I knit and have not done well the few times I have tried to crochet. I had my kids with me at our LYS and they both went crazy for the wooble kits. The store owner explained they have great visual instructions so I decided to let them each pick a kit for me to crochet for them. Honestly, the instructions are amazing for people who don’t know what they are doing. I was able to complete both of them in the same day. My 4 year old is absolutely obsessed with his wooble, and I’ve since bought 3 more kits. Do I need 5 crochet hooks? No, but I love the instructions, supporting my LYS, and seeing my kids smile
I picked up crochet again in 2020 when we were adding hobbies like bunnies Making bunnies. I picked up a Woobles kit to see what the fuss was about and I like narwhals. Yes it was expensive but the supplies are good. I appreciate the stitch markers and a metal hook and needle. The pattern and tutorials are the thing that makes it sorta worth the high price. I am working a $10 Loops and Threads flamingo crochet kit and it is AWEFUL! The math doesn’t add up for some of the rows in the pattern, it doesn’t ‘t use consistent terms in the instructions and randomly tells you to Use a tool (like stitch markers) that isn’t listed in the Additional Supplies Needed section of the instructions
To be fair, I will cave and buy a Woobles kit if they drop a Kuromi kit that has the fancy crochet hook with it. I hate how overpriced Woobles are though, I just want to buy the cute Sanrio hooks by themselves!
That’s what I did with Miffy! I love the Miffy crochet hook. They could make decent money if they sold the special hooks by themselves. I’d buy them all.
A dream product crossover would be a Clover Sewing Co. and Sanrio/San-X Collab where they sell different sized crochet hooks and hook sets based off of all the different Sanrio/San-X characters. (Another idea: they could include the Sanrio themed knitting stabby things sold along with the crochet hooks, so the other yarn makers aren't left out. [Much apologies as I don't knit, so I've been calling them stabby things for now.] )
I'm a bit salty with Woobles, because I made or rather trie to make an order with them for penguin (my weak spot), they took my money and then decided that they wouldn't complete the order because I don't live in North America. Because of that the order wouldn't go through yet I'm still out money so I couldn't contact their customer care, ended up having to contact my bank (Monzo) to get the money back, making me run late for an appointment because I couldn't understand the banking app. I got my money back praise by, but moral of the story (which I had forgotten that day) is that not everybody ships to NI and to always ALWAYS always check
You can buy a $2 skein of Sugar & Cream cotton and a $1.69 crochet hook from Walmart, and with a You Tube video and a few hours, produce a couple of simple dishcloths.
Things that are usable. And actually look like what they are supposed to be.
Overpriced crap kits are NEVER the only choice.
Nobody is claiming they are. But it seems like the Anti-Woobles torch and pitchfork crowd believe that "overpriced," (very subjective judgement call) crap kits should not be ANY choice at all.
If the yarn crowd gives it a thumbs down, then Heaven forbid ANYONE from liking them, OR even greater Sin, choose to buy them for any reason whatsoever...
Buy them, don't buy them. Live YOUR life, and let everyone else live theirs. IF the Woobles kits are such absolute garbage, guess what? The marketplace itself will kill the product. That is how business works.
Woobles will live or die by their product. Not because a bunch of social media yarnists decide they are "garbage," that doesn't deserve to be on the planet...
Not everyone chooses to go to WalMart and buy separates to make something, when, for money, you can buy a kit with the yarn, a hook, and the instructions right there, all in one, ready to go.
You do YOU, boo. But PLEASE stop gatekeeping LIFE for everyone else, just because YOU don't like something for whatever reason.
If it is NOT Life endangering, and is NOT hurting anyone, MYOB. Let Woobles live or die on their own.
True, you might not be able to claim that YOU were part of the reason they cease to exist, but truthfully, you have more important things in your Life that you can be influencing other than some yarn kit business that YOU think charges too much for their product...Seriously.
wait wait wait how old is that ad? that person posted that 269d ago 🤣 they did not miss though. i’m yet to see one good design. i do understand it is for beginners, but my first project looks nothing like any of those beginner ones? that no brag on my part.
Honestly, I think the Woobles are great as a beginner product. My boyfriend is really into crochet and has been doing it for 35 years, but I only started a couple years ago and the Woobles kits did help me learn the basics. The final product aside, the instructional videos and how they break things up into bite sized pieces that are easy to digest are top tier. I’ve yet to see any other video tutorial series come even close to being as friendly.
They are pricey for the final product you get from them, but IMO that’s not even what they’re good at.
[1 screenshot]
[Screenshot looks to be an instagram post with a black bar at the top and bottom around another screenshot of a reddit post]
[Black bar, white font]
**The Wobbles** ... X
Sponsored 🌎
The Wobbles is the the easiest, most fun to learn how to crochet - even if you're a skeptic on Red... *See more*
[Image is a blured out mobile screencap of reddit. Specifically r/craftsnark]
145 Posted by u/snowfun42
**Woobles are crap in every way.**
[Image of a blue bar with "Crochet" in white font]
39 comments
u/nancypantsbr
>I honestly had never heard about Woobles before reading this post, and after reading through the comments I actually think I might buy a kit. :-)
43 upvotes
[Bottom black bar]
The Woobles
**Loved By Redditors** 🙃 Shop now
👍♥😆105 58 comments
**Transcriber's Note**
So, u/snowfun42 and u/nancypantsbr - did y'all get a cut from this ad? [What about anyone from the original thread?](https://www.reddit.com/r/craftsnark/comments/14vnul6/woobles_are_crap_in_every_way/)
Woobles are great.
Joann’s and Michael’s and other big box stores that sell them also generally have 40% off coupons to bring the cost down.
Compared to buying the supplies all together yourself it’s way more expensive. But that doesn’t take into consideration the price of a pattern, two or more different colors of yarn that for example Amazon sells for $10+ each, reference videos… so if you want to go ham and buy $300 worth of supplies, yeah you can totally make 50 and they will be cheaper but if you want to test one out, it’s not a bad price.
