Pom-Pom Tutorial

This is a tutorial for making pom-poms
using your fingers. This one is a small, two-finger pom-pom (about 1" in diameter) but you can make bigger ones by using more fingers. As far as yarn choice, thinner and softer yarn will make a more pleasing pom-pom.

Okay, let's get started! With your index and middle fingers together and holding the end of your yarn down with your thumb, begin wrapping the yarn around your fingers. Be careful not to wrap too tightly - no purple fingers!

Cut your yarn when you've finished wrapping; for this pom-pom I've wrapped the yarn 75 times. *Tip: For any size pom-pom, you'll probably wrap the yarn twice as much as you think you will need.

Cut another piece of yarn, about 12", and squeeze one end through your fingers between the pom-pom and your palm. Bring the other end of the yarn string through your fingers at the tips.

This is a picture of the backside, make sure your yarn string wraps all the way around your pom-pom bundle.

Begin a knot, pulling as tight as you can, then slip the pom-pom off of your fingers.

Still pulling tightly, finish off the knot.

Holding the pom-pom yarn strings,
use your scissors and cut through all the loops of the pom-pom.

This is what it looks like after you've cut all the loops, a woolly bully mess!

Now comes my favorite part :) Still holding the yarn strings, start cutting down your pom-pom. *Tip: you'll probably end up cutting twice as much off as you thought you would.

Trim with the scissor blades flat along the pom-pom to help get a smooth finish. Check it from different angles and fluff it up with your fingers, then trim some more. Be sure to trim around the bottom end where you are holding it. The pom-pom should feel firm when you're done.

Voila! A pretty little pom-pom!
I keep the yarn strings on until I'm ready to use it, then I trim them off the same length as the rest of the pom-pom.

Comments

[Sam]

Wow! This is the easiest system I have seen and it works beautifully. Thanks!

[gul]

very easy,
thank you!

[Karl]

Is there any way that I can make a pom pom with more than 1 color?

[Miss Lady Finger]

Hi there, any suggestions on how to make them bigger or smaller? xxx

[Kristin]

Wow! This really works and they turn out great!!

[Patty]

I was checking Google for a how-to for making pom-poms with cardboard and I am so glad I found this instead. My first two pom-poms did not turn out as nice as yours but I am just going to keep making more of them until I get it right. Thanks for the tutorial!

[Bianca]

Cool!I know how to make ones with cardboard,but i never knew you could make one with your fingers.

[melik]

yaptığınız şey çok güzel hem bilmeyenlerde öğrenmiş olur nasıl yapıdığını ponponun...ve de kapı süsü süperrrr...

[adam]

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[Miss Muffin]

Thank you so much for this tutorial! I hate making pompoms and I only knew the cardboard method ... it just seems to take forever. But your method is so much quicker and I managed to make two tiny cute pompoms ... So thanks for sharing this!
If you want to you can check out my pompoms here
http://muffinsnmore.blogspot.com/2009/01/finished-two-pompoms-yeah.html

Miss Muffin

[Penny]

Thank you, quite fascinating, will give it a try, nicer than with the cardboard.

Penny in La Belle France

[Marion]

Hadn't made a pom pom for many years, hoping the internet would renew my memory. And there you were with the method I used to use. I didn't care to do the cardboard version. Thank you for being there just when I needed you.

[Caley]

Those are adorable! I had no idea they were so easy to make. I've included a link to this in our DIY wrapping article. (Linked from name!).

Thanks for sharing!

[ABby]

O my goodnees this is great !! i like purple!!! yp yoyo oyo

[Jenni]

Thanks for this! I'm in love with the shape of that pom pom; I think I'm going to make a lot of these, put little "stems" on them and put them in vases for my wedding. Way more cost effective and fits perfectly with my handmade theme!

Thanks again!

[christi]

Everyone love you - I'm sure you know. I wanted to add my thanks, too. I don't know what I'd do without this easy peasy pom. Because of you, I'm able to give my scarves a little flair:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=16484177

[Anu]

Oh what an easy method to make a pom pom... loved it and used it to make one for my kiddo's knitted hat. Thanks for the awesome tip!

[ana]

Hey,
I just followed your tutorial and made my first perfect pom-pom! I'm so excited about it! I tried this many times before and used several of those pom-pom making gadgets but never did I get anything but a wooly mess I had to throw away. Well, not this time: I just couldn't believe it, so if there is anyone out there as frustrated as I was but dying to know how to make the precious little pom-poms, just follow this tutorial and you'll be a few minutes away from creating a beautiful pom-pom you can most certainly be proud of!
THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!!!

[jsp]

i knew the old way with the cardboard but when i had to make one for part of a school project this idea was great because it was so easy.

[mivster]

tip: to cut down on wastage and to make pompom smaller, wrap around chopsticks instead of finger ;-)

[Imani]

This Is SOO Kewlz...Today, I was insanely crunch for Tyme For This Customer who wanted Pom-poms so I spent all day today and I finally Found The Correct Website..Uber-Awesome Too Kewl Thnx

[grace Hope]

The kids in my class love how fun and easy the pom-poms are to make. Thanks!

[Sarika]

I just made my pom pom in 2 mins. I loved the way you showed here . I knew the old way with cardboard paper, but very time consuming.

[Teal Chimblo]

Thank you!!! I have been wanting to find out how to do this...needed to make a pom pom for a little girl's hat I knitted! Your method worked great!

[Nina]

I have been looking for a better way to make pom poms. I clicked on this and was amazed!!!!!!!!! Now I can start making my products for my buisness!!!

(I hate the waste though!!!! NOT eco friendly!)