Hooked Rug Kits

Getting hooked on this craft

In need of a new rug or a decorative pillow? Head to the local craft store and create your own.

Latch hooking is a simple and fun craft that involves hooking short pieces of colored yarn onto individual squares on a canvas grid.  I was tempted to speed through this project for the sake of this series, but latch hooking is a relaxing activity that pretty much requires you to take your time. I have challenged myself to spend at least two hours a day working on my project until it is complete, which should take me about three to four days. Latch hooking involves patience and precision, and the result can be a beautifully handcrafted addition to your home.

The first latch hook craft that I ever made was a small rug designed with Mickey Mouse’s face when I was in high school. I loved it so much that I took the rug with me when I went off to college and hung it on my dorm room wall.

Experienced crafters may use a blank plastic grid canvas and make rugs or decorative prints with their own patterns. I’m definitely not a professional, so I prefer buying a complete latch hook kit with a pattern included. Most latch hook kits include a design printed in color on canvas, packs of pre-cut rug yarn and an illustrated guide to the latch hook. I purchased the “Puppy Love” Wonder Art Latch Hook Kit by Caron for $9.99 at Michaels, but more elaborate kits can cost $30 or more. I chose the golden retriever puppy latch hook kit because the various shades of yellow and gold and brown are eye catching when blended together on the canvas. The actual latch hook tool is usually sold separately but can be purchased for as low as $2 at any craft store.

The key to creating a latch hook is to follow the instructions carefully. Most kits will include an illustrative chart to help you follow the pattern and a color key that will use symbols to represent the various colors of yarn. My kit actually involved 10 different colors, and I found myself mixing up the shades at times.

To get started, fold a piece of the yarn in half and place around the shaft of the hook. Insert the hooked end of the tool into a hole in the canvas and out of the hole directly above it. Grasp both ends of yarn between left thumb and forefinger. The latch must be opened. Place yarn end over the latch, between the latch and the hook. Pull the hook toward you, closing over the yarn and release yarn with fingers. A knot should form with the yarn around the canvas thread, and you can pull the ends of the yarn to tighten.

Solar Panel Kits | Latch Hook Rugs

Solar energy is becoming more and more popular among people these days. The people are becoming aware of the fact that solar energy can be utilized to do a lot of work in the household as well as on the commercial basis. Lot of money can be saved if solar panels are utilized to harness electricity. Solar panels can be installed easily. There are various types of solar panel kits available now days. But before you go for a particular solar panel kit, it is important that you decide that what exact use.

In order to select a particular kind of solar kit it is first necessary that you evaluate the application that is the amount of electricity that you want to get from a particular solar panel kit. If you are buying a solar panel kit for house hold demand of electricity, first of all determine the how much is your current usage of electricity and how much consumption of electricity you want to cut down and depend on the solar power. Find out the average consumption of your electricity requirement and then decide for the solar panel kit. Another point that is to be considered when you are buying a solar panel kit is whether you want the solar panel kit as a back up system or you wish to cut down your monthly electricity bill. Accordingly, you can buy a particular solar panel kit, the one, which is battery less grid panel, or battery based grid solar panel.

The solar panel kits are the kits that are easy to install and have all the things that are required to mount a solar panel. These solar panel kits normally include cables, charge regulators and other mountings that are required to install a solar panel. Various types of solar panel kits are available according to the application.

There are solar panel kits used for motorboats that are made to work in the marine environment. These solar panel kits have specific features like they are rust free and can withstand salty waters. There are power film roll up solar panel kits that are slim and light in weight. These solar panel kits are very easy to install and are foldable. Whenever there is a need of power back up you are supposed to unroll the panel and connect it to the battery.

There are various types of solar panel kits that are cheaper and fulfill small power requirements like lighting small areas of garages, stables, sheds, etc. These solar panel kits are economical and provide great way to save electricity.

The portable solar panel kits available in the market are easy to handle and take just minutes to install. The cables, fittings of the solar panels are very easy to mantle and dismantle. These solar panel kits can be carried along with you in camping and outdoor picnics. They are very light in weight and do not have a glass covering on the solar panels and hence are more rugged and strong. That makes them ideal for camping and picnics where they can be used to run your music system or a laptop.

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