The Woobles is one of those “I got it because TikTok told me to” kind of things, and I could not be happier for it. Woobles are crochet kits for beginners that come with everything you need to get started. A friend of mine tried to teach me to crochet in the past, and I fell flat on my face. I hoped for a different outcome this time around.
What Do You Get With Your Wooble?
Woobles kits come with everything you need to get started, and I do mean everything.
Each kit includes:
- Step-by-step video tutorial
- The Woobles Easy Peasy yarn, custom-made for beginners
- Pre-started for you, so you can get right into practicing the main crochet stitch
- Unlimited help over e-mail, plus virtual crochet office hours
- Plastic eyes
- Stuffing
- Tapestry needle
- Stitch marker
- Penguin crochet pattern as a PDF download
- 4mm ergonomic crochet hook (for an additional $5)
For your first kit, I recommend getting the crochet hook. I really like the one that came with my Pierre the Penguin kit.
What Were My Expectations?
They tell you in the first video what your kit will look like in the end, but to be kind to yourself because it won’t be perfect. Making something that is handmade is not supposed to look perfect. That line stayed with me the rest of the time I was making my penguin, and it allowed my brain to give me some leeway in how it looked.
The only thing that scared me about learning online was how easy the videos would be to follow. I can learn most things through a video, but crochet seemed like it would be something I’d need a live person to show me. I had a friend try it in the past and that flopped, so I expected the same out of an online method. (Spoiler alert! I was wrong, so keep reading.)
I expected the quality of the kit to be great, especially because all the marketing materials showed it to be well put together.
Quality of the Kit Contents and Videos
The quality of the kit’s contents is what I expected from the presentation on the website and in the TikTok videos I’ve seen. On a scale of 1 to 10, I’d easily put them at a 10.
Videos are available for both right-handed and left-handed crochet learners.
The videos start off only a few seconds long each to give you time to absorb the information. If you needed to rewatch one, it was as easy as clicking the rewatch button. If you wanted to skip because something seemed repetitive, you could do that as well. I found myself rewatching a few videos, but they were at most 30 seconds each (most are half that in length).
The only thing I didn’t care for with the videos was the lack of “binge” watching them all at once. I was doing this on my phone and it was kind of cumbersome to watch a short video, do what it said, and tap my phone to continue on to the next. It would be nice to have the videos have an auto-play option with a countdown “next video in 10… 9… 8…” kind of thing in between.
The instructions said that it would take about 3 hours to complete the project, give or take. I’m not sure where I’m at right now, but I’m thinking that will be about right.
Tips From a Newbie
I have two tips that I would like to pass along to you, dear reader.
My first (and most important tip) is to not start this when you have a lot going. I started mine on a night when my husband was sick, pizza was on its way, and my toy poodle decided he was going to act out from lack of attention. I ended up undoing two rows because I messed up from lack of focus. And I had to put down my work to get the door when dinner arrived.
My second tip is when they get to the point of telling you to grab a pen and paper to start writing things down, do it! Don’t skip it. I skipped this at first because I’m stubborn and ended up going back and doing the pen-and-paper method. (Incidentally, that is one of the rows I messed up.)
Unexpected Realization About Crochet and Anxiety
I’ve heard that crochet and knitting can help with anxiety—and after having the differences explained to me, I can’t imagine knitting being very anxiety-reducing, but I digress—but I didn’t believe it until last night.
As I said in the last section, I had a lot going on the night I picked up my kit. I found that while I was doing the stitches, my mind was so focused on what I was doing, I didn’t have any brainpower to do anything else. I was worrying, I wasn’t slipping into a maladaptive daydream, I was 100% focused on my penguin. It was nice.
It was so nice, I might add a kit to my emergency bag when I go out to places where anxiety can strike.
The Woobles sell for $30 with a crochet hook and $25 without. They have a nice array of options from a dinosaur, a tiger, and little accessories (those cost $5), as well as limited edition holiday offerings.
Kits come in beginner and intermediate skill levels. I recommend doing a couple of beginner kits before jumping into the deeper end. The intermediate kits start at $50 ($55 with the crochet hook).
If you are looking for a new project and skill, check out the Woobles kits. If I can learn crochet this way, I’m convinced anyone can.
Disclaimer: GeekDad was given a review sample.
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