Birds and Wildlife Latch Hook Pillow Kit, 17 x 17 in

About the designs

These are painterly animal scenes, with real backgrounds of meadow, forest, sea and night sky, so the finished pillow looks like a small picture in yarn. Choose from:

• Birds: Two robins, Winter robin, Blue tits on holly, Toucan, Barn owl, Blue owl and Owl and moon.
• Horses: Running foal, Mare and foal, and Pony.
• Woodland: Roe deer, Fawn and Fox.
• Further afield: Giraffe, Pandas, Sea turtle and Dolphin.
• Farm and home: Cow in the meadow, French bulldog, Black cat, Two kittens and Cat at the window.

The birds and the owls are the most graphic, with clear shapes against plain skies. The horses and the woodland animals have soft shading in browns and greens, which is where the pile really shines: it blends neighboring colors the way fur does.

How latch hook works

Fold a piece of yarn in half around the shaft of the hook, just below the latch. Push the hook down through one square of the canvas and up through the square above it, so it passes under a single thread. Lay both yarn ends into the hook, pull it back toward you and the latch closes, drawing the ends through the loop. A gentle tug on the ends tightens the knot. That one movement is the whole craft.

Each square takes one knot in the color printed on it, so there is nothing to count. Work across the canvas row by row, starting at the bottom, so the finished pile lies away from the row you are working on.

What is in the kit

• A 17 x 17 in (43 x 43 cm) canvas with the design printed on it in color
• Pre-cut yarn, bundled and numbered by color
• A color card that matches each number to its yarn
• A latch hook

The colors printed on the canvas match the numbered bundles, so you can work one color across the whole piece or fill the canvas row by row, whichever you find more relaxing.

Finishing the pillow

The kit makes the hooked front. To turn it into a pillow, fold the bare mesh at the edges to the back, sew the front to a square of cotton, velvet or felt and slip in a 17 in (43 cm) insert; the back fabric and the insert are not included. You can also bind the edges with rug tape and use it as a small mat, or stitch a sleeve to the back and hang it on a dowel.

How long it takes

Expect about 12 to 25 hours for a 17 x 17 in (43 x 43 cm) canvas. Busy designs with many color changes sit at the top of that range, and your first rows will be slower than your last. The knot is easy to pick up again after a break, so it suits half an hour in front of the TV as well as a long weekend afternoon.

If you want a matching pair for a sofa, the Animal Portrait kit is made to the same size, with close-up faces of dogs, highland cows, wolves and more.

Delivery and returns

Delivery is $6.95, and free on orders from $49. The delivery estimate for your address shows on this page and at checkout. You can return the kit within 30 days of delivery; return shipping is yours unless it arrives faulty or wrong. See delivery and returns for the details, or compare the other latch hook kits.