A little about needle felting

Over the next couple weeks, I thought I'd talk to you a bit about the craft of needle felting. We will start today with the kinds of tools and supplies that I use. I start with what is called core wool. This is undyed, unbleached, natural wool that even contains the occasional leaf or twig. I use this as the base for most projects.

Any color (or white) that you see is added on top of the core wool. Here's a peek at the selection of wool that I use. (And check out the vintage shoe rack where I store it all--I snagged that from a local store that closed.)

I use barbed felting needles to shape the wool. There are different sizes and shapes available. I typically use a star needle, which has four edges and a couple barbs per edge. There are triangle needles as well which only have three edges, so less barbs. The more barbs, the faster the felting. I can use a single needle, or sometimes I hold a couple needles at once.

I also have another tool that holds up to six needles to help me make basic core shapes and to cover larger areas quickly with colored wool. Looks menacing, right?

Most work is done with a pad of foam underneath. This allows you to stab into the wool without the fear of poking whatever is underneath...like your hand.

I know you're wondering...so I'll tell you. Yes, I do poke myself. Not too often (anymore), but it still happens. And yes, it hurts.

Next up, a little demo!