Pom Pom Pom

Over the past month or so I have been working on a little something…..

But before we get to that, this is a little post about Pom Pom making, and a few different techniques for doing so. They range from the low tech to the gadget filled. Pom Pom making can be done while watching the tv, lazing around, any time at all, and is great for using up random bits of leftover wool and adding little decorative touches to everything.

They all involve wool and a pair of scissors……

Low Tech.

The first one involves that most high tech of all crafting tools…

A fork.

It should be a four pronged fork (although Dr Sheldon Cooper PhD would argue that a fork with only 3 prongs isn’t a fork… it’s a Trident), as then it is easier later on..

Wrap wool around the fork:

Then tie a strand around the centre:

Then, remove from the fork and cut the loops:

Fluff up and trim:

While a pom pom of this size is perfect for say…… a bobtail for a bunny rabbit…

They are a bit small for most things… so unless you have a super large fork…. and alternative is to use….

…..your hand! Same technique, tie, fluff, and trim!

However, this technique, the pom poms aren’t that fluffy. And there is some wool wastage after you have trimmed the pom poms to neatness.

The Circle technique.

Back in my youth… this is the way we used to make them. It’s simple and great for children to do.

Take some card and cut two circles:

Wrap wool around the circles until the cardboard is covered, and the centre is almost filled. The easiest way I find to do it, is to thread a needle with wool and use that to wrap the wool around. To make this quicker, I thread the needle with two strands, and pull the wool through until the needle is in the centre of the strands, then, when wrapping the wool around the cardboard circles, there are four strands at once…..

Cut between the two cardboard circles, around the edge….

….. then tie a strand around the centre and firmly secure..

…gently ease the circles over the wool…

…..then it should look like this:

Then, as before, just fluff it up and trim a bit….

Again, there is a slight variation on this, instead of the cardboard circles, I also have these:

As you can tell, it’s well used, particularly from last year’s Innocent Smoothie Hat knitathon. They are pretty cheap and you can buy one here. It consists of 3 different circles that interlock together, giving you different sizes of pom pom.

I love the fluffiness of these pom poms in comparison to the first wrapping technique. However this technique… it’s a little bit of a pain. Feeding the wool through the centre hole takes time……

Clover Pom Pom Maker.

I found these online, slightly more expensive but for the numbers of pom poms I wanted… worth it.

I got mine here.

It consists of two pieces that link together with a metal rod in the centre:

Each piece has little lever arms that open:

To make a pom pom, you simply wrap wool around the arms:

Close it….

…do the same on the other side…

…cut along each side, between the two halves of the pom pom maker:

As with the others, tie some wool around the centre. Then, open the sides….

…and pull apart to release the pom pom:

…and Fluff!

Done!

The good thing about these Clover Pom Pom Makers is that they combine the simplicity of the low tech wrapping technique, with the even, full, and fluffy appearance of the circle technique. Also, the arms of the maker open to help release the pom pom, which helps a lot too, although the Pony pom pom makers is made of quite flexible plastic, which amkes it easier than the more rigid cardboard circles.

Note: I should probably point out that I am not sponsored by Clover, and I paid my own money for said items, I just really like them and find them really useful!

So… after a few sessions of making… I ended up with these:

I wonder what these are for? 😉

I’ve shared my techniques for Pom Poms… How do you make yours?

Tags: Clover Pom Pom Maker, Pom Pom Techniques, Pom Poms, Wool