Latched to crafts

While I was up in Avoca Beach last weekend I discovered latch hook rug kits! A friend of a friend introduced me to latch hooking, which is a crafting technique where 2 inch pieces of yarn are threaded through a mesh backing using a special hook. This creates a “tufting” effect that you often see and feel in plush rugs and it is such a beautiful and sensory experience.

What was immediately compelling about latch hooking is that it is a simple repetitive motion that is quick to learn, easy to do, and produces something — it creates a physical output that is very satisfying to look upon and know that you created a physical thing.

I’ve been itching to do something creative with my hands for a while, constantly bouncing back and forth between the idea of knitting, crocheting, and drawing, but the idea of a latch hook kit was too good to pass up: everything comes in a box which means that there is less decision paralysis of trying to buy the right materials.

A big part of this desire to craft is to help keep my hands busy with something other than food (to find a healthier way to distract and self-soothe) while also giving myself a creative outlet so that the anxious part of my brain can focus on craft while the rest of my brain is free to wander and wonder and ponder. And it’s worked wonders the past couple of days. There’s something so incredibly soothing about latch hooking (a meditative experience I hope to repeat once I get back into crocheting and learn how to knit) and satisfying of actually creating something tangible and tactile. I’m 100% latched on to crafting.