My First Project Revealed: My Needle Felt Llama

I'm not very good at following directions. I can write them, but I hate following them. Weird, eh?

However, since this was my first needle point experiment, I did (somewhat) follow the instructions in the pamphlet. They suggested that I divide the white portion of my roving, which is unspun yarn, into three piles. One third would be the llama's body. One third would be the head and neck. One third would be the legs.

After that, I was supposed to roll or shape the roving loosely into the appropriate body parts. However, I wanted my llama to have an armature, so he would be more sturdy and steady on his feet. Using a white wire coat hanger, I cut wire into lengths. One long portion was the tail, spine, neck and head. Two portions of the same length were the legs. These I joined with masking tape.

To make sure I didn't run out of yarn, I checked this armature against the dimensions of the finished product as listed on the package. It was correct, so I continued by wrapping my roving around the armature and then needle felting it.

So what is needle felting? Basically, you stab the roving over and over with a needle to pack down the fiber into a compact shape. Or in my case, you stab the roving, stab your fingers, stab the roving, and bleed on your project.

It's helpful to use a sponge beneath your project as a base, something to stab into, but only on those rare moments when you are not punching the needle into your flesh. And yes, I did a LOT of punching the needle into my flesh. I would get into a rhythm of punching, packing the fibers down, and I'd get distracted. (Tip: Do not attempt to watch your favorite series on Netflix while doing needle felting.) The sharp burst of pain from the needle implement would quickly snap my attention back to the here and now.

How did I do? Well, here's my finished product. I'll let you judge its merits. What do you think?