Red Squirrel Needle Felting Kit

What it is

Red squirrels are mostly tail, and wool is the right material for it — the body goes first, then you keep adding until the tail is out of proportion, which is the point. British and merino wool, step-by-step photographs, no sewing and no glue.

Around fifteen centimetres finished. Two felting needles in a case, the wool, the instructions and a gift box; the foam working block is sold separately, so check there is one in the house before starting. Sharp needles, so the maker gives it fourteen and up.

Made up by hand in rural Dorset.

Because the wool is added rather than cut, nothing is spoiled by a slow start — a shape that has gone thin takes more fibre and comes back. With no sewing and no glue there is nothing to dry and nothing to set up beyond a block and a lap.

For someone who likes making with their hands and has had enough of kits that end in stitching, and for anyone who has watched a red squirrel and wanted to keep one.