Making pompoms: tips and tricks

Dear community,

Do you have any tips and tricks to make it easier to create pompoms / pompoms for hats, etc.?

Dear Josefa,

Pompoms are always a hit. They’re great for crafting and decorating. If you want to make a lot of pompoms that all look the same, you’ll need some tools to do it.

In this blog post, I described how I made all those pom-poms for the Advent wreath shown above myself. My tool of choice is a so-called pom-pom maker. These come in various sizes and from different manufacturers. 

1. Wrap yarn around both arms of the pom-pom maker. 

2. Cut the wrapped yarn along the groove. Then tie the pom-pom tightly in the groove using sturdy thread. 

3. Open the pom-pom maker, and the pom-pom tumbles out. You can now trim it like a hairdresser would. 

Best regards, Ina

Oh, you were asking about pom-poms for a hat. Of course, pom-pom makers also come in large sizes. You can use them to make pom-poms for hats just as described above. Even my grandchildren enjoy making the larger ones. Here’s the Spiralibus hat from my blog.

Best, Ina

I prefer to make them using the method shown above. Pom-pom makers are super handy 

Speaking of little animals and pom-poms... I have something else to share: This little bunny is also made entirely of pom-poms in different sizes. Only the ears are crocheted.

Best regards, Ina

To get back to Josefa’s question: There are already quite a few tricks for making pom-poms. First, of course, there are pom-pom makers; then you can use a fork or even cut pieces of cardboard to size. For the dogs, for example, I worked with pieces of cardboard like that. I always do that when I don’t have the right sizes of pom-pom makers or when it’s easier with the cardboard. Some people also cut round discs out of cardboard and then use two layers; as I said, there are many possibilities.

Best regards, Regina

I’ve been making them with two round cardboard discs like these for almost my whole life—it works great. But I’ve since bought one of those pom-pom maker sets, too—it’s really handy.

Dear Regina, I also remember this method with the cardboard from back in the day—back when pom-pom makers didn’t exist yet. Yes, you could make pom-poms that way, but it was a lot more tedious.

I have another tip on what you can do with the pom-poms. Yes, of course, pom-poms for hats and a little animal park, as Regina showed us. But you can also turn them into play balls.

These are play balls made from felted wool. Before they became play balls, my grandson and I spent an afternoon winding pom-poms and felting them in the washing machine. We use them to throw at each other (they don’t hurt because they’re felt) or for target practice in a muffin tin. I wrote a blog post about it.

Best regards, Ina

Dear Ina, I don’t find it that tedious at all with these cardboard strips. I place the thread through the center slit, then simply wrap the specified number of times around the strip; pull it off the cardboard, tie it tightly, and you’re done—that way, I always end up with the specified size for the pom-pom. 

However—and I have to say this—if you make pom-poms really dense and neat, they use up a lot of yarn. That little panda alone has almost 50 g of white yarn in it ;-). Luckily, there’s also affordable yarn at Müller Drogeriemarkt or Action—that works great for crafts. 

Best regards, Regina

Almost forgot: I really like your felt balls. 

You’re showing some great ideas with pom-poms here—so far, I’ve only ever made pom-poms for hats using cardboard discs. That’ll be my next purchase: a pom-pom maker.

Best regards

Regina, those little mice are so cute ♡♡♡

How do you attach the eyes? 🤔

The eyes on the little mice are small black beads. I attach everything that needs to go on the little pom-pom—ears, nose, tail, feet, and even the eyes—with a small drop of hot glue. I’ve also used craft glue before—it dries clear—but it takes a little longer to dry. Hot glue is faster, and if you use a thin nozzle on the hot glue gun, it’s easy to control the amount.

Best regards, Regina