Make Homemade Pom Poms

Making homemade pom poms can be fun and easy. They make great cat toys, Christmas ornaments, or presents to your young ones in seven simple steps.

Steps

Find a piece of thin cardboard. An empty cereal box will do.
Cut two circles, about {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}} in diameter, out of the cardboard. They need to be exactly the same size and shape.
Out of the center of each circle, cut a smaller circle. Leave about {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}} left of the larger circle, making it a thick ring. You now have your templates. You can make them any size you want, but small ones work best.
If you want your templates to last, you can cover them with masking tape, but you don't have to.
Line up the rings on top of each other. Using any color yarn you like, start wrapping yarn around BOTH of the rings. Continue until you can't see the rings at all, then do a second layer. The more layers you add, the denser your pom pom will be.
When you are finished wrapping, set aside a 1-foot length of yarn that is the same color as your pom pom. Using an exact blade or a pair of scissors, cut around the outside edge of your rings. When you are finished cutting and it starts to look more like a pom pom, take your set-aside length of yarn and slip it in between your templates. Tie a tight and secure knot.
Carefully pull templates off your pom pom. Roll the pom pom in your hands to make it even, and trim off any hanging strings, If you are making a Christmas ornament, leave the two ends of string hanging out of the pom pom and tie their ends together. Your finished pom pom is ready to roll!
Finished.

If you want a multicolored pom pom, use different colors or textures of yarn for your desired effect.
Add googly eyes to your pom pom and glue to a Popsicle stick for behind-the-table puppets.