Wow! Needlefelting!

OK, this is pretty cool if you haven't been hearing about it. It takes small amounts of loose wool, some very sharp, barbed needles and some time. You can be extremely creative, it is a small project that is easy to work on in the summer and makes great little gifts. Having said that, check out these felted bowls here, here, these felted cherries, a ladybug, well, you get the idea. And our friend, knottyknitter40/Darcy just decided to try it one day and has created some darling things. Check them out here ( not everything is needle felting). I just luv the blue sheep!!

Of course, I decided to start with a cat and a kit.

Here is the body before any needling.

Here is the body when I was satisfied with the solidness.
Here I have added the "belly". I am still working on the head. I'm not finding it as easy as everyone makes it look. It is hard to teach an old dog new tricks!! I'll keep you updated.
If you want to try it we have some new Ashford kits in that include everything needed for your first project, a beagle and butterflies. As soon as I finish my cat I want to try the butterflies.

Or Ashford has also put out a kit that has the base, 4 different size needles, 15 different colors of merino rovings and the marvelous new Ashford Needle Felting Book by Barbara Allen. It is a great way to get started if you don't have any scraps (yeah, right!).

And if you are already into this craft and are making big projects, check out this Ashford Needle Felting Punch. This is a very cool gadget, comes with 5 needles that store in the handle when not being used and the needles can be re-ordered.

I think it is going to be a fun summer activity!