All of the sheep in the pasture have been sheared. Mountains of their wool has been washed and carded into luxurious roving and the faint smell of lanolin remains in the fiber. Some of the wool is dyed into vibrant and earthy colors and some wool is left natural, shades of gray and white. Now it's time to felt these fibers back into the likeness of a sheep, a miniature sculpture of the wooly animal the beautiful wool roving came from.

Woolpets craft kits are perfect for learning the basics of sculptural needle felting. Turn a fluff of wool to a fuzzy, felted friend in just an hour or two. Woolpets brings the art of needle felting to life and the kits are perfect for children 10 and up, teens, and adults. Make a plethora of penguins for a party, a magical unicorn for a lucky friend, and a flock of bird ornaments to hang around the house.

Needle felting, or dry felting, is a process that uses a special tool, a barbed felting needle, to tangle and bind fibers together. The technique is very easy to learn. Create felted shapes by repeatedly poking wool roving with a single felting needle. Combine the felted shapes together with the same needle to build wooly sculptures.

Woolpets has been dreaming up needle felting patterns since 2007 and the collection includes 42 patterns that are rated by difficulty. “Easy” and “Starter” kits are great for beginners and those new to the craft. Achieving good results is simple. “Intermediate” kits are a bit more challenging and will take more time to complete. The process is the same but there are more steps involved and finer details to accomplish. The wool roving comes from sheep living the high life across New Zealand and the United States. All kits contain a generous helping of soft wool roving, two felting needles, and easy to follow, step-by-step photo instructions. Starter kits include a firm, foam pad needed as a work surface.

With a bit of poking and a little patience, learning this unique hand craft and creating an adorable sculpture is surprisingly simple and undeniably rewarding. Kits are packaged in an attractive, frosted, take-out style box and are assembled in the USA. Visit Woolpets at the ASTRA Marketplace, June 6-7, 2016 in Denver, Colorado in Booth #736. www.woolpets.com.