You know what’s cuter than regular Pokémon characters? Fuzzy Pokémon characters! Beloved Pocket Monsters look even more adorable in felt.
Needle felting is, as Craftsy explains, “the process of transforming wool into 3D objects using a barbed needle.” To create needle felting crafts, it’s necessary to “agitate” the fibers of the wool, causing them to bond together to create a cohesive fabric. To begin, it’s necessary to take some felt fibers (roll them into a ball if necessary). Then, a special felting needle is used to repeatedly poke the felt to agitate the fibers, creating a solid fabric (note: a tapestry or sewing needle will not induce this process). It’s not easy, but it can create some cute projects.
YouTuber Mio has a number of videos showing her process. Below, she creates Lucario—complete with soothing ASMR sounds:
She first creates the body. To allow the characters to pose, she inserts a black wire. Then, to add color, she uses different colored felt fibers and pokes them into place. The finished result is impressive—and even cuter than regular Pokémon. What is it about fuzzy characters that so darn adorable?
Below are other Pokémon projects.
Ditto.
Oshawott.
Rowlet.
Bulbasaur.
Snivy.
And of course, Pikachu.
All the videos are really great, but the ones with ASMR are incredibly relaxing. From taking the felt out of the bag to poke it with the special needle, or snipping the felt with scissors, the clips scratch all the right ASMR itches. Even if you don’t want to take up needle felting, watch those and just...relax.
For more fuzzy Pokémon felt projects, follow Mio on Twitter, or check out her YouTube Channel. If you are interested in taking up needle felting, check out Craftsy’s intro guide for beginners to start your journey into making fuzzy, cute characters.