needles 12 in the second row are alternately staggered transversely of the tufting machine and are preferably equidistant from each other as well as being equidistantly staggered supported upon a needle plate 14 for movement longitudinally from front to rear in a feeding direction through the tufting machine is a base fabric 15 each needle 11 carries a yarn 16 and each needle 12 carries a yarn 17 through the base fabric 15 upon each stroke of the needle bar 10 the looper apparatus made in accordance with this invention may include staggered hooks however the looper apparatus 20 disclosed in the drawings includes the transversely aligned hooks 21 and 22 having shanks 23 and 24 and transversely aligned throats 25 and 26 however bills 27 and 28 of the hooks 21 and 22 are of different lengths so that the free ends 41 and 42 of the bills 27 and 28 are staggered correspondingly with the needles 11 and 12 each shank 23 and 24 is adapted to be received in a respective slot 29 in the reciprocal hook bar 30 furthermore each hook 21 and 22 is adapted to cooperate with a corresponding knife 31 and 32 respectively all of which knives are also transversely aligned the looper apparatus 20 thus far described is substantially the same as that disclosed in the card u s pat no 4 003 321 issued jan 18 1977 each of the knives 31 and 32 are identical and mounted in transverse alignment in corresponding knife holders.