Want to Learn to Crochet? The Woobles’ New Miffy Kit Is The Perfect Place to Start

Ever since I first tried a learn-to-crochet kit from The Woobles last July, I've been positively hooked—pun fully intended.

Over the process of a couple of hours, I went from not knowing a thing about crochet to having made a not-perfect but absolutely adorable dino plush, using nothing but a crochet hook and needle, two colors of yarn, some plastic safety eyes and stuffing. Since then, crocheting has become one of my favorite wind-down activities, and I haven't gone a week without picking up a hook and some yarn and working on a project—most of them a lot more complex than Fred the Dinosaur.

So, when the team behind The Woobles reached out to me this year to see if I'd be interested in trying out their first-ever licensed kit, I couldn't have been faster in saying yes. Even better, the kit features Miffy the bunny, a character I adored in my childhood. Within 10 minutes of the package's arrival at my door, I hopped right into the project—and here's what you should know.

The Kit

The Woobles is all about teaching beginners how to crochet amigurumi plushes, and their kits make the whole process so easy. Not only do the kits include essentially everything you need to complete the project from start to finish, but the online instructions include both step-by-step video tutorials for total beginners and PDF directions for those who already know the basics.

The new Miffy Crochet Kit, for example, is inspired by the classic Dick Bruna character and includes everything needed to crochet Miffy's head. This includes small safety eyes, a tapestry needle, stuffing, and The Woobles' proprietary Easy Peasy Yarn with stitch markers, including 45 yards in white for Miffy's shape, and one yard of black for embroidering her mouth and nose. This kit sells for $35 without a hook and $40 with one—but in my humble opinion, you should definitely spring for the $40 version, even if you already have a 4mm hook, because I've never seen a more darling crochet hook. The only other thing you'll need is a pair of scissors for cutting the yarn.

Miffy also has kits for sweet accessories, with a Chinese Lantern Kit and Tulip Kit each retailing for $7—or you can get Miffy and her accessories bundled in a kit for $45.

(via The Woobles)

 

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The Experience

I couldn't resist starting The Woobles' Miffy project the second I got my hands on it, and the first thing I noticed was the stunning crochet hook that came with it. I didn't even realize that hooks could be printed with patterns, and with the deep blue color and bunny print, this hook instantly became my favorite in my collection.

Next, when I unwound the white Easy Peasy yarn included with the kit, I was reminded that they truly are made with beginners in mind. One of the trickiest things about starting your own amigurumi plushes is that many patterns begin with a technique called the magic loop, which can be quite challenging for beginners to pull off. Rather than starting the process with the hardest step, The Woobles instead ease newbies into it by doing this first step for them, complete with safety pin-shaped stitch markers to guide them as they learn the basics.

I've probably made hundreds of magic loops at this point, but I did not mind getting to skip this step. Instead, I went on my phone and navigated to the online tutorial for the kit, opting to follow along with the PDF tutorial, rather than the video. The process was pretty typical—a mixture of single stitches and increase stitches to create the width of the bunny head before incorporating decrease stitches to shrink it down again. Before stuffing and sewing it closed, I also followed the directions to add the plastic eyes at the right spots.

Next, it was time to make the two ears. This time, I did have to make my own magic circles. Interestingly enough, while I've seen many people online say that they struggle with magic circles, I find them quite easy, and I have to wonder if that's because The Woobles' video tutorial was so clear. At this point, even if I was a beginner, I would be much more comfortable with the crochet process and armed with the know-how to follow along with that tutorial.

Once the two ears were flattened and the bottoms were crocheted together, I used the tapestry needle to secure them to the head. The final step was embroidering the X that makes Miffy's nose and mouth, which looked somewhat complicated but was actually as easy as three simple steps. In the end, the ears on my Miffy weren't as upright as the example, but I thought she was just as cute. I was pretty proud of what I accomplished in an hour or so!

I also deeply enjoyed this project because it uses The Woobles' Easy Peasy yarn, which is unlike any other yarn I've used. It's extremely smooth and actually has a hollow interior, which doesn't just create a chunky, appealing aesthetic on your crochet projects, but also makes it effortless to work with. On other projects, I've used all kinds of store-bought yarn and had issues with everything from fraying to breakage to massive tangles, all of which can cost you hours of valuable time when you're trying to make something. None of those things have ever been a problem with Easy Peasy yarn.

In fact, I had so much fun with the kit that I decided to keep going. I actually had Easy Peasy yarn on my holiday wish list last year, so I have a bunch lying around, and I wanted to try my hand at free-handing a body for Miffy, based on what I've learned from both The Woobles' book, Crochet Amigurumi for Every Occasion, as well as from other projects I've completed. I used some Grape Expectations yarn to chain an oval neck shape, and from there worked down to make a little short-sleeved dress for her. I also had some leftover white yarn from the kit, which was just enough to create her arms, feet and bunny tail, and I'm super pleased with the results.

 

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Bottom Line

If you've ever wanted to learn how to crochet cute plush figures, there's no better place to start than The Woobles' kits, and their Miffy kit is the perfect combination of both simple and stunning. It's an awesome introduction for beginners who want to learn the basics, while also being a fun project for more seasoned crafters.

But maybe my favorite thing about The Woobles and their kits is the sense of accomplishment that comes along with them. It doesn't take too long at all to create something you can be confident about, which is a pretty inspiring thing. While I may not be a typical case, I've been really motivated to keep my learning going after getting started with them, and if I can play around with yarn to make a decent-looking body after a few months, you probably can, too.

 

Curious about The Woobles' book? Click HERE to read my review of Crochet Amigurumi for Every Occasion.