How to make perfect pompoms every time

If you have ever wondered how to make a pompom, it's remarkably quick and easy!

These fluffy little fellas are fantastic for adorning pretty much anything. From the standard bobble hat to a bright pompom picnic blanket, the craft ideas are endless!

Easily crafted in any colour and using any yarn you have lying around, they’re particularly good for using up oddments and leftovers or a touch of stash busting.

And, with the summer holidays coming up, pompoms make the perfect project if you're doing art and crafts with kids. Try making a cool pompom treat bag, a pompom bookmark or a pompom kitten or chick.

There are three essential things that you need to make a pompom:

Traditionally, this comes in the form of two cardboard discs with a hole cut in the middle.When making a pompom with cardboard and wool, the diameter of the circles will be the rough size of your finished pompom. You can use any piece of cardboard that is as sturdy (or more so) as a cereal box – corrugated cardboard works really well, and you can cut these yourself to your chosen size.

There are lots of gadgets around, too – reusable plastic circles and pompom makers are available in a variety of sizes if you don't fancy making your own. We even show you how to use a fork to make a very small pompom – they’re fab for craft projects like this pompom towel.

To make pompoms you will need a pair of sharp scissors. If you're crafting with kids make sure any cutting with scissors is done by an adult. Not only will these need to cut through tightly wrapped yarn when you’re finished, but you’ll want a quick trim at the end to get a good shape. Embroidery scissors can be a good tool to use as they have smaller and more pointed ends that can help get under any really tight wool loops.

If the yarn you have is very thin, it will take a while, but you can use several strands bunched together to move things along. Thick yarns will make a pompom in no time at all. And there's nothing stopping you mixing thicknesses and colours – you can create some really interesting effects by experimenting! Making pompoms with leftover wool from other projects is a great way to make sure nothing goes to waste. There's no need to tie one strand to another if you run out part way through making your pompom wither, just make sure you secure the tail of the old strand under the loops of the new strand to keep everything in place.

Start by cutting some yarn from your ball. You want long strands – think arm span type lengths.

TIP: If the wool feels a bit difficult to control or gets tangled when you are wrapping, you can wind it around your fingers loosely to create a small bundle of wool that can easily be passed through your cardboard circles.

Now start wrapping. Take one end of the yarn and thread it through the middle of your cardboard circles or pompom makers, and wrap the yarn out to the edge. Hold the other end tight to the ring while you make another couple of passes over the top to secure it.

Keep on wrapping – working around the circle in even layers, keep going until your yarn runs out. If there's still space in the centre of your circle, that's a sign to start again with another length or several strands held together until the hole in the centre is completely filled. If you start to find it hard to pass your yarn through the centre of the circle, but there is still space to fill up, you can use a large eye plastic sewing needle to help. These are usually used for kids' crafts as a safer way to get them familiar with sewing but they are also a handy tool to have in your craft supply stash!

To finish, cut between your two plastic or cardboard pompom makers. Before you remove them, get another length of yarn and wrap it tightly around the yarn strands between the two pompom makers before tying a secure knot or two.

Remove your pompom makers (you can cut them off if you’re using cardboard) and you’ll see your finished pompom spring to a sphere. They’re nearly always wonky – so a little trim here and there will ensure a perfect shape.

Wrap your yarn around a fork a few times, you don't need very much wool at all for this style of pompoms.

Then simply tie a knot around the middle, between the centre prongs. You can use a darning needle for this, just ensure it's one small enough to squeeze through those prongs.

Remove the knotted bundle and cut through the joined strands so they fluff out into a pompom.

All you have to do now is trim the edges and there you have it – the quickest pompom ever! You can easily bash out a few in next to no time at all.

Mystery solved! Learning how to make a pompom really is as easy as those few steps. Now that you’ve got a feel for yarn craft, it's probably time to knit a hat to pop your pompom on.

And if you want to make more things with wool, have a read of our how to knit articles and free knitting patterns to get going.

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