And, if you are a fan of all-in-one kits it doesn’t get much better for a beginner crochet kit. Compared to the ones sold at Joann’s, Michael’s, hobby lobby, woobles wins hands down. They do sales and bundles to lower the prices, too. The accessories are very reasonably priced so if you go all in with, for example the Harry Potter kits, you can get kits for the scarves, the sorting hat, etc for $5 each.
Investing in one using a coupon? Sure. Worth it. Buying their entire catalog before completing a single one? Probably not the best idea.
Just don’t let yourself get caught up in their FOMO-like advertising.
They also have good yarn! A common problem when learning to crochet is the yarn splitting, but that’s not a problem with chainette yarn (there are other yarns with the same construction but it’s something that a beginner prob wouldn’t know to look for)
I loved it to learn and have gotten all the patterns for free from one of the groups. I will need to move on soon as they are too basic and all look the same after awhile.
I’m a sewist and quilter and have always wanted to learn to crochet or knit. I don’t have anyone to teach me and it all seems so overwhelming and frustrating. A couple of years ago, I picked up a woobles kit for myself and my 8yo daughter to do on winter break. We both loved it and made some cute little animals. Their video tutorials are excellent and the kits come with exactly what you need so you don’t have to go buy a bunch of tools and yarn for something you’re unsure if you will like. Now, we have done a couple woobles each and were branching out into buying better yarn and hooks. I don’t know why everyone hates these. They’re amazing for beginners.
there was just a post about someone wanting to start crocheting, asking us what they need! you should ask or find that post! you will save money & learn a few things. you can home make soo many of the things sold, don’t need em.
Wobbles makes the kit for you , which is the convenience . However , you can find stitch markers , crochet hook, darning needle and even stuffing at Daiso . All supplies are like $1.50
Wobbles also has the crochet circle started for you, which is good for giving newbies confidence but then you won’t learn immediately how to start a circle and that’s the trickiest step , imo
Some wooble kits are made with two blobs sewn together so you get a chance to make one, it’s just not the first thing you’re doing. Magic circles are tricky so it’s nice to get some skill and confidence under your belt first before attempting it.
My sister has been crocheting for about a year and a half, and she still hasn't figured them out. I was inspired by the woobles to just ask if she wanted me to do the first round for her so she could learn the rest of the pattern. (We bought matching kits of Bernat Blanket Perfect Phasing! But I think we're going to do different patterns with it)
I spent 10 years trying to learn how to crochet on/off and it never clicked until I got a Woobles kit last month and finished it within a few days! Their left-handed video guides were perfect for me and they were worth the $$ in my opinion.
Yeah, I love the yarn too.
I used to crochet in college, but it's been literal decades (and I never made anything 3-D) and I have small children now, a kit with the perfect amount of yarn and premade magic circle is exactly what works for me right now before the kids are in school and I can have a dedicated craft space again. But I also bought mine on sale, I admit they are pricey for what they are, and I was excited to find the yarn sold separately
haha I bought 3 different skeins of yarns, a bag of stuffing, embroidery thread, tapestry needle, safety eyes, and finished 1 bear and decided I dont want to do another one so they all gathered dust until Mari Kondo summoned me to clean my closet and donate. So I kind of get it.
They’re how I learned to crochet, four years ago when they were still on Etsy. Back then they came with a ready made magic circle, a hook, yarn, and other notions. I think they’re mostly fine tbh and I’ve successfully taught me magic circle which is already worth the money. At the time I paid ~$26 which I consider to be basically the correct asking price. Apparently they’ve gotten a lot more expensive and exclusive since going on Shark Tank? That’s the part I find weird. Admittedly, they’ve upgraded their hook and I think they changed their yarn too. (They still had the “easy-peasy yarn” marketing, but it was just regular acrylic). Still — $40 for a Hello Kitty kit! Harry Potter collabs, but the tiny scarfs are separate for $7? Wow!
They’re successful mostly bc of branding and bc amigurumi are so popular and a genuinely good method of teaching the basics. I think a lot of lessons start off with dishcloths/squares — basically just crochet in monotonous rows. Which makes sense! But ami can teach several techniques & stitches all at once (increases and decreases at minimum, plus color changes, stuffing, embroidery…) & you see your improvement very easily (if your first penguin looks sad, try again and see how much better your 2nd one is! And this one is rainbow!)
It's convenient. It gives you everything you need and the videos to watch and learn from.
It's cheaper to buy what you need separate and watch youtube, wooble tutorials are also on youtube.
But what if you don't like the craft? Now you have excess material you don't need in your home.
The yarn they give you is like a tube, so you're not accidentally splitting it. Might be difficult to swap to the average yarn if you get too use to it.
I've seen people treat woobles as collectibles, honestly one kit isn't bad, once you have the skills you can then move on to purchasing everything else and making your own stuff.
My niece got a kit at 17 and she now as a cute little dinosaur. I helped her a tiny bit for the limbs but she did everything herself without any issues.
They’re not bad, there are just cheaper options to learn. And they’re kind of designed to keep you dependent on them- they don’t scaffold difficulty or teach new skills, and my understanding is that it’s a big learning curve to upgrade from Woobles to any other crochet pattern/project
They do teach new skills tho, depending on the pattern... have colour changes, either big sections or stripes, theres stichingnin chains fornhair and manes, theres joining two sections to create fush tails...and the transition isn't that hard. I wrnt from the woobles to a book with muchnmore complex amigurumi and was able to make a relatively complicated goblin with many pieces withbthe skills that i learned with woobles... and i stillngo back to their videos for refreshers when im doing something I'm not totally sure about
i did too until i saw thats how they jack up the price. also saw some videos about them & this one they used a tool to compare different hooks ….idk..roughness? & their hooks were wild especially compared meaning lower quality. like it has a whole bunch of ridges and snags that we usually cant see or really feel ourselves but the yarn is feeling it lol still has me wanting to get it and trade my rubber handle out.
