by Melissa Mall
Pom-poms: they are puffy, fluffy, and delightful, but how exactly are they made? At the most basic level, pom-poms are many short lengths of yarn tied together in the middle, puffed out, and trimmed into a round shape. So, obviously, to make one you must somehow convince said yarn lengths to stay together while you tie something around them! The easiest way to do this is to wind your yarn around something and then cut it. You can purchase pre-made pom-pom forms, make your own, or even just wind yarn around household objects like forks or bits of cardboard.
Here is an example of a homemade pom-pom form.
I’ve cut two curves out of a cereal box; as you can see, they are shaped like donuts with a chunk taken out. The size of your form will determine the size of your pom-pom. Just remember that the diameter of the finished pom-pom will be approximately equal to the diameter of your curves MINUS the diameter of the hole in the middle. The forms in this picture are about 4.5 inches across, with a 1 inch hole in the middle; therefore the pom-poms will end up about 3.5 inches in diameter.
To make your pom-pom, sandwich a length of yarn between the layers around the center hole as illustrated.
Make sure it is long enough to extend past your pom-pom form several inches on each side. Then, take your yarn and wrap it around the form. The more you wrap, the plusher and fuller your pom-pom will be. A truly luxurious large pom-pom can eat up quite a bit of yarn, and the larger a pom-pom is, the more yarn it takes to fill in the gaps around its entire circumference.
When you have finished winding, lay your pom-pom down on a table and press down on it to prevent yarn bits from escaping. Carefully insert scissors between the two cardboard layers and cut the yarn all the way around. Pull the center yarn into a knot and tighten it as much as you can, drawing your pom-pom closed in the middle. This one piece of center yarn is what holds your pom-pom together, so you may wish to knot it more than once.
Finally, fluff up your pom-pom and trim any strands that stick out or look ragged. Congratulations! You’ve just made a pom-pom!
About the Author
Melissa Mall is an at-home mom with four sons seven and under. They are currently residing in Arizona after a three-year stint in Japan and are having a fun time readjusting. You can keep up with their ordinary adventures over at her blog, or take a peek at her crochet patterns and tutorials at Inner Child Crochet.
Article & images © Melissa Mall. All rights reserved.
