A latch hook rug is slow, cosy work. Every tuft is one short piece of yarn knotted onto a mesh canvas, and after a few hundred of them you have a thick shag rug you made yourself. Jenn of createwithjenn made a cream runner with a few black motifs for her bedroom, and she shares the tricks she found along the way, including a cardboard guide that makes cutting yarn much faster.
How to make a latch hook rug: the short version
- Cut yarn into pieces about 2 1/2 inches long.
- Push the latch hook under one bar of the canvas and fold a yarn piece over the shaft.
- Catch the ends in the hook, pull it back, and the yarn knots itself.
- Fill the canvas row by row, keeping every knot facing the same way.
- Fold the edges under, whip stitch them, and hook over the fold.
Choosing canvas and yarn
Rug canvas is a stiff open mesh, usually 3.75 holes per inch. Buy it a little bigger than the rug you want, because you lose a few rows on every side to the folded edge. Jenn left 4 rows all round.
Pick a yarn that is not too thin, or the pile looks sparse and the canvas shows through. Worsted or chunky acrylic blends work well and wash easily. Jenn used Lion Brand Wool-Ease. It was soft, but she noticed it shed a lot while she worked, so keep a lint roller handy.
How much yarn you need
More than you expect. Jenn first planned a 4 1/2 by 5 1/2 foot rug, then realised after one skein that it would take months and far more yarn than she had. She switched to a runner about 5 1/2 by 1 1/2 feet, and that alone used 9 skeins. If this is your first rug, a doormat or a small wall tapestry is a much kinder place to start.
Adding a pattern
A plain rug is lovely, but a few simple motifs make it look like a shop-bought Moroccan rug. Draw your design on grid paper where one square is one knot. Keep it simple: X shapes, triangles and diamonds read well in thick pile. If you have followed a cross stitch chart before, this works the same way.
Making a bigger rug
Canvas comes in set widths, so a large rug means joining two pieces. Overlap them by 4 rows, whip stitch through both layers with strong thread, trim the extra, and then hook through both layers so the seam disappears under the pile.
Caring for a latch hook rug
Shake it out or vacuum it on a low setting without the beater bar, which can pull tufts loose. Spot clean spills with cool water and a little mild soap, then let it dry flat. A small rug can go in the washer on a gentle cycle inside a pillowcase if the yarn label allows it.
Common mistakes
- Knots facing different ways. The pile looks patchy. Hold the hook the same way every time.
- Uneven yarn lengths. A cardboard guide fixes this and saves time.
- A slippery rug. Put a rug pad underneath so it stays put on a hard floor.
If you enjoy the tufted look, try punch needle for a faster loop pile. The knot itself is a lark's head knot in reverse, and leftover yarn makes great yarn pom poms.
