The picks
Best Latch Hook Kits
Gridded canvas, pre-cut yarn, a chart, and - on most kits - no hook at all.
By Sawyer V. · Published September 12, 2026
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The short answer
Buy a kit with gridded canvas, a full-color chart and pre-cut yarn - and buy a latch hook tool at the same time, because almost no kit includes one. Start at 12in x 12in or smaller: the large kits are hundreds of hours and they are where this craft goes to die in a cupboard.
| # | Product | Best for | Role | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | No photoWonderArt Latch Hook KitGridded cotton canvas, pre-cut yarn and a color chart - everything but the hook. | A first latch hook project that is genuinely complete | Kit | Check price on Amazon#ad disclosure |
| 2 | No photoSusan Bates Straight Latch HookA hinged hook with a wooden handle - buy it with the kit, not after. | Every latch hook project | Tool | Check price on Amazon#ad disclosure |
| 3 | No photoRed Heart Super Saver364 yards a skein and no dye lot - the right economics for a craft that eats yarn. | Going beyond kit charts | Yarn | Check price on Amazon#ad disclosure |
| 4 | No photoClover Patchwork ScissorsSerrated blades grip yarn instead of pushing it away from the cut. | Hundreds of identical short lengths | Scissors | Check price on Amazon#ad disclosure |
| 5 | No photoBernat BlanketChenille has no core to grip - the knot slips and the pile falls out. | Crochet blankets | Yarn | Check price on Amazon#ad disclosure |
WonderArt Latch Hook Kit
WonderArt · Best for a first latch hook project that is genuinely complete
Gridded cotton canvas, pre-cut acrylic yarn and a color chart - everything for a latch hook rug except, notably, the hook.
- Canvas
- 100% cotton, 3 holes per inch, gridded
- Yarn
- 100% acrylic, pre-cut packs
- Also included
- Illustrated instructions, full-color design chart with color legend
- Latch hook tool
- NOT included - buy separately
- Sizes
- Made from 8in x 8in up to 27in x 40in
Who it suits
Anyone who wants to try latch hook without cutting several hundred pieces of yarn by hand.
Why it is here
100% cotton canvas at 3 holes per inch, gridded so the chart maps onto it directly, with pre-cut 100% acrylic yarn packs, illustrated instructions and a full-color chart with a color legend. Pre-cut yarn is the whole value proposition: cutting it yourself is hours of work before you start.
What you give up
The kit explicitly does not include a latch hook tool, which is the one thing you cannot improvise. Sizes run from 8in x 8in up to 27in x 40in, and the large ones are a serious time commitment.
Specifications from Yarnspirations - WonderArt latch hook kit contents. We have not handled this item - see how we pick.
Susan Bates Straight Latch Hook
Susan Bates · Best for every latch hook project
The hinged hook that pulls pre-cut yarn through canvas and knots it - the one tool latch hook kits leave out.
- Handle
- Wood
- Length
- 6.25in, per the retail listing
- Action
- Hinged latch, closes over the yarn as it pulls back through
- Stated use
- Rug hooking or making fringe
- Also made as
- A bent-neck version, for a flatter wrist angle
Who it suits
Everyone doing latch hook. There is no substitute and nothing in the kit does this job.
Why it is here
Wooden handle, hinged latch, 6.25in per the retail listing, stated by the maker for rug hooking and making fringe. The hinge is the mechanism: it opens to take the yarn and closes over it as the hook pulls back through the canvas, knotting the piece in place.
What you give up
Sold separately from every kit we looked at, which is the single most common first-evening disappointment in this craft. A bent-neck version is also made, for a flatter wrist angle on long sessions.
Specifications from Yarnspirations - Susan Bates straight latch rug hook. We have not handled this item - see how we pick.
Red Heart Super Saver
Red Heart · Best for going beyond kit charts
The 7oz workhorse acrylic. Coarser than the softer acrylics here, and the cheapest yardage on the shelf by a distance.
- Fiber
- 100% acrylic
- Weight
- 4 Medium / worsted
- Skein
- 7oz / 198g, 364yd / 333m (no-dye-lot solids)
- Gauge
- 17 sts x 23 rows on 5mm (US 8)
- Hook
- 5.5mm (US I/9), 12 sc x 15 rows
- Care
- Machine wash warm gentle, tumble dry low, no bleach
Who it suits
Anyone designing their own piece, or replacing a color a kit ran short on.
Why it is here
100% acrylic, worsted, 364yd per 198g skein, no dye lot on the solids. Latch hook consumes a lot of short lengths, and acrylic is the traditional fiber for it because it is hard-wearing and cheap enough to use by the hundred.
What you give up
You are cutting every piece yourself, which is genuinely tedious - a piece of card cut to length as a gauge makes it bearable. Worsted is also thinner than traditional pre-cut rug yarn, so expect a less dense pile.
Specifications from Yarnspirations product page. We have not handled this item - see how we pick.
Clover Patchwork Scissors
Clover · Best for hundreds of identical short lengths
Serrated stainless blades that hold the strand instead of pushing it away - the reason a yarn end cuts square rather than skidding.
- Sizes
- Mini (493/CW), small (493/S), regular (493), large (493/L)
- Length
- 17cm (7in) for the regular size
- Blades
- Stainless steel with a finely serrated edge
- Handle and cover
- ABS resin
- Included
- Protective blade cover
Who it suits
Anyone cutting their own yarn rather than buying pre-cut packs.