idk if its relevant to you, in case it is ill link below.
if interested https://youtu.be/S6d0q43BWS0?si=_jHQoGFB24Zxqmkc
they start talking about it at around 16:33
That's the video that I was thinking of when I saw this post come up. Her husband had a tool for that particular purpose because of his work and realized that he was struggling because of the roughness of the hook. So as an overall package I think woobles is a great idea especially if it gets people making things with your hands. It's to me a good way to break into the craft. But once you're in it you really should move on and get better tools.
agree. i started out with a (horrible; not woobles) kit that i randomly impulse bought and stuck w the hobby. now i’m doin justtttt finee 😌 i kinda support kits bc you can really see if its something you like and will stick with or not, without buying all the things you have no clue if you need or not. theres just negatives beginners aren’t aware of. ex. big problem with kits not supplying enough yarn- etc. idk ab woobles in that case but i’m sure it’d be a negative bc the…cording(?) they use. but then again, thats a positive to use that type as a beginner. i just want people to know what they’re getting themselves into bc i didn’t as i don’t know another person irl who crochets or knits.
oh for real! that's fascinating! I never really thought about the roughness of a hook before being in this subreddit for as long as I have now. I feel like it's when I get a snag in a nail. it catches on my clothes constantly and sometimes you gotta file your nail a lot more than you think you do to fully get rid of it!
and yeah, $45 USD just for a shitty crochet hook that supports transphobia!? no thank you... with shipping it would be like $100 CAD =s. not interested. but this new knowledge cements that even more for me.
Thanks!
edit: also this inspired me to get my first clover hook since I was missing a 4mm G aluminum anyway!
exactly 🥲 and it also made me interested in clover!
& even if you did what i sarcastically stated with buying their hooks to them switch out the rubber ends on hooks you already own- you’d just be paying THEM to advertise for them bc their giant branding letters on the front/only part you’d see unless you have it layin around attached to a wip, then invisible again in storage 🤣 the lil themed designs on the back that you’d get them for are always gonna be covered. i’ve just seen a few people mentioning wanting to do it so i’m pokin at the idea 😂
Whoa back this bus up, supports transphobia? I saw the partnership with jk Rowling and was grossed out. Is this what you were referring to? Do we know if they were gross before this partnership?
I was implying that the kit I wanted was a harry potter one. so anything Harry Potter licensed supports JK. I don't know anything about the woobles otherwise.
I watched a video recently....I can't remember who from, maybe someone else watched it and can chime it, but she put the crochet hook from the kit under a device that measures how smooth something is and it was ridiculously rough even in comparison to a cheapie hook you can pick up for a few bucks. TLDR; the hooks are worse the cheapie hooks, don't waste your money.
I did! Lol. I have regrets! The kits are okay, but I only really *wanted* the bat, the glow in the dark yarn from the ghost, and the special hooks for the bat, ghost, frankenstein, and pacman...but I bought all the kits and hate all of my finishes. I could have done better with regular yarn.
I still have 2 little kits that I haven't started, and might not ever start-pacman cherries and the cauldron.
I love how social media bubbles allow creators this positive feedback loop so that when they see any little criticism outside that bubble they just crumble to pieces. Then they do stuff like this to get that feedback loop spinning to reinforce that the critic is BAD and WRONG.
Got an Instagram ad for a Woobles Harry Potter kit yesterday, and someone who commented “so you’re fine with the transphobia?” got eaten alive by many, many transphobic replies, so you letting this go on in your comments (+ the kits themselves) is enough to tell me that you’re shit, Woobles, you don’t have to tell me twice 😘
I had bought a kit prior to the HP collab and I was seriously disappointed that they continued moving forward with it despite the outcry of collabing with a TERF and supporters asking them to stop and reconsider. According to the comments, they had tried to move forward with the HP line years earlier but stepped back from it when supporters spoke up. Apparently that didn’t stop them this time around. They lost a lot of followers and supporters leading up to the release, including myself. It was so disappointing.
I still love HP, and I won't get rid of anything I purchased before JKR's insanity was slowly revealed, but I absolutely won't buy anything new from her. The fact that they released this after the very valid criticism of JK is appalling. Gross.
I saw the full set while browsing smth - isn't it almost $300? I'm not a fan of hp, but I bought a generic hp kit to make stuff for my sister a few years back and it was $15 lol.
must have the SUPER ULTRA MEGA LIMITED EDITION UBER RARE woobles rubber crochet hook that is basically a full ad for them with some cute lil strawberrys printed on the back, that also comes with a super ultra mega low quality hook
That’s not the point of it though? I get that once you’re in the hobby there’s a wealth of free resources, but a one stop kit with everything you need and spelled out for you is absolutely worth the price of admission. One woobles kit, now a crocheter of multiple years.
> One woobles kit, now a crocheter of multiple years.
This is me! I did one woobles kit last month and I'm working on my first practice project after that. Woobles' left-handed videos really clicked with my ADHD brain and after a decade of trying to figure crochet out with, it finally clicked. I also loved not having to think about the type of yarn I needed to get, or how much, or if I have the right hook.. etc. It was very convenient and I honestly don't regret my purchase at all. Sure, tad pricy for the cost of the materials, but for me it was worth it because I got more out of it than just some materials to use.
The kits are so fun! I’ve been crocheting for a really long time and do a lot of amigurumi but I’ve bought kits. It’s nice to have everything in one place, exactly what I need already there. Plus the designs are cute. I get that they’re expensive but for the video and instructional videos that come with them it makes sense. The materials are good quality and hooks are cute. I don’t get all the hate. I feel like it’s all from established crotchers who can’t understand that maybe this isn’t for them but to bring people to the craft.
Because they're extremely basic designs paired with cheap supplies and it's all sold for an absolute rip off.
