Crazy for Needle Felting

I have been wanting to try needle felting for probably about 10 years, ever since I saw this awesome segment on The Martha Stewart show right around the time I first started knitting. The segment was about an artist who made knit hats by using a knitting machine and then a combination of wet felting and needle felting to assemble the hats and add embellishments.  After watching it I experimented a bunch with wet felting knitted items but honestly I find that whole process extremely tedious and too unpredictable. I never got around to getting needle felting supplies mostly because I always was more focused on some other type of craft to justify diversifying even further, until now.


A few weeks before Christmas I decided I wanted to get a Crèche set for our house, I was thinking a Waldorf inspired one made out of wood or wool would be nice. After checking some out on Etsy I realized an entire Nativity set would probably run about $200 so I decided to spring for the needle felting supplies and make my own.

At first I looked for a kit online but I couldn't really find anything that met my needs so I just bought the supplies individually  I started out by getting a clover needle felting tool and a package of multicolored clover roving at Fabric Depot. First I made Mary, Joesph and a little Jesus in a manger. They came out pretty well and the felting process was easier than I thought it would be. After breaking quite a few needles in the clover tool I realized I really like using just one needle individually because as the name of this blog suggests, I like to work small and detailed and one needle gives you way more control.
There is a fibercrafts store in my neighborhood which sells wool roving so I have picked up a few more colors there.  Pretty soon my nativity set soon grew to include shepherds, wise men, an angel, sheep, llamas, pretty much the whole expected gang plus one little Zapatista.

The Christmas scene at our house.

 Once my creche was completed I wanted to keep felting! Its pretty much the perfect thing for me to work on while watching a movie or television and it is a really nice break from knitting which I have to do in moderation because it makes my arm really sore.

I gave this Dala horse to my parents as a Christmas present

Love Bird

Hippo

Inspired by my wool roving necklace I made a few years ago I made a series of fiber necklaces for an art sale at the community house that Liam is involved with.

Right now I am working on making another series of necklaces and then some more small birds. In the next couple weeks I am planning to reopen and update my Etsy shop with some felt critters and jewelry.