Latch Hook Pumpkin

SUPPLIES & TOOLS:

• Rug Canvas
• Yarn (in a variety of colors and thicknesses)
• Scissors
• Latch Hook tool
• Foam pumpkin
• Hot glue gun/glue gun sticks

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cut your rug canvas to the width you'd like your finished project to be, plus an inch or two. Latch hook projects require a little extra canvas past the edge of where your project borders will end. This extra functions a lot like a seam allowance when it comes to finishing your project.
2. To form a latch hook knot, fold a piece of cut yarn in half around your latch hook tool, just below the latch mechanism. Insert the tip of your latch hook tool from front to back to front under one of the horizontal bars of your rug canvas. Wrap the tail ends of your yarn around the hook as shown above - in between the latch mechanism of your tool and under the hook part of the tool itself. Pull the hook tool back under the horizontal bar of rug canvas. The latch mechanism will close by itself around the tail ends of your yarn, and the hook will guide the tails back under the horizontal bar as well as through the folded end of yarn. As you continue to pull, your latch hook tool will become free of the yarn and your latch hook knot will be formed, securing the yarn to the rug canvas backing. To tighten the knot, pull gently on the ends. If you're working with a fiber that's not wool, you will likely want to give the tails of your yarn a tug now and then to keep the yarn in place. 
3. Continue adding pieces of yarn to your rug canvas using your latch hook tool, remembering to leave a 1" border on all sides. You can get creative and incorporate fun designs, color changes, varying thicknesses of yarn, varying lengths of yarn, different fibers, and more in your latch hook projects.
4. Once you have filled your desired area for your project, cut the excess canvas off.
5. Wrap the latch hook design around the pumpkin. Cut off any overlap. Glue in place.
6. Pom-Pom:
7. Hold the end of the yarn on your palm using your thumb. With your other hand, start wrapping the yarn around your fingers (you can use 2, 3 or 4 fingers depending on the size of finished pom-pom desired).
8. Wrap the yarn around your fingers for a minimum of 40 times (the more wraps, the more dense your pom-pom will be). Don't wrap too tightly. You will need room to slip the bundle of yarn off your hand.
9. Cut another piece of yarn about 1' long.
10. Turn your hand with the yarn bundle palm down and thread the foot long piece of yarn through your index and middle finger.
11. Turn your palm up and tie a tight knot around the middle of the bundle.
12. Slip the tied bundle off your hand.
13. Tighten the knot even more and turn bundle over and tie a knot on the other side
14. Cut all the loops in the middle, all the way around the bundle. Don't cut the two ends of the foot long piece of yarn (you will use those to fasten the pom-pom to the project.)
15. Cut around the pom-pom to make all the yarn pieces uniform in length.
16. Rub the pom-pom between your hands to fluff it up.