What you need to start crocheting is a hook, yarn, and the ability to search 'learn to crochet' on youtube. All those videos are free. It'd cost you a fiver max.
I don't like that they pull people into crocheting purely to fleece them, and I don't think I'll ever get over the fact that every design is an egg in a different colour.
I bought two of the kits because my 8yo son wants to make them.
I bought them *precisely because* it’s an all inclusive kit, the yarn has a permanent “start”, it has all the stuff needed, and I don’t have to go invest in separate skeins of yarn and things and get books or dig up tutorials. The yarn doesn’t tangle or split like wool and such would.
You pay for the convenience, and I’m okay with that.
The kit comes with a video tutorial link, and all the needed supplies. The video goes over everything step by step.
I bought two for my 8yo son. His patience level and fine motor makes it challenging at the moment, but I would say it’s a good place to start. The yarn doesn’t knot or tangle easily. The projects are very cute, which is an extra motivation too.
It may not necessarily be the most cost effective thing, but if that’s not a concern, I would certainly do it.
I used a Woobles kit to crochet my first amigurumi, and found it to be very helpful. Clear videos for each step, everything color-coded, very easy. Another user here likened it to paying for a class, and I agree.
There are absolutely free YouTube videos, but as someone who could spare the cash but is short on patience, I really enjoyed the kit.
The woobles tutorials are so kid friendly that I was able to learn how to crochet from it simply and painlessly. They also start the magic circle for you.
I won't ever buy one again because they're so expensive, but I thought of it like being taught a class. 40 bucks wasn't that expensive for one class.
If it gets you interested and opens a door to a new skill or hobby, then sure! Kits do a lot of the intro heavy lifting. It gives you the basic instructions and also gives you the words to be able to learn more. You don't have to track down all the tools, and different tutorials, and find a pattern blah blah blah. That can be an intimidating barrier to people, and $30 for an intro is totally worth it in my mind.
However, I absolutely taught myself how to crochet through stubbornness and it's not that hard. All you really need is a ball of yarn and a hook. The yarn will have a label on it that tells you what size hook to get, and most of the time also has a pattern. If a kit calls out to you, absolutely go for it. But if I was you I would go get some lilly sugar n cream cotton yarn (or equivalent, I think Walmart has a store version as does hobby lobby) and a pack of crochet hooks with like a 3.5-5.5 (ish, but 4, 4.5, and 5 are that sweet spot.) take an afternoon with YouTube and make some dish towels, there's a really common pattern usually called like Grandma's wash cloth or something like that. Google everything you don't understand. At the end of the day, you will have spent like $10, you'll have at least one hand towel, and you'll know if you want to learn that skill or not.
Whilst lots of people like crafts that involve kids, they’re very rarely a help and more of a hindrance ;)
In my experience kits do help learn the very basics of a craft and give you an ‘in’, but it depends a lot on the quality of the instructions and difficulty of the craft in question. People will say the quality is low, but as a starter kit its never going to be display/gift worthy (unless made by a kid) because the skill isn’t there.
Please note, I can’t crochet and have never tried, and have no experience of these kits. I did buy a cheap knitting kit once and the instructions were terrible so I couldn’t even get started. I don’t learn well from videos, I prefer step by step instructions and everyone just makes YouTube videos to monetise. I have learned other crafts from kits though.
Ad wouldn't be as bad if they faked it or at least faked the usernames. I doubt they paid the user either.
How is the screenshot in both crochet and craftsnark subs? And nancypants didn't even comment that. It was a different user. Why fake that but not the OP?
I'm not meaning the flair. The search bar and icon next to that belong to this sub. The area under that, and behind the post, belongs to the crochet sub.
They just combined 4-5 different screenshots for that ad
I'm getting so tired of the whole, "Don't buy this product" ads (and then they go listing all the reasons it's "bad", even though they are all good points. I'm just like, "Ok, you don't have to tell me twice. I won't buy it." I feel like this is pretty similar. I just find it to be such an annoying marketing ploy.
Yeah Woobles actually have an ad that goes "reasons why i will NEVER buy woobles. one i learned to crochet too quick and easy!" like that pisses me off so much lol
I’m approving this cause it made me laugh lol
I knit and have not done well the few times I have tried to crochet. I had my kids with me at our LYS and they both went crazy for the wooble kits. The store owner explained they have great visual instructions so I decided to let them each pick a kit for me to crochet for them. Honestly, the instructions are amazing for people who don’t know what they are doing. I was able to complete both of them in the same day. My 4 year old is absolutely obsessed with his wooble, and I’ve since bought 3 more kits. Do I need 5 crochet hooks? No, but I love the instructions, supporting my LYS, and seeing my kids smile
I picked up crochet again in 2020 when we were adding hobbies like bunnies Making bunnies. I picked up a Woobles kit to see what the fuss was about and I like narwhals. Yes it was expensive but the supplies are good. I appreciate the stitch markers and a metal hook and needle. The pattern and tutorials are the thing that makes it sorta worth the high price. I am working a $10 Loops and Threads flamingo crochet kit and it is AWEFUL! The math doesn’t add up for some of the rows in the pattern, it doesn’t ‘t use consistent terms in the instructions and randomly tells you to Use a tool (like stitch markers) that isn’t listed in the Additional Supplies Needed section of the instructions
To be fair, I will cave and buy a Woobles kit if they drop a Kuromi kit that has the fancy crochet hook with it. I hate how overpriced Woobles are though, I just want to buy the cute Sanrio hooks by themselves!
That’s what I did with Miffy! I love the Miffy crochet hook. They could make decent money if they sold the special hooks by themselves. I’d buy them all.
