AuldGrump, that tool sounds like a scratch awl. It is used to mark pieces that you are working on instead of using a pencil. Carpenters and metal workers use them.

I was going to use an empty ink pen for scoring too, but all of my pens still had ink in them. No one around at the time had any empty ones either so the crochet hook thingy is now being used. What I like about using an embossing type tool for scoring is that the cardstock is not actually cut. What is left is more like a long dent along the fold line. I have yet to have any problem with folds.