The Woobles Crochet Kit – learn to crochet by making a tiny penguin

By Ricardo de Jong ·

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Contents of The Woobles Pierre the Penguin crochet kit laid out on yellow: yarn, pre-started piece, hook, eyes, needle and stuffing (the Amazon version adds scissors)

Every beginner crochet video starts the same way. “First, make a magic ring.” Then the person on screen does something with their fingers at the speed of light, and you end up with a knot and a strong opinion about crafting.

The Woobles crochet kit skips that part. It’s a beginner kit for making a small stuffed animal (amigurumi, if you want the Japanese word), and it arrives with the hard first round already done for you. Pierre the Penguin is the classic first one, and he’s ridiculously cute. I want a desk full of these.

The Woobles Pierre the Penguin, a blue and white crocheted penguin with a yellow beak

What is The Woobles crochet kit?

The Woobles was founded by Justine Tiu and Adrian Zhang, and it was on Shark Tank. Each kit makes one finished plush. Pierre ends up about 4.5 inches (11.4 cm) tall, according to The Woobles.

In the bag you get the company’s own Easy Peasy Yarn, a pre-started piece, plastic eyes, stuffing, a yarn needle, stitch markers, a PDF pattern and access to step-by-step video tutorials. The version on Amazon also includes a 4mm hook and a small pair of scissors.

The Woobles says more than a million people have learned to crochet with its kits. That’s a lot of penguins.

How does it work?

You use the video card to open the tutorials and follow along one step at a time. Every tutorial comes in a right-handed and a left-handed version. Good news for lefties.

Two details do most of the work. The pre-started piece gets you past the cast-on, which is where most beginners quit. And the Easy Peasy Yarn is a smooth tube instead of twisted strands, so it doesn’t split when you push the hook through and you can actually see your stitches.

TTPM’s reviewers put the project at three to eight hours depending on age and skill. Meghan Kavanaugh at Reviewed made her penguin in one day.

What I like / What could be better

What I like:

  • Pre-started, so the first five minutes aren’t the worst five minutes.
  • Left-handed videos for every step.
  • Reviewed praised the short videos you can replay, and said the finished pieces look store-bought.
  • It’s a screen-free hobby you can pick up in an evening. Well, after the videos.

What could be better:

  • It needs your full attention. Reviewed found it less relaxing than a scarf.
  • The small parts are fiddly. Kavanaugh found attaching the wings, beak and belly tricky.
  • You can’t see the full pattern in advance, which bugged her too.
  • At about 35 bucks for one small penguin, it costs more than generic kits. You pay for the teaching.

Who is The Woobles crochet kit for?

Absolute beginners, teens and adults who’ve wanted to try crochet but bounced off YouTube. The Woobles says 12 and up. It’s a great gift for the person who keeps “starting a hobby in January”, and it fits in a stocking.

Skip it if you already crochet. Easy Peasy Yarn is made for learning, and an experienced crocheter can buy yarn and a pattern for less. For other hands-on gifts, check the paper animal toys from Japan or the reverse coloring book.

Where can I buy The Woobles crochet kit?

The Woobles sells the Pierre the Penguin kit with scissors through its own Amazon store, for about 35 bucks at the time of writing (October 2026). Other animals (a bunny, a dinosaur, a lion, a narwhal) are on the same listing. Pierre is the one The Woobles calls its most popular pal, and a penguin is the right animal for December anyway.

Take my money. And my magic ring.