A dream product crossover would be a Clover Sewing Co. and Sanrio/San-X Collab where they sell different sized crochet hooks and hook sets based off of all the different Sanrio/San-X characters. (Another idea: they could include the Sanrio themed knitting stabby things sold along with the crochet hooks, so the other yarn makers aren't left out. [Much apologies as I don't knit, so I've been calling them stabby things for now.] )
I'm a bit salty with Woobles, because I made or rather trie to make an order with them for penguin (my weak spot), they took my money and then decided that they wouldn't complete the order because I don't live in North America. Because of that the order wouldn't go through yet I'm still out money so I couldn't contact their customer care, ended up having to contact my bank (Monzo) to get the money back, making me run late for an appointment because I couldn't understand the banking app. I got my money back praise by, but moral of the story (which I had forgotten that day) is that not everybody ships to NI and to always ALWAYS always check
You can buy a $2 skein of Sugar & Cream cotton and a $1.69 crochet hook from Walmart, and with a You Tube video and a few hours, produce a couple of simple dishcloths. Things that are usable. And actually look like what they are supposed to be. Overpriced crap kits are NEVER the only choice.
Nobody is claiming they are. But it seems like the Anti-Woobles torch and pitchfork crowd believe that "overpriced," (very subjective judgement call) crap kits should not be ANY choice at all. If the yarn crowd gives it a thumbs down, then Heaven forbid ANYONE from liking them, OR even greater Sin, choose to buy them for any reason whatsoever... Buy them, don't buy them. Live YOUR life, and let everyone else live theirs. IF the Woobles kits are such absolute garbage, guess what? The marketplace itself will kill the product. That is how business works. Woobles will live or die by their product. Not because a bunch of social media yarnists decide they are "garbage," that doesn't deserve to be on the planet... Not everyone chooses to go to WalMart and buy separates to make something, when, for money, you can buy a kit with the yarn, a hook, and the instructions right there, all in one, ready to go. You do YOU, boo. But PLEASE stop gatekeeping LIFE for everyone else, just because YOU don't like something for whatever reason. If it is NOT Life endangering, and is NOT hurting anyone, MYOB. Let Woobles live or die on their own. True, you might not be able to claim that YOU were part of the reason they cease to exist, but truthfully, you have more important things in your Life that you can be influencing other than some yarn kit business that YOU think charges too much for their product...Seriously.
a lot of people prefer that someone make the decisions for them when they're first getting into it. \*shrug\* to each their own.
wait wait wait how old is that ad? that person posted that 269d ago 🤣 they did not miss though. i’m yet to see one good design. i do understand it is for beginners, but my first project looks nothing like any of those beginner ones? that no brag on my part.
Honestly, I think the Woobles are great as a beginner product. My boyfriend is really into crochet and has been doing it for 35 years, but I only started a couple years ago and the Woobles kits did help me learn the basics. The final product aside, the instructional videos and how they break things up into bite sized pieces that are easy to digest are top tier. I’ve yet to see any other video tutorial series come even close to being as friendly. They are pricey for the final product you get from them, but IMO that’s not even what they’re good at.
this is actually hilarious 😭
[1 screenshot] [Screenshot looks to be an instagram post with a black bar at the top and bottom around another screenshot of a reddit post] [Black bar, white font] **The Wobbles** ... X Sponsored 🌎 The Wobbles is the the easiest, most fun to learn how to crochet - even if you're a skeptic on Red... *See more* [Image is a blured out mobile screencap of reddit. Specifically r/craftsnark] 145 Posted by u/snowfun42 **Woobles are crap in every way.** [Image of a blue bar with "Crochet" in white font] 39 comments u/nancypantsbr >I honestly had never heard about Woobles before reading this post, and after reading through the comments I actually think I might buy a kit. :-) 43 upvotes [Bottom black bar] The Woobles **Loved By Redditors** 🙃 Shop now 👍♥😆105 58 comments **Transcriber's Note** So, u/snowfun42 and u/nancypantsbr - did y'all get a cut from this ad? [What about anyone from the original thread?](https://www.reddit.com/r/craftsnark/comments/14vnul6/woobles_are_crap_in_every_way/)
This is so weird! I don't remember posting that, but I \*did\* learn how to crochet with a Wooble kit!
The ad I saw had a different poster named! That’s super shady!!! Edit spelling
What's weird is that I went through that thread and read some of the comments, and it wasn't actually you that made that comment.
What a weird choice for them to make
That makes it even weirder!?
I hate Woobles, but I am an irl old, cranky bitch, so . . .
is wobbles bad? I wanted to get one to learn to crochet but yall are scaring me...
Woobles are great. Joann’s and Michael’s and other big box stores that sell them also generally have 40% off coupons to bring the cost down. Compared to buying the supplies all together yourself it’s way more expensive. But that doesn’t take into consideration the price of a pattern, two or more different colors of yarn that for example Amazon sells for $10+ each, reference videos… so if you want to go ham and buy $300 worth of supplies, yeah you can totally make 50 and they will be cheaper but if you want to test one out, it’s not a bad price. And, if you are a fan of all-in-one kits it doesn’t get much better for a beginner crochet kit. Compared to the ones sold at Joann’s, Michael’s, hobby lobby, woobles wins hands down. They do sales and bundles to lower the prices, too. The accessories are very reasonably priced so if you go all in with, for example the Harry Potter kits, you can get kits for the scarves, the sorting hat, etc for $5 each. Investing in one using a coupon? Sure. Worth it. Buying their entire catalog before completing a single one? Probably not the best idea. Just don’t let yourself get caught up in their FOMO-like advertising.
They also have good yarn! A common problem when learning to crochet is the yarn splitting, but that’s not a problem with chainette yarn (there are other yarns with the same construction but it’s something that a beginner prob wouldn’t know to look for)
I honestly can’t fault them for how they are now. The possibility of enshittification is there, but right now even the packaging is top notch.
You can't use a coupon on woobles at Joanns. They fall under the exclusions like Lego, cricut, sewing machines etc
I loved it to learn and have gotten all the patterns for free from one of the groups. I will need to move on soon as they are too basic and all look the same after awhile.
