Latch hook kits

How latch hook works

Latch hook builds a thick, soft pile from short pieces of yarn knotted into a mesh canvas. The hook has a small hinged latch: you fold a piece of yarn around the shaft, push the hook under one thread of the canvas, catch the yarn ends and pull back. The latch snaps shut, the ends slide through the loop and the knot is done. One knot per square, row after row, and the picture grows into a plush surface you can sink your hand into.

It is one of the easiest crafts to learn. There is no counting, no chart to follow and no tension to manage, which makes it a good first project and a calm one for evenings in front of the TV.

What comes in a 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

Every canvas is printed with the design in color, so each square shows which yarn goes into it. The yarn arrives pre-cut to the right length, so there is no measuring or cutting before you start.

From hooked canvas to 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.

Choosing a design

The Flower Garden kit is all big blooms: sunflowers, roses, poppies and peonies. Birds and Wildlife has painterly scenes of robins, owls, horses and foxes, and Animal Portrait has close-up faces of dogs, highland cows and wolves. For the holidays, the Christmas kit has Santa, snowmen, reindeer and Nordic patterns.

Designs with large areas of one color, like a single sunflower or a red reindeer on white, are the quickest. Scenes with soft shading, like the horses and the highland cows, take longer and reward the extra time with depth.

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.

Delivery and returns

US delivery takes 22 to 30 days, and each kit page shows its own estimate. Delivery is $6.95, free on orders from $49, and you can return a kit within 30 days of delivery. See delivery and returns for the details.