• Merino: The king of softness, Merino boasts a fine micron count (18-21 microns) for luxurious texture and smooth felting. It excels in creating delicate details and adding finishing touches. Tip: Merino's softness can make it challenging to form a firm base. Consider using it for details over a core made from a sturdier wool.
• Corriedale: This versatile breed offers a good balance between softness (around 23-25 microns) and felting ability. It's perfect for creating the body of your project due to its ability to felt quickly and hold its shape well. Tip: Corriedale's natural crimp (waviness) adds interesting texture to your felted creations.
• Romney: Similar to Corriedale, Romney wool boasts a good felting ability and a slightly higher micron count (25-27 microns). This makes it ideal for creating a sturdy base for larger felted projects like bags or scarves. Tip: Play with Romney's natural elasticity to create interesting folds and textures in your projects.
• Carding Wool: This fluffy and tangled wool is perfect for building the core of your felted project. It felts quickly and provides excellent bulk at an affordable price. Tip: Carding wool comes in batts (flattened sheets) or slivers (long ropes). Batts are ideal for larger projects, while slivers offer more control for smaller details.
• Tops: Unlike the tangled mass of carding wool, tops consist of long, combed fibers. This smooth wool excels at adding details, creating a polished finish, and achieving color variations. Tip: Use tops for creating fur, hair, or other surface details on your felted projects.

• Needle Felting: For detailed projects like figurines and sculptures, finer wool (around 18-20 microns) with good felting properties is ideal. Woolbuddy offers a variety of colors in both the 40 Color Collection and the Eco Wool Kit, perfect for needle felting projects.
• Wet Felting: This technique creates larger, flatter objects like bags and scarves. Wool with a slightly higher micron count (around 23-25 microns) and good felting ability works well. You can use carded wool for the base and tops for adding details and color variations.

The Humble Sphere:

This is the foundation for many felted creations. Here's how to make a perfect sphere:

1. Gather Your Supplies: Wool roving in your desired color, a felting needle (size 36 is a good starting point), and a felting pad.
2. Pinch and Roll: Pinch a small amount of wool roving and roll it gently between your palms to form a loose ball.
3. Stab, Stab, Stab: Using your felting needle, gently stab the ball in all directions, focusing on the outer areas first. This helps the fibers to adhere and form a solid shape.
4. Feeling for Firmness: As you felt, the ball will become firmer. Regularly check its shape by rolling it between your palms and gently squeezing. Aim for a firm but slightly bouncy sphere.
5. Refine and Repeat: If your sphere feels uneven, gently nudge the fibers with your fingers and continue felting until it becomes smooth and round.

Building Blocks: Cubes, Cylinders, and Cones

Once you've mastered the sphere, you can move on to other basic shapes:

• Cube: Create a firm ball of wool and gently press in each side with your fingers to form flat faces. Continue felting each side until the cube holds its shape.
• Cylinder: Roll a piece of carded wool into a loose log shape. Felt the ends and sides to secure the shape. You can use a chopstick or other cylindrical object as a guide while felting.
• Cone: Similar to the cylinder, roll carded wool into a cone shape. Felt the base and sides to secure the form. Gently pinch the pointed end to refine the cone shape.

Pro Tips:

• Use Reference Photos: Find pictures of the shape you want to create and refer to them while felting.
• Start Small: Begin with smaller shapes to get a feel for the felting process.
• Layer and Felt: For larger shapes, create a core with carded wool and add details with finer wools or tops. Felt each layer individually before adding the next.
• Practice Makes Perfect: Don't be discouraged if your first shapes aren't perfect. Felting takes practice, and every project is a learning experience.

With these basic shapes mastered, you'll be well on your way to creating stunning felted projects! 

Happy Felting!

• Needle Selection: Beginners can start with a size 36 star-shaped needle for faster felting. As your skills progress, finer needles (size 32 or 30) will help achieve smoother finishes.
• Felting Surface: Use a dense foam pad as your felting surface to protect your needles and prevent them from breaking.
• Stabbing Technique: Don't just push the needle in and out – gently stab the wool fibers with a flicking motion. This encourages the fibers to tangle and felt more effectively.
• Work in Layers: Build your project in layers, starting with a core of carded wool and gradually adding details with tops and finer wools.
• Felting Soap (Optional): Wet felting often uses felting soap to create friction and encourage felting. However, some felters prefer using only water for a more natural approach. Experiment and see what works best for you!