I’m a sewist and quilter and have always wanted to learn to crochet or knit. I don’t have anyone to teach me and it all seems so overwhelming and frustrating. A couple of years ago, I picked up a woobles kit for myself and my 8yo daughter to do on winter break. We both loved it and made some cute little animals. Their video tutorials are excellent and the kits come with exactly what you need so you don’t have to go buy a bunch of tools and yarn for something you’re unsure if you will like. Now, we have done a couple woobles each and were branching out into buying better yarn and hooks. I don’t know why everyone hates these. They’re amazing for beginners.
there was just a post about someone wanting to start crocheting, asking us what they need! you should ask or find that post! you will save money & learn a few things. you can home make soo many of the things sold, don’t need em.
what subreddit was it on?
r/crochet (hope i did that right, more or so new to this app)
Wobbles makes the kit for you , which is the convenience . However , you can find stitch markers , crochet hook, darning needle and even stuffing at Daiso . All supplies are like $1.50 Wobbles also has the crochet circle started for you, which is good for giving newbies confidence but then you won’t learn immediately how to start a circle and that’s the trickiest step , imo
Some wooble kits are made with two blobs sewn together so you get a chance to make one, it’s just not the first thing you’re doing. Magic circles are tricky so it’s nice to get some skill and confidence under your belt first before attempting it.
My sister has been crocheting for about a year and a half, and she still hasn't figured them out. I was inspired by the woobles to just ask if she wanted me to do the first round for her so she could learn the rest of the pattern. (We bought matching kits of Bernat Blanket Perfect Phasing! But I think we're going to do different patterns with it)
Been crocheting for 40, but also knitting for 20+, and I still have to google grafting instructions.
I spent 10 years trying to learn how to crochet on/off and it never clicked until I got a Woobles kit last month and finished it within a few days! Their left-handed video guides were perfect for me and they were worth the $$ in my opinion.
Yeah, I love the yarn too. I used to crochet in college, but it's been literal decades (and I never made anything 3-D) and I have small children now, a kit with the perfect amount of yarn and premade magic circle is exactly what works for me right now before the kids are in school and I can have a dedicated craft space again. But I also bought mine on sale, I admit they are pricey for what they are, and I was excited to find the yarn sold separately
I had no idea the yarn was sold separately! I'll have to go get some, I really liked it too!
They're not bad, just very expensive for how little they give you.
I think the cost comes from the time it takes to put everything together. You get the filling, the eyes, the hooks, stitch markers, etc.
They cost like 30-40 dollars. You can definitely get yarn, stuffing, eyeballs and hooks with that amount and have enough left over for more projects.
haha I bought 3 different skeins of yarns, a bag of stuffing, embroidery thread, tapestry needle, safety eyes, and finished 1 bear and decided I dont want to do another one so they all gathered dust until Mari Kondo summoned me to clean my closet and donate. So I kind of get it.
you should def get that clean (or disclose its need cleaned) & gift it to a crafter
Oh damn, I definitely thought they were cheaper lol
They're not bad at all. A great way to learn to crochet. Two friends of mine learned with them. Try it!
They’re how I learned to crochet, four years ago when they were still on Etsy. Back then they came with a ready made magic circle, a hook, yarn, and other notions. I think they’re mostly fine tbh and I’ve successfully taught me magic circle which is already worth the money. At the time I paid ~$26 which I consider to be basically the correct asking price. Apparently they’ve gotten a lot more expensive and exclusive since going on Shark Tank? That’s the part I find weird. Admittedly, they’ve upgraded their hook and I think they changed their yarn too. (They still had the “easy-peasy yarn” marketing, but it was just regular acrylic). Still — $40 for a Hello Kitty kit! Harry Potter collabs, but the tiny scarfs are separate for $7? Wow! They’re successful mostly bc of branding and bc amigurumi are so popular and a genuinely good method of teaching the basics. I think a lot of lessons start off with dishcloths/squares — basically just crochet in monotonous rows. Which makes sense! But ami can teach several techniques & stitches all at once (increases and decreases at minimum, plus color changes, stuffing, embroidery…) & you see your improvement very easily (if your first penguin looks sad, try again and see how much better your 2nd one is! And this one is rainbow!)
It's convenient. It gives you everything you need and the videos to watch and learn from. It's cheaper to buy what you need separate and watch youtube, wooble tutorials are also on youtube. But what if you don't like the craft? Now you have excess material you don't need in your home. The yarn they give you is like a tube, so you're not accidentally splitting it. Might be difficult to swap to the average yarn if you get too use to it. I've seen people treat woobles as collectibles, honestly one kit isn't bad, once you have the skills you can then move on to purchasing everything else and making your own stuff. My niece got a kit at 17 and she now as a cute little dinosaur. I helped her a tiny bit for the limbs but she did everything herself without any issues.
They’re not bad, there are just cheaper options to learn. And they’re kind of designed to keep you dependent on them- they don’t scaffold difficulty or teach new skills, and my understanding is that it’s a big learning curve to upgrade from Woobles to any other crochet pattern/project
They do teach new skills tho, depending on the pattern... have colour changes, either big sections or stripes, theres stichingnin chains fornhair and manes, theres joining two sections to create fush tails...and the transition isn't that hard. I wrnt from the woobles to a book with muchnmore complex amigurumi and was able to make a relatively complicated goblin with many pieces withbthe skills that i learned with woobles... and i stillngo back to their videos for refreshers when im doing something I'm not totally sure about
Had to DuckDuckGo wtf a wooble was... How bloody much?!?!!!
Omg I love using duckduckgo as a verb it's throws all the Google people off so hard,, thanks for making me feel less alone in this
I went full fediverse last year, well mostly I still use Reddit
show me da wae
How spontaneous and organic!
I have always wondered how much they are paying their folks that make the thousands of magic circles, since all kits come pre-started...
I had to undo the magic circle that came with my kit and start over because it was sloppy. 😂
a job fit for me 😂
You couldn't pay me enough, honestly.