Why it is here
Stainless steel blades with a finely serrated edge, made in mini, small, 17cm regular and large, with a blade cover. Serration is the reason they cut a round strand cleanly rather than letting it roll along the blade.
What you give up
Serrated blades cannot be conventionally sharpened once dull, so keep them for yarn and fabric only. See [best scissors for yarn crafts](/accessories/best-scissors-for-yarn-crafts).
Specifications from Clover USA - Patchwork Scissors. We have not handled this item - see how we pick.
Bernat Blanket
Bernat · Best for crochet blankets
Polyester chenille at 108 yards to a 150g ball. Fast, warm, machine washable, and it will shed and worm if the tension is loose.
- Fiber
- 100% polyester (chenille)
- Weight
- 6 Super Bulky
- Ball
- 5.3oz / 150g, 108yd / 98m
- Gauge
- 8 sts x 13 rows on 8mm (US 11)
- Hook
- 8mm (US L/11), 7 sc x 8 rows
- Care
- Machine wash delicate, tumble dry gentle
Who it suits
Not latch hookers. It is a reasonable blanket yarn on a hook.
Why it is here
100% polyester chenille, super bulky, 108yd per 150g. Its thickness and softness make it look like it would give a luxurious pile.
What you give up
A latch hook knot holds by friction around a canvas thread. Chenille's pile compresses under that knot and its core is smooth, so the piece works loose - and the pile abrades off against the canvas as you pull it through.
Specifications from Yarnspirations product page. We have not handled this item - see how we pick.
How latch hook works
You push a hinged hook through one hole in an open-weave canvas and out the next. A short piece of yarn is folded over the hook's shaft, the latch closes over it as you pull back, and the yarn comes through as a loop with its two ends free. Pull those ends and the loop tightens into a knot around the canvas thread.
Repeat a few thousand times and you have a rug. It is the most mechanical of the yarn crafts and by some distance the easiest to learn - the entire technique is one motion, and you have it within five minutes.
Mesh count
Latch hook canvas is specified in holes per inch, and it does the same job that gauge does everywhere else on this site: it sets how fine the picture can be and how long the piece will take.
| Holes per inch | Knots in a 12 x 12in piece | Detail | Suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | About 1,300 | Bold, blocky | Beginners, kids, fast results |
| 3.75 | About 2,000 | Moderate | General rug work |
| 5 | About 3,600 | Fine | Detailed pictures, wall pieces |
Three holes per inch is the standard beginner canvas and it is the right place to start. The knot counts above are simply the mesh squared times the area - the arithmetic is worth doing before you buy a 27in x 40in kit.
Size, honestly
This is where latch hook kits go wrong, and it is a scale problem rather than a quality problem.
| Size | Approximate knots | Realistically |
|---|---|---|
| 8 x 8in | About 600 | One or two evenings |
| 12 x 12in | About 1,300 | A few evenings |
| 20 x 30in | About 5,400 | Weeks |
| 27 x 40in | About 9,700 | Months |
A 27in x 40in kit is not harder than an 8in x 8in kit. It is the same single motion, roughly sixteen times as many times. Start small, finish something, and then decide.
Pre-cut yarn against cutting your own
- Pre-cut is the reason to buy a kit at all. Several thousand identical pieces, sorted by color.
- Cutting your own frees you from the chart, and costs you an evening per project before you start.
- The gauge trick: wrap yarn around a piece of card cut to twice your pile length and cut along one edge. Every piece comes out identical.
- Pile length is usually around 2.5in folded to 1.25in. Longer gives a shaggier rug and uses proportionally more yarn.
Finishing
- Fold the canvas margin back and hem it before you hook the edge rows, or the raw canvas shows.
- Bind the edges with rug binding tape or a crocheted edge through the canvas holes.
- Back it if it will be on a floor - a non-slip rug backing, or fabric glue and a fabric backing. See best glue for yarn crafts.
- Trim the pile level at the end, not as you go.
Latch hook, punch needle and rug hooking all end at the same place - a knotted or looped pile that needs its edges secured. Best punch needle kits covers the looped-pile sibling of this craft.
What we would buy
- The kit: gridded canvas with pre-cut yarn.
- The tool it does not include: a hinged latch hook.
- Cutting your own: no-dye-lot worsted acrylic and serrated scissors.
- Not for latch hook: chenille.
Questions people actually ask
Do latch hook kits come with the hook?
Usually not. The manufacturer of the most widely sold kit range states plainly that the latch hook tool is not included. Buy one alongside the kit - it is inexpensive and completely non-optional.
What mesh canvas is best for latch hook beginners?
Three holes per inch. It is the standard beginner canvas, gives bold blocky detail, and keeps the knot count manageable - about 1,300 knots in a 12 x 12in piece.
What size latch hook kit should I start with?
12 x 12in or smaller. A 27 x 40in kit is not harder, it is the same motion roughly sixteen times as many times - which is where most abandoned latch hook projects come from.
What yarn do you use for latch hook?
Acrylic worsted or purpose-made rug yarn, cut to roughly 2.5in and folded. It needs a firm core so the knot grips the canvas thread - which is why chenille and other pile yarns do not work.
How do you finish a latch hook rug?
Fold and hem the canvas margin before hooking the edge rows, bind the edges with rug tape or a crocheted edge, back it if it will be walked on, and trim the pile level at the end rather than as you go.