Wool Pets Penguin Needle Felting Kit Review

By Beverly Laing

This kit was my first encounter with needle felting, and I’m astounded at how easy it is. I used to think that it would require special equipment, or that it would involve hours of repeatedly poking the needle into wool fibres, but I was wrong. A simple barbed felting needle and good directions to follow, and the wisps of wool quickly start to form into a recognizable shape.

The Woolpets Penguin kit contains everything you need to make this penguin chick, including two felting needles (presumably one is a spare), a color instruction sheet, a generous chunk of wool fiber in the right colours, and wooden skewer, to help your fingers stay un-pricked. It’s all cutely packed into a little take-out box, and I can see what a great gift it would be for a new crafter or someone who hasn’t tried felting before.

It’s incredibly satisfying to achieve success with a new craft. Following the clear, step-by-step instructions, I soon found myself on the way to building a round, fluffy little penguin.

Large stickers on the packaging warned me of the sharp needles, but even with over 20 years of crafting experience, I found it easy to get carried away and poke myself. You’ve been warned! Also for safety, you need your own thick sponge to poke the fibers onto — but being eager to get started, I used a clean new dishwashing sponge, and it worked perfectly well.

A really nice touch in the kit is the card inviting users to upload their photos of finished Woolpets to a special Woolpets Flickr Group. Of course, I had a look at what everyone else was making and staged a little photo shoot of my finished penguin to get him in with the gang.

As a quick crafty fix, this kit was simple, approachable, and a lot of fun. Would I try another? Yes, definitely! I can think of several crafty friends who would love to make their very own Woolpet. As for this little penguin, he immediately charmed a beloved 94-year old, and spends his days in the basket of her walker. Perhaps soon there will be a whole barnyard of felted goodness to share around.

Beverly Laing is a crafty Canadian who blogs from her home in Australia at Taccolina and Posted Stitches.

*** There’s still time to enter the random drawing to win a copy of Laurie Sharp’s “Wool Pets” book. The deadline is March 31.