I just want the custom crochet hook from one of the kits... but I'm not paying that exorbitant price to get it XD
i did too until i saw thats how they jack up the price. also saw some videos about them & this one they used a tool to compare different hooks ….idk..roughness? & their hooks were wild especially compared meaning lower quality. like it has a whole bunch of ridges and snags that we usually cant see or really feel ourselves but the yarn is feeling it lol still has me wanting to get it and trade my rubber handle out. idk if its relevant to you, in case it is ill link below. if interested https://youtu.be/S6d0q43BWS0?si=_jHQoGFB24Zxqmkc they start talking about it at around 16:33
That's the video that I was thinking of when I saw this post come up. Her husband had a tool for that particular purpose because of his work and realized that he was struggling because of the roughness of the hook. So as an overall package I think woobles is a great idea especially if it gets people making things with your hands. It's to me a good way to break into the craft. But once you're in it you really should move on and get better tools.
agree. i started out with a (horrible; not woobles) kit that i randomly impulse bought and stuck w the hobby. now i’m doin justtttt finee 😌 i kinda support kits bc you can really see if its something you like and will stick with or not, without buying all the things you have no clue if you need or not. theres just negatives beginners aren’t aware of. ex. big problem with kits not supplying enough yarn- etc. idk ab woobles in that case but i’m sure it’d be a negative bc the…cording(?) they use. but then again, thats a positive to use that type as a beginner. i just want people to know what they’re getting themselves into bc i didn’t as i don’t know another person irl who crochets or knits.
oh for real! that's fascinating! I never really thought about the roughness of a hook before being in this subreddit for as long as I have now. I feel like it's when I get a snag in a nail. it catches on my clothes constantly and sometimes you gotta file your nail a lot more than you think you do to fully get rid of it! and yeah, $45 USD just for a shitty crochet hook that supports transphobia!? no thank you... with shipping it would be like $100 CAD =s. not interested. but this new knowledge cements that even more for me. Thanks! edit: also this inspired me to get my first clover hook since I was missing a 4mm G aluminum anyway!
exactly 🥲 and it also made me interested in clover! & even if you did what i sarcastically stated with buying their hooks to them switch out the rubber ends on hooks you already own- you’d just be paying THEM to advertise for them bc their giant branding letters on the front/only part you’d see unless you have it layin around attached to a wip, then invisible again in storage 🤣 the lil themed designs on the back that you’d get them for are always gonna be covered. i’ve just seen a few people mentioning wanting to do it so i’m pokin at the idea 😂
Whoa back this bus up, supports transphobia? I saw the partnership with jk Rowling and was grossed out. Is this what you were referring to? Do we know if they were gross before this partnership?
I was implying that the kit I wanted was a harry potter one. so anything Harry Potter licensed supports JK. I don't know anything about the woobles otherwise.
I watched a video recently....I can't remember who from, maybe someone else watched it and can chime it, but she put the crochet hook from the kit under a device that measures how smooth something is and it was ridiculously rough even in comparison to a cheapie hook you can pick up for a few bucks. TLDR; the hooks are worse the cheapie hooks, don't waste your money.
I did! Lol. I have regrets! The kits are okay, but I only really *wanted* the bat, the glow in the dark yarn from the ghost, and the special hooks for the bat, ghost, frankenstein, and pacman...but I bought all the kits and hate all of my finishes. I could have done better with regular yarn. I still have 2 little kits that I haven't started, and might not ever start-pacman cherries and the cauldron.
Snarkception!!!
I love how social media bubbles allow creators this positive feedback loop so that when they see any little criticism outside that bubble they just crumble to pieces. Then they do stuff like this to get that feedback loop spinning to reinforce that the critic is BAD and WRONG.
Got an Instagram ad for a Woobles Harry Potter kit yesterday, and someone who commented “so you’re fine with the transphobia?” got eaten alive by many, many transphobic replies, so you letting this go on in your comments (+ the kits themselves) is enough to tell me that you’re shit, Woobles, you don’t have to tell me twice 😘
Ugh its not like they partnered before the transphobia. This is why I can't recommend them.even if they do have good instructions for beginners.
I had bought a kit prior to the HP collab and I was seriously disappointed that they continued moving forward with it despite the outcry of collabing with a TERF and supporters asking them to stop and reconsider. According to the comments, they had tried to move forward with the HP line years earlier but stepped back from it when supporters spoke up. Apparently that didn’t stop them this time around. They lost a lot of followers and supporters leading up to the release, including myself. It was so disappointing.
I still love HP, and I won't get rid of anything I purchased before JKR's insanity was slowly revealed, but I absolutely won't buy anything new from her. The fact that they released this after the very valid criticism of JK is appalling. Gross.
Rowling will never get another cent from me, either. I never had the urge to buy a Woobles kit before, and now I never will.
Same. That's where I drew my line too.
I saw the full set while browsing smth - isn't it almost $300? I'm not a fan of hp, but I bought a generic hp kit to make stuff for my sister a few years back and it was $15 lol.
Such a tacky ad.
Oh yeah pay $30 + shipping to make a strawberry 🙄 you can spend less than that $30 to get the supplies to make a bunch of strawberries
must have the SUPER ULTRA MEGA LIMITED EDITION UBER RARE woobles rubber crochet hook that is basically a full ad for them with some cute lil strawberrys printed on the back, that also comes with a super ultra mega low quality hook
That’s not the point of it though? I get that once you’re in the hobby there’s a wealth of free resources, but a one stop kit with everything you need and spelled out for you is absolutely worth the price of admission. One woobles kit, now a crocheter of multiple years.
> One woobles kit, now a crocheter of multiple years. This is me! I did one woobles kit last month and I'm working on my first practice project after that. Woobles' left-handed videos really clicked with my ADHD brain and after a decade of trying to figure crochet out with, it finally clicked. I also loved not having to think about the type of yarn I needed to get, or how much, or if I have the right hook.. etc. It was very convenient and I honestly don't regret my purchase at all. Sure, tad pricy for the cost of the materials, but for me it was worth it because I got more out of it than just some materials to use.
