge of your cookie settings. Here are the ways you can manage them.

The Consent Banner

When you first visit HookRow, our consent tool asks about your cookie preferences. If you are in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, or another place where consent is required by law, we ask for your permission before placing cookies that are not strictly necessary. You can accept, decline, or adjust your choices by category, depending on the options the tool offers.

You can change your mind at any time. Look for a cookie settings link or icon on the site, usually near the bottom of the page, to reopen the consent tool and update your choices.

Browser Controls

Most web browsers let you block or delete cookies. You can usually find these options in the settings or privacy menu of your browser. You can often choose to block all cookies, block only third-party cookies, or clear cookies each time you close the browser. Keep in mind that blocking cookies in your browser may affect how HookRow and other sites work, and you may need to clear them separately on each device and browser you use.

Industry Opt-Out Pages

You can also opt out of interest-based advertising from many participating companies using these industry tools:

• For visitors in the United States: youradchoices.com
• For visitors in Europe: youronlinechoices.eu

Your Rights in the United States

If you live in a U.S. state with a privacy law, such as California, you may have the right to opt out of the "sale" or "sharing" of your personal information, including for cross-context behavioral advertising. You can use our consent tool to turn off advertising and personalisation cookies, or contact us using the details below. Please see our Privacy Policy for more on your rights and how to use them.

Do Not Track and Global Privacy Control

Some browsers offer a "Do Not Track" signal. There is no common standard for how websites should respond to it, so HookRow does not currently change its behavior based on that signal alone.

We do pay attention to the Global Privacy Control (GPC), a browser setting that tells websites you want to opt out of the sale or sharing of your personal information. Where the law requires us to honor it, we treat a valid GPC signal as a request to opt out of those uses. You can turn on GPC through a supported browser or browser extension.

Consequences of Refusing Cookies

You can still use HookRow if you decline cookies. You will be able to read our patterns, tutorials, and articles as usual. If you refuse non-essential cookies, the main differences are that we will have less information to help us measure and improve the site, and you may see ads that are less relevant to you. Declining functional cookies may also mean your theme choice or saved articles are not remembered between visits.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time, for example when we change how the site works or when laws change. When we make updates, we will post the new version on this page. We encourage you to check back now and then. If a change is significant, we may also ask for your consent again through our consent tool.

Contact Us

If you have questions about this Cookie Policy or how HookRow uses cookies, please reach out. You can email us at [email protected], and we will do our best to help.