Felting Needle Gauges
Needle felting needles are specially designed barbed needles used to tangle wool fibres together. Unlike sewing needles, they have tiny notches (barbs) that catch fibres and pull them inward as you stab the wool.
The type of needle you use affects how quickly wool felts and how smooth the finished piece becomes.
The LOWER the number, the THICKER the needle.
The HIGHER the number, the FINER the needle.
Needle Gauges:
32 Gauge = Very coarse, great for fast shaping, ans dense core work. This should be your go to needle when you start a structure in 3D felting.
36 Gauge = Coarse, good fior general sculpting, and firm felting - get yours here
38 Gauge = Medium, a perfect standard all-purpose needle, the one you are likely to use to most.
40 Gauge = Fine, use this one for surface smoothing, and adding in detail get yours here
42 Gauge = Very fine, this one is for tiny details, finishing work
Felting Needle Shapes = The shape affects how fibres move and how the surface looks
Triangle Needles = the most common, 3 sides with barbs on each edge. Used for General felting, Sculpting, Beginner projects
Star Needles = usually 4-sided, with more barbs, perfect for faster felting, rapid shaping, firm felting and give a smoother finish than triangles - get yours here
Spiral / Twisted Needles = barbs spiral around the shaft and grabs fibres from multiple angles. Great for fast felting, creating smooth surfaces and blending colours on the go.
Reverse Needles = the barbs face backward, and pull fibres outward instead of inward. This means they are brilliant for creating fur and fuzzy textures
Crown Needles = they have barbs only near the tip and are used for minimal penetration, used for tiny detail placement, and surface work
A Typical 3D Project would use the following needles in this order
Stage 1 = Core Shaping, using a 32 triangle or 36 triangle, you will build structure and compress/felt wool quickly
Stage 2 = Sculpting, using a 38 triangle or 38 star, you will refine shapes, such as add muscles/forms
Stage 3 = Detailing, using a 40 triangle or 40 spiral, this is where finesse happens - use for facial details and surface smoothing
Stage 4 = Texture/Fur, using a everse needle, this is where you can pull fibres outward to create realistic textures
Why Felting Needles Break
Felting needles are brittle, and can break or snap. There are common causes and ways to prevent this from happening. The most common reasons include twisting the needle while stabbing, applying sideways pressure, hitting any wire armatures in your core, or even pulling needle out at an angle.
To avoid this, make sure you stab straight up and down, let the barbs do the work (you don’t need lots of force and pressure), and the finer the needles, the more gently they should be handled.
If you only buy three needles:
36 Triangle = shaping
38 Star = general sculpting
40 Triangle = finishing
Get our BEGINNERS NEEDLE FELTING PACK here
As your work becomes more realistic, and you gain in confidence, try adding:
Spiral needles,
Reverse needles,
Ultra-fine 42 gauges
DOWNLOAD THE FREE GUIDE HERE TO TAKE THIS INFORMATION WITH YOU! 
guide to felting needles