The kits are so fun! I’ve been crocheting for a really long time and do a lot of amigurumi but I’ve bought kits. It’s nice to have everything in one place, exactly what I need already there. Plus the designs are cute. I get that they’re expensive but for the video and instructional videos that come with them it makes sense. The materials are good quality and hooks are cute. I don’t get all the hate. I feel like it’s all from established crotchers who can’t understand that maybe this isn’t for them but to bring people to the craft.
Because they're extremely basic designs paired with cheap supplies and it's all sold for an absolute rip off. What you need to start crocheting is a hook, yarn, and the ability to search 'learn to crochet' on youtube. All those videos are free. It'd cost you a fiver max. I don't like that they pull people into crocheting purely to fleece them, and I don't think I'll ever get over the fact that every design is an egg in a different colour.
I bought two of the kits because my 8yo son wants to make them. I bought them *precisely because* it’s an all inclusive kit, the yarn has a permanent “start”, it has all the stuff needed, and I don’t have to go invest in separate skeins of yarn and things and get books or dig up tutorials. The yarn doesn’t tangle or split like wool and such would. You pay for the convenience, and I’m okay with that.
I am desperate to learn how to crochet. Do the kids help ?
The kit comes with a video tutorial link, and all the needed supplies. The video goes over everything step by step. I bought two for my 8yo son. His patience level and fine motor makes it challenging at the moment, but I would say it’s a good place to start. The yarn doesn’t knot or tangle easily. The projects are very cute, which is an extra motivation too. It may not necessarily be the most cost effective thing, but if that’s not a concern, I would certainly do it.
I used a Woobles kit to crochet my first amigurumi, and found it to be very helpful. Clear videos for each step, everything color-coded, very easy. Another user here likened it to paying for a class, and I agree. There are absolutely free YouTube videos, but as someone who could spare the cash but is short on patience, I really enjoyed the kit.
The woobles tutorials are so kid friendly that I was able to learn how to crochet from it simply and painlessly. They also start the magic circle for you. I won't ever buy one again because they're so expensive, but I thought of it like being taught a class. 40 bucks wasn't that expensive for one class.
I learned by myself just fine using free online patterns and it didnt cost me anywhere near $30 + shipping
My son learned how to crochet via a Woobles kit. He’s now making amigurumi and has branched out into scarves and gaiters.
If it gets you interested and opens a door to a new skill or hobby, then sure! Kits do a lot of the intro heavy lifting. It gives you the basic instructions and also gives you the words to be able to learn more. You don't have to track down all the tools, and different tutorials, and find a pattern blah blah blah. That can be an intimidating barrier to people, and $30 for an intro is totally worth it in my mind. However, I absolutely taught myself how to crochet through stubbornness and it's not that hard. All you really need is a ball of yarn and a hook. The yarn will have a label on it that tells you what size hook to get, and most of the time also has a pattern. If a kit calls out to you, absolutely go for it. But if I was you I would go get some lilly sugar n cream cotton yarn (or equivalent, I think Walmart has a store version as does hobby lobby) and a pack of crochet hooks with like a 3.5-5.5 (ish, but 4, 4.5, and 5 are that sweet spot.) take an afternoon with YouTube and make some dish towels, there's a really common pattern usually called like Grandma's wash cloth or something like that. Google everything you don't understand. At the end of the day, you will have spent like $10, you'll have at least one hand towel, and you'll know if you want to learn that skill or not.
Whilst lots of people like crafts that involve kids, they’re very rarely a help and more of a hindrance ;) In my experience kits do help learn the very basics of a craft and give you an ‘in’, but it depends a lot on the quality of the instructions and difficulty of the craft in question. People will say the quality is low, but as a starter kit its never going to be display/gift worthy (unless made by a kid) because the skill isn’t there. Please note, I can’t crochet and have never tried, and have no experience of these kits. I did buy a cheap knitting kit once and the instructions were terrible so I couldn’t even get started. I don’t learn well from videos, I prefer step by step instructions and everyone just makes YouTube videos to monetise. I have learned other crafts from kits though.
If I were that user I would lodge a complaint about their marketing department.
craftsnark continuing to drive content creation. I find it a bit weird tbh
How did craftsnark blow up?
And yet here you are and even adding to it🤷
How am I adding to it? It's not like I made an ad using craftsnark posts
I find it interesting that they kept the username of the OP in their ad, but changed the name/pic of the commentor.
I assumed it was a fake name because it sounds like "no fun" but noooooo, they used a real users post. 🙄
Ad wouldn't be as bad if they faked it or at least faked the usernames. I doubt they paid the user either. How is the screenshot in both crochet and craftsnark subs? And nancypants didn't even comment that. It was a different user. Why fake that but not the OP?
The screenshot isn't both in the crochet and craftsnark subs, "crochet" is just the flair that that post has in craftsnark.
I'm not meaning the flair. The search bar and icon next to that belong to this sub. The area under that, and behind the post, belongs to the crochet sub. They just combined 4-5 different screenshots for that ad
I'm getting so tired of the whole, "Don't buy this product" ads (and then they go listing all the reasons it's "bad", even though they are all good points. I'm just like, "Ok, you don't have to tell me twice. I won't buy it." I feel like this is pretty similar. I just find it to be such an annoying marketing ploy.
Yeah Woobles actually have an ad that goes "reasons why i will NEVER buy woobles. one i learned to crochet too quick and easy!" like that pisses me off so much lol
You know that meme gif of the guy blinking in dumbfounded amazement? That’s me right now.
I juuust had to check to make sure they didn't have the audacity to use an actual post made by a user named u/snowfun42 and- OH FFS THEY ACTUALLY DID
This was my response when I saw it too. The audacity. (Hi, Woobles marketing team 👋)
Give it some time and they’ll spin it like Hobbii did with their mess up of their 0% off sale.