How to care for your Animagikito

If you've adopted an Animagikito, welcome to the club. You've got one of the chunkiest, fluffiest, biggest-personality creatures in the workshop at home. Animagikitos are little forest animals that received the Magikitos touch and, from that moment on, they stand guard in the homes that chose them.

Taking care of them is easy. The carded wool, needle felted layer by layer, is tough like a shepherd's jumper, but it does have a couple of quirks. Here's how to get on its good side.

What Animagikitos are crafted from

Each Animagikito starts life as a little cloud of carded wool, either undyed or coloured with gentle dyes, that Carmen compacts layer by layer with felting needles. Those needles have tiny microscopic barbs that tangle the fibres as they poke, turning the soft fluff into a solid, defined figure with shape, volume and a coat.

The technique is called needle felting or dry needle felting. Unlike wet felting, where soap and steam come into play, this one is done dry, one needle at a time, for hours. The result is a compact creature with lovely texture, the natural feel of sheep's wool, and not one bit less character.

Rule number one, watch out for water

Carded wool and water have a complicated thing going on. It's not that it'll fall apart if it gets a little wet, but every time moisture gets in, the fibres shift around. And because your Animagikito has a very specific shape, the shape of a real little animal, any shifting leaves it looking different.

• Never put it in water or rinse it under the tap. Not even to clean it.
• Keep it away from damp spots: bathrooms, steamy kitchens, laundry rooms. They like dry corners.
• If it gets splashed, blot it right away with an absorbent cloth without rubbing, then let the air finish the job.
• Forget wet wipes, cleaning sprays and aerosol products anywhere near it.

Everything else is a gentle suggestion. This is the only hard rule.

Its coat, how to keep it looking lovely

An Animagikito's coat is the first thing you notice. Over time it can flatten in the places where curious fingers tend to land, or a couple of stray hairs can stick up where the wool decided to rebel. No worries, all of that can be fixed.

To bring back volume:

• Stroke the area with your fingertips, using soft circles and always following the direction of the coat
• If one spot is really flattened, give it a few light taps with a natural-bristle brush, the kind used for watercolour
• For tiny precise spots, use a toothpick wrapped in a bit of dry cotton

If rebellious little hairs are sticking out:

• Trim them flush with small sharp scissors, manicure ones are perfect
• Never yank them out, you could pull away part of the felt
• If there are lots of them, send us a photo through contact and we'll tidy them up in the workshop

Dust, the routine clean

Wool coats catch dust faster than the cold porcelain of the Brownies. That's normal. The good news is it's super easy to clean if you've got the right tools.

What works:

• A soft natural-hair brush, always following the direction of the coat
• An air blower, the photography or keyboard-cleaning kind, it lifts dust away without touching
• A very soft dry microfibre cloth, using short little pats, no rubbing
• A quick preventive clean every couple of weeks, nice and easy, and the wool stays happy

What doesn't work:

• The vacuum cleaner, it can pull at the wool and loosen the felt
• Sticky tape or lint rollers, they tug fibres out when you peel them off
• Rough sponges or stiff brushes, they scratch the surface
• Any liquid at all, not even a tiny bit of alcohol to disinfect it

Its favourite spot

Animagikitos come from the forest, so they love quiet, dry corners with natural light, but no harsh sun.

• A shelf, desk or ledge with indirect light
• Away from strong dry heat like nearby radiators or heaters
• Away from pets that might mistake them for a chewable toy
• In stable spots where they won't tumble down when a door slams

A closed display cabinet is the luxury option if you want it to stay spotless for years with almost no upkeep. Wool protected from dust, sun and curious fingers lasts beautifully.

The sun, an enemy in big doses

If your Animagikito is coloured with natural dyes, our favourites around here, hours of direct sun will nibble the colour away just like it fades a T-shirt left out on the balcony summer after summer. If it has brighter synthetic dyes, it'll hold on a bit longer, but no dye is happy with a daily sunbath.

Soft side light, filtered light or indirect light is the sweet spot. Your little creature looks lovely, the colours stay bright, and it doesn't age before its time.

If something happens, don't panic

Things happen. A bump against the floor, a cat bite, a spot where the wool has come a little loose. Before you tear your hair out:

1. Breathe. Carded wool can almost always be rescued.
2. Take a photo and write to us through contact. If it needs more than a few gentle strokes, we'll tell you how we can restore it in the workshop.
3. Don't use glue. Glue hardens the area and leaves a permanent mark. Same with Fairies.
4. Don't start poking it with felting needles yourself unless you know the technique. The tips are very fine and can snap inside the wool.

Quick guide for Animagikito carers

And one last tip

Animagikitos have a little trick that hardly anyone notices. If you look at them for a couple of minutes, you realise their pose has intention. The sheep is thinking about something. The cow has a plan brewing. The little mouse is looking where no one else looks. That's their magic.

Care for them with this kind of gentleness and they'll stay with you for life, with that wise little woodland air only forest creatures have. If your house companion is a Brownie crafted from cold porcelain, have a peek at how to care for it. And if you have a Fairy crafted from fleece wool, you'll find her guide right here.

If you have any questions about your Animagikito, or you'd like us to give it a little maintenance check, write to us through contact. We're usually in the workshop, but we reply really quickly.