What you need
- Rug canvas, 3.75-mesh, with at least 5 squares spare on every side.
- Pre-cut rug yarn in the colours of your chart, usually about 2.5 inches (6.4 cm) long, or yarn and a cutting guide.
- A latch hook, a hook with a small hinged latch.
- A chart with one square per knot.
- Masking tape to bind the cut edges of the canvas while you work.
The four-step knot
Each square on the chart is one knot of one yarn piece around one horizontal thread of the canvas.
- Loop: fold a piece of yarn in half and wrap the fold around the shank of the hook below the latch.
- Hook in: push the hook under one horizontal canvas thread, from bottom to top, so the latch passes under the thread.
- Catch the ends: bring the two ends of the yarn up and lay them into the hook, under the latch.
- Pull through: pull the hook back down and through. The latch closes over the ends, the ends pull through the loop and the knot tightens. Tug the ends gently to firm it.
That is the whole craft. After a few dozen knots it becomes a quick, rhythmic movement.
Working from a chart
- Lay the canvas with the selvedge (finished edge) at the sides and the cut edges at top and bottom.
- Mark every 10th row and column lightly with a marker that matches the yarn, matching the bold lines on the chart.
- Work from the bottom up, one row at a time from left to right (or right to left if left-handed).
- Hook only on the horizontal threads. Herrschners warns that hooking the twisted vertical threads can pull the finished piece out of shape.
- Keep every knot facing the same way and keep the canvas flat in front of you, without turning it, for an even pile.
- Keep each colour in its own bowl, sorted in the order of the chart key.
The latch hook pattern maker turns any picture into a chart and counts how many pre-cut pieces you need in each colour, with a small allowance for spares.
Sizing your project
On 3.75-mesh canvas, every 10 knots is about 2.7 inches (6.8 cm). Here is what common projects add up to, with pre-cut pieces worked out the way our materials lists do it:
| Project | Size | Knots | Total knots | Pieces (+5%) | Packs of 320 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cushion | 14 × 14 in | 53 × 53 | 2,809 | 2,950 | 10 |
| Wall hanging | 18 × 24 in | 68 × 90 | 6,120 | 6,426 | 21 |
| Bath mat | 20 × 30 in | 75 × 113 | 8,475 | 8,899 | 28 |
| Small rug | 24 × 36 in | 90 × 135 | 12,150 | 12,758 | 40 |
| Rug | 36 × 48 in | 135 × 180 | 24,300 | 25,515 | 80 |
On 3.75-mesh canvas, one square foot holds about 2,025 knots. Pack sizes vary between brands; our materials lists assume 320 pieces a pack, so check yours.
The rows below are useful for checking a chart you already have:
| Knots | Finished size |
|---|---|
| 30 × 30 | about 8 × 8 in (20 cm) |
| 40 × 40 | about 10.7 × 10.7 in (27 cm) |
| 60 × 40 | about 16 × 10.7 in (41 × 27 cm) |
| 100 × 70 | about 27 × 19 in (68 × 47 cm) |
Finishing
- Edges: fold the spare canvas to the back and hook through both layers along the edge, or whip stitch the folded edge down with strong yarn.
- Rugs: sew a backing fabric over the back and add a non-slip underlay for hard floors.
- Cushions: sew the finished canvas to a fabric back with a zip.
- Wall hangings: slip a dowel through a fabric sleeve sewn along the top.
Tips and care
- Trim any long or uneven ends with sharp scissors at the end for a neat pile.
- Shake rugs outdoors or vacuum gently without a beater bar. Spot clean with mild soap; avoid machine washing.
- Start with a small project, a cushion or wall hanging, before committing to a large rug; the latch hook pattern library has bold, simple designs for first projects.