Pom-Poms

Brenda K.B. Anderson loves pom-poms! She will add them to just about any project she can, from crocheted hats to small bags. She loves to make them using different techniques and in this video, she shows you just how easy pom-pom making can be.

The first pom-pom Brenda creates is what she calls a Color-Speckled Pom-Pom. Using two colors, she holds them together and wraps them around a small piece of cardboard. The size of the cardboard will affect the finished size of the piece—so experiment for yourself to make an extra-large pom-pom or a small one. It’s up to you! After the yarn has been wrapped around about 75 times (150 strands total, since yarn was held doubled), she ties yarn around the bundle to secure. Once the tight knots are in place, she cuts the yarn and trims up the pom-pom to give it a nice, spherical shape.

Brenda continues by demonstrating how to use a pom-pom maker. These tools can be purchased at a local yarn store, big box craft store, or online. For this piece, she makes a Color-Blocked Pom-Pom, and wraps yarn of one color around one half of the pom-pom maker, using a different color for the second half. She completes the pom-pom, once again trimming the yarn. She notes that if your yarn isn’t strong enough to tie a really tight knot, use embroidery floss.

In addition to making your own pom-poms, store-bought faux fur pom-poms can be equally fun. However, they often come in a package, and they need to be fluffed up to look their best. Brenda explains that a hair dryer on low heat (testing to make sure the heat won’t melt the faux fur first) can be used to fluff up a faux fur pom-pom. She also demonstrates how to easily attach it to a hat and how to make it removable.