Recently while on vacation with my family, I got to try out a crochet kit from The Woobles. Although I’ve been a knitter for several years, I had no idea how to crochet. In this post, I’ll share my experience learning to crochet with the Harry Potter kit from The Woobles:
Introduction to Crochet
I own two crochet hooks, but have only ever used them to aid my knitting — picking up dropped stitches, chaining a provisional cast on. I have obviously seen crochet before but it sort of all looked like granny squares to me and I was never interested in learning. That is, until my niece got a cute little My Melody crochet kit from The Woobles.
The kit had everything you needed to create your own little My Melody amigurumi. I started out watching the videos to help her get started, and it was a lot of fun. When I got home from vacation, I wanted to get my own kit and really try to learn crochet.
The Woobles Crochet Kits
The Woobles crochet kits are marketed to complete beginners to learn how to crochet, or to anyone who wants to create a cute little amigurumi. They have cute, simple designs and also licensed collaborations with other brands (like Sanrio or Harry Potter).
The beginner kits are packaged with everything you need: the yarn, crochet hook, stuffing, stitch markers and sewing needle. They also have video tutorials that will walk you through each step, and also a .pdf version of the directions. The kits are super cute; they definitely got me excited to create whatever was inside. But they are also expensive… The My Melody kit was $40 (without any of the extra accessories you could buy for her).
I decided to look on Amazon to maybe get a better deal with free shipping, and I found this Harry Potter kit. I chose this kit because it looked more advanced than some of the other kits and I at least recognized Harry Potter.
Harry Potter Kit
The kit came with everything I needed to make a cute little Harry Potter amigurumi complete with wand and a scarf.
Here’s everything I got:
- pale yarn (pre-started + 3 stitch markers)
- black yarn + extra black yarn bundle
- brown yarn
- yellow yarn
- red yarn
- Harry Potter themed 4mm crochet hook
- 3 safety eyes + backings
- sewing needle
- stuffing
- Harry Potter card with password to watch the videos online + access the .pdf
The Woobles Harry Potter Review
I went to the website and found the video tutorials for my Harry Potter kit. The videos started off the same as they did when I was learning to crochet My Melody. Because the beginning of most of their amigurumi are probably the same, they just use the same videos. This wasn’t a problem for me; I just followed along.
My tension was a lot better this time than when I was working on my niece’s kit. I only made it 6 rows in on her kit altogether, but I definitely learned how to manage my yarn better for this kit.
Beginner Friendly
The videos are super beginner friendly. Knowing how to knit definitely helped me to understand what was happening with the stitches, and at the beginning, it sort of felt like each stitch was dragging out to five or six steps. But I can see how having each movement broken down is perfect for a true beginner.
Throughout the videos, the instructor teaches you how to read a pattern and soon, I was able to crochet a round on my own.
New Techniques
After crocheting Harry’s head, the videos walk you through how to change colors for his robes. I felt really engaged and excited to be learning this new craft.The videos show you everything you need to know, and it’s easy to replay one if you need to watch something again.
To create a base for the amigurumi, the videos have you crochet through the back loop which helped to give the rest of the piece a clear line where Harry can stand flat. Then I learned magic loop and made the ears. So many new techniques; I was loving this whole experience!
The videos even tell you exactly where to attach the eyes and how to fill the stuffing. I’ve made little knitted toys before, but the patterns didn’t have this level of detail; The Woobles kits are perfect for absolute beginners.
Harry Potter Design
The Woobles kit makes Harry Potter look instantly recognizable to me. He has long robes, a lightning bolt shaped scar, and glasses.
The videos walk you through exactly how to embroider the face; which stitches to pull through, etc. The .pdf also has a photo tutorial which also looks really clear. I really enjoyed these parts and getting to see it all come together.
The hair was the most creative to me. It almost looks curly and textured. I learned how to crochet a slip stitch in this piece and it was a lot of fun.
Sewing
Crocheting is the fun part and sewing is sort of tedious. I really wanted to sew each piece (the ears, arms, hair) perfectly. While the video was clear, it’s up to you how well you can sew everything down.
For example, with the hair, I stuck in a lot of pins and needles to ensure the hair was lined up how I wanted it to be. Everything is so small and you want to sew through stitches that will line up with where you want the piece to go. I just found this bit a little annoying.
Knitting the Scarf
Once the hair was secure, you are supposed to crochet a little scarf. I wasn’t loving the look of mine and having to keep moving the two stitch markers over just three stitches. Plus, carrying the yarn was frustrating as you swap colors. So I ripped it all back and just knit a little scarf with my 4mm needles. I think it looks great and it was a lot easier for me.
Final Thoughts
I loved learning to crochet with The Woobles kit. I would highly recommend these kits to anyone who is interested in learning to crochet. The videos were really clear and helpful and the kit has everything you need which is perfect for anyone who wants to get started right away. The included yarn is smooth and good for clearly identifying stitches. I think the cost is worth it for what you get, but I couldn’t see myself buying many more of these. I feel like I learned the basics of crochet, and unless there was some really cute collab I wanted, I wouldn’t get much value out of a second kit.
Speaking of learning crochet basics, I bought pack of crochet hooks and I’ve started my next crochet project! It’s the Scrap Yarn Basket by Cintia Gonzalez. ^Here’s a look at what I have so far, and I’m really enjoying it.
Check out my Ravelry Project Page to see what else I’m working on!
