Badger with a Balalaika Needle Felting Kit by Charivna Mit V-164C

Felt the Badger with a Balalaika, a needle felting kit by Charivna Mit: a striped-faced badger sitting with a triangular felt balalaika.

Badgers are famously tidy, changing the bedding in their burrows regularly, and in folk tales they are the wise, music-loving neighbors of the forest.

Why this kit: needle felting needs no sewing and no counting, only wool and a barbed needle, and Charivna Mit sorts the wool by color and adds a color scheme so you always know which shade goes where. With just 4 wool colors it is a quick, forgiving project for a first try. Czech Preciosa beads add the eyes and a little sparkle.

Kit includes: 4 colors of Corriedale wool, Czech Preciosa beads and seed beads, 1 color of Madeira floss, a pipe cleaner, felting and embroidery needles, a color pattern and an instruction chart. Made in Ukraine. Not included: a foam felting pad to work on and small scissors for trimming stray fibers.

How to felt it: pull off small tufts of wool, roll them loosely and jab them with the felting needle, turning the shape as you go so it firms up evenly. Build the body first, then the head, legs and colored details, following the color scheme. Then add the bead details and the embroidered details as the instructions show. Work on a foam pad, keep your fingers clear of the needle tip and store the needles safely after use.

Finished size: about 11×9 cm (4.3×3.5 in). Stand it on a shelf, desk or windowsill, or give it as a homemade gift for musicians, animal lovers and friends; the kit itself is an easy present for teens and adults. Recommended for ages 14 and up; the felting needles are very sharp, so keep them away from young children.