Octobuddy
At a craft fair in San Francisco last year, I came across a booth for Woolbuddy and was totally enamored. I’d never really looked at needle felting before, but these little creatures were all so adorable! That they sold kits was perfection: you got all the things you needed to experiment with the art, without having to invest too much for supplies, in case it turned out to not really be “your thing”.
As seems to be a constant state in my life, I decided not to purchase one because I was just too buried in other half completed projects. I really needed to work on finishing up some of them before kicking off an entirely new obsession. This didn’t stop me, though, from pouring through their shop and picking out my favorites, and when the holidays came around, there was a small box waiting for me under the tree from my husband containing the octopus kit. :)
The instructions in the kit were a bit vague here and there (maybe because it was considered one of the “Advanced” ones), but with a photo for each step, nothing was too difficult or confusing to figure out. There were plenty of materials too; I had a good sized wad of leftovers that I’m saving for other projects, and it was comforting to have a spare needle in case the first one breaks. It was a quick project too — I finished in about two evenings — and, like knitting, it’s easy to do while relaxing on the couch and watching a movie.
I have to say, I really loved doing this project. There was some familiarity as well, to the hours I spent as a kid making tiny models with Sculpy, and I think that is one of the reasons I’m so drawn to this craft. If you have any interest in needle felting, I definitely recommend checking out the Woolbuddy kits. It was a load of fun and gives you lots of freedom to make your own artistic tweaks to the pattern!
