10 Best Felting Kits UK 2022 | Hobbycraft, The Crafty Kit Company and More

In our number one spot, we have the perfect needle felting kit for a complete beginner. What's great about this adorable design is that cacti are naturally odd-looking and organically shaped plants, so you really can't go wrong when making your own! Even if your first efforts turn out wonky and a bit under-felted in places, they'll still look good! 

Most beginners struggle with getting their creations to stand up, but with this kit, you don't have to worry, as it includes a bunch of cute glass plant pots to provide a stable, flat base. Plus, everything you need is included in the pack, such as 5 felting needles and clear instructions.

If you're an experienced needle felter but have never tried wet felting, then this bundle of kits, plus a beautifully illustrated book, is for you. The signed book guides you through making 30 flowers, using a combination of both wet felting and needle felting techniques.

The kit includes a rolling mat (a bit like a sushi mat), a net (similar to a small net curtain), felting needles and a foam block to rest on. All that needs adding is a bar of soap to rub the wet wool with, and if you plan to make all thirty flowers, you'll likely need some extra wool. If you're looking to extend your love of the craft in a new direction, this is a brilliant kit!

This type of kit makes it super simple to achieve an accurate unicorn body shape, as it provides you with polystyrene inners for the body, head, legs and horn. All you need to do is cover the polystyrene with the wool (by needle felting), and you'll have a unicorn in no time! 

As you'll be jabbing the needle into the polystyrene, there is far less risk of stabbing your fingers; it also means that you don't need a felting pad/brush/block. If you find that you love creating this adorable unicorn, there are 5 more stand-up felted animal kits to make.

Hobbycraft's huge kit is more of a free-style affair, providing you with all the tools for needle felting and a generous 18 different colours of wool. An instruction booklet is also included, which conveys the basics of needle felting, plus a few ideas you can use for inspiration.

This set doesn't have full step-by-step instructions, so it's mainly geared toward creative souls who like to use their imagination to create their own needle-felted models. If you find that you just can't stop, it's worth knowing that Hobbycraft stocks felting wool in every imaginable colour!

This tortoise was designed so that it sits low to the ground with a lumpy-bumpy body shape. This is great because it means you can spend more time enjoying needle felting and less time worrying if your creation will actually stand up or if it looks evenly shaped. The finished tortoise shell also really showcases the 3D detail that needle felting can so easily achieve.

The felting experts at Hawthorn Handmade, who pack their kits with 100 % British wool,  reckon the tortoise kit will take the average beginner about 6 hours to finish. Make sure you add the foam pad to the kit - unless you already have one - so you can relax on the sofa and properly chill out while crafting.

Next up, we have an excellent kit for anyone with little prior needle-felting experience. The body shape of each dog is crafted free-style from felting wool, which requires patience and an eye for form.

We think the two hairy dog breeds would be best to start with, as you can disguise any shape issues with extra tufty dog fur! If you are more of a cat person, though, you'll be pleased to know that a feline version of this kit is also available. Some reviewers think the lack of eyes on the animals looks odd, but you could always add them using a tiny amount of black felting wool if it bothered you.

Needle felting with wool can also be used to create 2D art pieces, such as this heart-warming pair of otters displayed in a small wooden hoop. This kit is suitable for complete beginners and anyone looking to try a different approach to needle felting.

This approach is more like painting-by-numbers and requires some concentration and pattern following, so it's not a kit for those who like to craft whilst watching TV. It's also worth noting that the wool is imported from New Zealand, which gives it a fabulous texture but also a large carbon footprint.

Finally a felting kit suitable for young children! This wet felt kit includes everything you need to create a set of four hair bows or bow ties, plus kids as young as 5 years old can do it! There is no stabbing with razor-sharp needles involved in this wet felt kit, so any small fingers will be perfectly safe.

Just add some bar soap and hot water, roll the felting wool back and forth in the bamboo mat and rub, rub, rub using the net cloth to add friction. Kids will love seeing material appear from where previously there were just separate strands of wool! This kit, however, would be rather basic for adults.

Bamboo fibres replace the traditional sheep's wool in this vegan-friendly needle felting kit. An impressive array of 7 different felting needles accompany this kit, each colour-coded and with an explanation of how to use each one. 

This kit is slightly lower down the list as the six projects suggested within are described using mainly written instructions, with a serious lack of images. There is, however, a non-vegan kit available, too, that includes leather finger guards, which may interest those who've experienced the dreaded finger stabbing!

Felting life-like animals is always a challenge, however, this hare is 28 cm tall and upright, so you'll also need to balance your creation which adds yet another tricky dimension. This is definitely a kit for experienced needle felters only, as you'll need to be able to create an internal wire supporting structure to felt within and around.

Unfortunately, the instructions let this gorgeous kit down a bit - the font is incredibly tiny and printed with the writing obscuring the images in places. Reviewers report that emailing the company to request a PDF version of the pamphlet means you can enlarge the pages, making them much more user-friendly.