On the shelf in a local shop was a latch hooking kit. I knew I wasn’t going to be able to finish this by the end of the year when I started it. However, I knew I could invest an hour or two to give it a go, and swiftly added the box to my shopping basket.
Latch Hooking - What It Is
Latch hooking is a sort of rug making technique. Typically using softer materials, latch hooking is a craft that creates tactile fabric designs. These can be used on cushions, as a stand alone picture, or to embellish other soft furnishings.
Using a simple tool, equal lengths of wool or yarn are fed through a holed canvas and hooked into the spaces. Essentially, the tool ties the wool into position. The process is repeated multiple times until the canvas is full.
Latch Hooking Kit
Inside the box were only a few things. Multiple bundles of pre-cut coloured wool were wrapped together, the latch hooking tool which wouldn’t have looked out of place in some olden medical kit, and the canvas which was colour coded so I knew which yarn to use where.
My kit contained everything I needed to create a pre-prepared picture on a canvas. Everything except for helpful instructions. I mean, there were instructions, but they were a bit confusing. Even after reading them through several times I was still not really grasping what I was meant to do. So, I took a look on YouTube for some visual guidance.
Getting Hooked
It took me a little while to get into any sort of rhythm. It felt like it should be so easy, and I was eager to get cracking. The latch hooking tool seemed to get stuck in the canvas, but I realised this was user error quite early on.
Patiently, I re-read the instructions, and then re-watched the YouTube guide, and slowly put it all into practice. Taking my time with the first few hooks, I gradually picked up the pace, until I eventually didn’t need to think about it too much. Moving in an almost mechanical way, repeatedly looping the wool around the tool and pulling it through the canvas.
This may not sound the most exciting of crafts, but it is extremely therapeutic. It’s something that you can do whilst listening to a podcast or watching a film, – I had the old favourite Bedknobs and Broomsticks on in the background. The constant movement is quite relaxing, and it’s a nice sense of achievement to see the creation progressing.
Hook Line And Maybe I’ll Do It Again
Whilst I haven’t fallen for this crafty activity hook, line and sinker, this is a craft I can definitely see myself doing again. It’s a nice easy one to pick up, and I can definitely imagine doing this snuggled up on the sofa on a winters day for a cosy crafting afternoon.
Want To Try It Yourself?
You can pick up starter kits in craft shops on the high street
Kits are also readily available on line.
Why not have a look to see if there is a class in your local area that you could go along to?
Cost Of Experience
My small kit which contained everything I needed for a first project, was from Home Bargains, and cost £5.
You can look to pay around that price and upwards.
Recommendations
Find yourself somewhere comfy and get immersed in
The instructions in my kit were not the easiest to follow. If you have a kit and you’re struggling to follow any guidance, why not have a look on YouTube, there are lots of helpful tutorials available.
I found this YouTube video the most helpful. It may be a little dated, but around 2 minutes in they slowly demonstrates the technique.