How to Make a Pom Pom without losing too much of your mind, the old fashioned way (with some better tutorials than mine at the end — and it\’s okay if you decide now to scroll down there!)
Ah, the traditional pom pom. Not my fav project. It feels like too much trouble for the outcome. And how many of us have gone seeking real help on YouTube and instead we find an all-too-cheery mom with a kid on each hip telling us in her chipper, shrill tone, \”I\’m addicted to pom pom making! I love them and I just can\’t stop!\” (((laughs maniacally)) Sure, sweetheart. Sure. As a mother of 6 myself, I am here to tell you that you may just need a little more grown-up conversation. Or something…
This video then rushes into hyperspeed, and becomes a blur of wrapping, cutting, yarn, all sped up like time lapse nature photography so we don\’t switch channels before the pom pom is done. And — oh, wait, what did I miss? — a perfect pom pom just appears on the screen and the super chipper mom is back telling us to subscribe. I still don\’t have a pom pom.
Ok. I\’m joking around. Mostly. And there are really are some good video resources out there to help, and other pictorials like this one I am making here. I guess that, for me, there are a couple of truths in pom pom making that are just unavoidable: pom poms are fiddly, more time-consuming than I want them to be and — brace yourself — they don\’t always turn out, and in the worst cases, sometimes you have to start over. That just has to be ok.
With that, let\’s try to make a not-too-irritating pom pom. First, as I say: we must use patience. Make sure you don\’t have a lot of distractions, and that no one is going to imminently need your hands for about 15 minutes — or 20.
We are going to make a pom pom (or two) that is about 3\” in diameter.
You will need:
- Firm cardboard, such as from an Amazon box. You know you have one. Or three. I do.
- Sharp scissors. I\’ve seen some people use tiny surgical scissors or even razor blades (I\’ve actually seen that done!). Sharp is the best — and the safest — option. You don\’t want to slip with a dull blade.
- About 13-20g of yarn. I used 15g of Lion Brand Wool Ease for the gold pom pom It\’s the firmest and fluffiest. The green one was made using 12g Red Heart worsted acrylic yarn and the blue guys were made using a total of 13g of Patons Classic Wool.
- A jar or glass that measures about 3 inches in diameter, more is ok. 4\” might even be better.
- Another round object about 1.5 inches in diameter, like the top of a small lotion bottle or even a quarter would work.
- A reliable pen. (Why create more annoyance with a pen that won\’t write?)
First, draw two matching circles on your cardboard with the little circles inside them. Just do your best to get them in the center. I know. They look like boobs.
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| Hold the inside yarn when cutting! |
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| Smoothing the yarn out. |
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| Here is another pic of the \”loose\” yarn. It doesn\’t jump out, or anything, so you can work with it a little. |
Freckled Girl Knits 