Big deal alert: I finally took the plunge and needle felted something. I’ve had the tool for two years now, and only ever really used it for a few yarn joins here and there. Before I sent off the lamb lovey, I decided that it needed a face after all. As a quick summary, it was way easier than I thought it would be, but I definitely need more practice to make it look less creepy.
- 1 Clover Single Needle Felting Tool
- Yarns containing animal fibre
Tutorial by Annette at FiberArtsy and Craftsy
As a quick note, I just freehanded the three circles for the face and didn’t bother with a cookie cutter. I could see that being great for more complex shapes though! For this project, I used We are Knitters The Wool (Salmon) for the nose, and Quince and Co Puffin (Audouin) for the eyes. Both of these yarns are are 100% wool, so they felted really well. I was a little worried that they wouldn’t stick to the grey acrylic base, but it worked out great. The only downside was that the eye colour I chose ended up feeling a little haunting, at least in my opinion.
I think that if I had added a pupil, even with a Sharpie or something, it would have changed the feeling of the eyes, but that was a missed opportunity for me. Also, the tutorials are not kidding when they tell you that the needle is sharp. The amount of times that I stabbed myself accidentally is probably a little alarming, but when people tell you that something was made with blood, sweat, and tears, they’re not always speaking metaphorically.
Every time I try something new, whether in crafts, sports, or my personal life, I’m almost always struck with a sense that it wasn’t as scary as I thought it would be. This needle felting experience definitely fits in that category. I’ve been scared of needle felting for literal years, but it turned out to be so simple. It’s a bit disheartening that even as an adult, I can let fear or nervous anticipation get in the way of having awesome new experiences, but I’m slowly learning to work through my initial feelings of anxiousness when confronted with the unknown. I know it’s still a little early to be thinking of New Year Resolutions, but that might make it on to my list for 2023.
Until next time, happy crafting!