how to make a pom pom (without a pom pom maker)

i've always known the "make a pom pom with your fingers" trick,
but my pom poms always came out way too scraggly...
maybe i just do them wrong.

well when i was working on my big pom baby beanie,
i looked to see if there was a different method,
but all i could find were tutorials using pom pom maker.
that's when i figured out how to make a pom pom maker from some cardboard!
quick? cheap? easy? sounds like my kind of project :]



what you need -

- two pieces of cardboard
- a circular object to trace about as big as you want your pom pom to be
- scissors, pen
- yarn!

how to make your pom pom

- trace a circle onto each piece of cardboard, including a smaller circle inside.

- cut them out, adding a slice on one side of the circle, and hold the two circles together.

- wrap your yarn all over your cardboard!
  the more layers you cover the cardboard with, the more dense your pom pom will be.
  try experimenting to see how your different pom poms turn out.
  an additional tip, don't wrap too tightly or it will make the next step a little difficult.

- starting at one of the slit ends of the circle,
  slide your scissors in between the two cardboard circle layers
  and cut through all the yarn wrapped around the top.
  you will want to hold the middle area of the circle tightly
  while you do this so you don't lose any yarn.

- once the yarn is all cut, slide a piece of yarn a couple inches long
  in between the cardboard layers and tie as tightly as you can!
  if it's not tight enough you might lose bits of your pom pom over time.

- give your pom pom a little haircut if there are any uneven spots.
  just make sure not to get too carried away, or you might end up with
  a much smaller pom pom than you were planning on!

- either cut the ends of the string you tied,
  or use those ends to attach your pom pom to your project, like the top of a hat.



now go make yourself a million little pom pom friends!

i don't know why, but when i was doing this tutorial,
these little pom poms were making me so happy, haha!
i ended up making quite a few more than i was planning on...
now to find something to do with them all...!

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