Make a Pom Pom

Pom-poms are used frequently in Knitting, Crochet, Needlecraft and kids' crafts. There are also pompoms, which are used in cheerleading and other activities. These tutorials will show you how to make both, so that you are prepared for any situation.

Steps

Making Regular Pompoms

  1. Cut two cardboard circles. Cut a small round hole in the middle of each circle (see illustration). Lay the circles together, without any overlap. Remember, the bigger the circles, the bigger your pom pom will be (and vice versa).
  2. Wind the circles closely with yarn.
    • Wrap the first round reasonably tightly around the circles and quickly hold in place with the next round (hold with your fingers until it is secure).
    • Continue to wind the yarn around and around the circles, keeping the winding even and not leaving gaps.
    • If using delicate materials such as silk or cotton for an embroidery project, place the thread on a needle and work the thread around using the needle. If you are using wool or another heavy yarn, simply wind using your hands, as it is likely the ring will be wide enough for you to get fingers through.
  3. Continue until the circles are covered completely. Put the scissors in between the two circles of cardboard and cut open the wound thread or yarn around the outer edge.
  4. Draw a long piece of thread between the two circles. Tie and knot it firmly around the stitches that meet in the center hole.
    • Leave sufficiently long ends of thread hanging to form a loop by which the ball can afterwards be fastened to the heading of the fringe.
  5. Cut and pull out the cardboard once the stitches have been knotted together.
  6. Snip the thread with scissors until it becomes quite fluffy and the ball is perfectly round, as shown here.
  7. Finished.

Making Cheering Pompoms

  1. Get a good surface. You'll be using scissors, so you want to have a good place to cut.
  2. Layer 10 trash bags on top of each other. These are usually only available in white and black, but you may find other colors too.
  3. Cut off the tops. Cut off the top 1" or so where the drawstring is.
  4. Fold the bags lengthwise. This means folding it like a hot dog, not like a book.
  5. Cut the bags along the folded line. Unfold them, if necessary, to cut them evenly. You should end up with a pile of 40 bags. Make sure they're even and lined up straight.
  6. Cut slits in the bag. Cutting from the short end towards the center, make slits in the bags every 1/2 - 1", depending on preference. Make the cuts from both ends and stop evenly, leaving roughly 2" uncut at the center.
  7. Gather the bag. Gather the bag at the center, like holding pasta, so that your fingers are around the uncut center and the strings are hanging. Secure the center by wrapping a bit of tape (electrical tape works best) around the uncut portion.
  8. Attach the handle. Take a thin, strong object which is roughly 6" or more in length. You can use a thin cooking spoon, a drumstick, or even a dowel rod, if you feel like buying one. Place the end of the object at the gathered center and tape the object at that point. You will probably have to crisscross the tape around the object and plastic, in order to get a strong connection.
  9. Fluff the pom pom. With the handle attached, take the individual strips and begin to separate each piece of plastic. This will give the pom pom its volume. Crinkle the strips of plastic once they're pulled apart to make it even fuller.

Making Tissue Paper Pompoms

  1. Take 8 sheets of tissue paper.
  2. Arrange them one on top of other.
  3. Fold width-wise in an accordion-fold pattern.
  4. Cut both the ends of the folded paper into sharp points. Or, cut them into a shape similar to flower petals.
  5. Tie the middle of the folded tissue paper with a wire or thick thread.
  6. Open the layers one by one with your fingers. Fluff your pompom.
  7. Tie a thread and hang it.
  8. Your pompom is ready. Enjoy!



Tips

  • Try weaving differently coloured yarns for a rainbow effect.
  • The bigger the circles, the bigger the pom poms.
  • Consider using self striping yarn to make the pom pom look very colorful.
  • Try making little toys with pom poms. Some ideas could be using a few white pom poms to make a snowman, a pom pom which is two thirds brown and one third red and a smaller brown pom pom for a robin or one or two yellow pom poms for a chick.
  • The smaller the circles, the smaller the pom poms.
  • Use 2 old CDs instead of cardboard. You just have to twist the CDs off your pompom, and reuse.
  • Go slowly and carefully.
  • If you need to churn out pom poms for a school project or charity event, invest in a metallic pom pom ring. Ask at your local craft store.

Warnings

  • Supervise elementary/primary school students using scissors. Assist if they are too young to cut the yarn by themselves; not only because they might harm themselves but also because they might cut the wrong part of the pom- pom and tears will ensue!

Things You'll Need

  • Cardboard cut into two rounds, to size of project requirements
  • Yarn or thread (delicate embroidery projects might require small pom poms of cotton or silk thread)
  • Scissors

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  • Thérèse de Dillmont, http://www.gutenberg.org/files/20776/20776-h/chapter_10.html Encyclopedia of Needlework; public domain resource - this eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at http://www.gutenberg.net - Gutenberg. Original source of article.
Retrieved from "https://kipkis.com/index.php?title=Make_a_Pom_Pom&oldid=360142"