easy peasy pom pom tutorial!

I spent many hours making pom poms as a child. I cut out rings of cardboard from cereal boxes and wound and wound my little heart out. I made hair ties mainly with them, in school colours and other colours to match outfits, I got orders from friends and many a pom pom I did make. But when I sat down recently to make some, I really didn't feel like all that fiddly winding onto rings. I wanted something quicker and easier that would keep both my children amused with quick results. So I've come up with this little way of making them.

I cut this template out of the bottom of a plastic ice cream container.
the width will be the diameter of your pom pom.
(obviously it doesn't have to be cut perfectly straight to work!)

start by placing a length of your yarn through the gap in the middle
(the rest of my photos show two templates, one on top of  the other
to give a bit of extra strength, it also works just with one)

start winding! Round and round. You'll get the best results
if you try and wind the yarn close together through the middle
of the template.

before you know it, it will be nice and fat! Cut of the other end of the
yarn as above.

now it's time for tying the pom pom off. Bring the two ends
together on one side and tie tightly with a knot. It's helpful if you've
got an extra pair of hands to get the knot nice and tight.
Bring the ends over to the other side and tie a knot on that
side too.

now it's time for cutting! The picture above shows just one
side cut. Cut both and gently pull the pom pom out through
the middle slit. This is where a template made from the ice cream
container is better than cardboard as it's nice and flexible to
get the pom pom out.

now you have a nice shaggy pom pom! You can leave it like
that, or give it a trim.

This one has had a quick trim - (I've left the "tying tail" on
so I can use it for a project)

So there you go! Quick and easy yes? Hope so!

Happy weekend friends xxx