Tufting apparatus for forming loop pile

A cut pile tufting machine having cut pile hooks and cooperating knives pointing in the direction oppositely to the direction in which a base fabric is being fed includes loop pile loopers in a selective array in the same mounting bar as the cut pile hooks and also pointing in the direction oppositely to that in which the fabric is being fed. The loop pile loopers each include a yarn seizing beak having a slightly downwardly inclined rearwardly extending bottom front edge at the rear of which a yarn contacting edge extends abruptly downwardly. The yarn contacting edge engages the crotch of a loop presented by a cooperating needle as the beak enters the loop allowing the loop to be seized and then shed by the beak. The looper includes a recess in the body behind the yarn contacting edge to provide a clearance with respect to the needle eye as the beak enters the clearance above the needle eye.