How to make pom poms

Making pom poms is fun and a great way to use up leftover yarn. Use them on top of a woolly hat, the end of a scarf, to decorate a present, or string them together into a pretty garland as I have done here. Pom poms can be made in any size and even the smallest wool scraps can be used to make multicoloured versions.

You will need

• Wool
• Cardboard
• Sharp scissors
• Large darning needle
• Crochet hook (optional)

How to make

Step 1

Draw two circles the same size onto a piece of card. I used a cereal packet and drew around a 5cm (2in) cookie cutter.

Step 2

Cut out your discs, then cut a 1-2cm (1/2-3/4in) circular hole in the middle of each (large enough to thread the yarn through.)

Step 4

Holding the two discs together, start threading the wool through the hole and wind it around the doughnut. I do this by cutting long lengths of wool, then fold them double to save time. 

The process is easier if you work with a shorter length of wool. As you wrap, working your way round to completely cover the discs, then continuing round to build up the layers, the hole in the middle becomes smaller, so use a crochet hook or darning needle at this stage to help to pull it through.

As you run out of wool, simply cut another piece, tie it to the end of the previous piece and continue.

Step 5

When the discs are completely covered and there is no space for more yarn, cut the wool around the outside circumference. To do this, ease the point of your scissors between the two cardboard discs, snip round, a bit at a time, holding the discs together with your other hand. 

When you have cut all the way round, use a separate piece of wool to wrap around the centre of your pom pom (between the two cardboard discs) and tie in a tight knot.

Step 6

Tear and slide off the two card discs and fluff up your pom pom.

Make a pom pom garland

When you have enough pom poms to make a garland, thread a piece of fine ribbon or a single piece of wool through the centre of each pom pom using a darning needle.

If you know how to crochet, crochet the chain: make 30 chain, place hook through centre of pom pom, make 20 chain more, attach the next pom pom, make 20 chain and continue in this way until all pom poms are strung together. Make 30 chain and finish off.

Make a loop at each end for hanging.

Find out how to make easy no-sew bunting

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