How to....Make a POMPOM

This month's How To has had to be adapted slightly due to my arm injuries. It's a fairly simple one but what you can do with them are endless. Try making a pompom scarf or adding on to the top of a knitted hat. Why not add them to a pair of slippers, napkin rings or just use them as decorations. 

Step 1: Draw some circles onto stiff card and draw smaller circles inside. You will need two circles for each pompom. They can be re-used so how many you make is totally up to you. I made about 10 - it was enough to have 5 pompoms on the go at one time and, as I was doing it production-line style, it was useful to have more rather than less.

Step 2: Cut the circle out, including cutting out the circles in the middle so that you end up with a circular shape with a hole in the middle. 

 Step 3: Choose your yarn. I happen to have quite a lot of pinks and purples in my yarn box so I have chosen 5 colours that go with each other. 

Step 4: Wind small flat balls of yarn from your main yarn balls. These will need to fit through the inner circles of your card pieces so they should ideally be quite skinny. 

Step 5: Hold two card circles together and start winding the yarn around the circle. You need to make sure you go through the inner circle and round the outer edge. Wind all the way around the circle - if you haven't got enough yarn to go all the way around, make a new bundle and continue!

Step 6: Once you have wound all the way around your circle, get a pair of sharp scissors. Move some yarn slightly so that you can get your scissors between the two pieces of card. Carefully cut the yarn all around the outside edge of the circle between the two pieces of card. You will have to hold the inner circle to prevent the small yarn pieces from coming away.

Step 7: Cut a length of yarn (about 10 is more than enough) and slip it between the two pieces of card. Wrap it around the yarn threads, pull it together and make a tight double knot.

Step 8: Now gently pull the two pieces of card off the pompom, roll it around to make it spherical and cut the long ends of yarn off.








Voila you have made a pompom... Now what are you going to use it for?