How to make wool pompoms
Making pompoms is easy, fun, and can be a very sociable activity. They can be used in loads of different ways: to decorate a space, to give as gifts, or to play with!
You will need
- A pompom making gadget (available from craft stores). These come in various sizes: the bigger the gadget, the bigger the pompom
- Small, sharp scissors
- A ball of wool
- An extra piece of wool, to tie the pompom together and hang it up
Tip: the thicker the wool, the quicker you’ll make the pompom.
In this guide, we’ll explain how to make pompoms from wool and join them together.
If you don’t have any wool or a pompom maker, look at our guide for paper pompoms instead!
Instructions
1) The gadget
Open one half of the gadget, keeping the two curved arms close together ready to start tightly wrapping them in your chosen wool. Holding the end of the wool tight and keeping the two curved arms tight together, begin wrapping the wool moving from one side to the other. Try to keep it even from one end to the other.
2) The wrapping
When you’ve wrapped the whole first section of the gadget in wool, close it. Then you can cut the ends of the wool short, and you’re ready to start wrapping the second section. Open the second section of the gadget and repeat the wrapping process, closing the gadget when you’re done and cutting the loose ends off.
3) Snip snip
Take a pair of scissors and, holding the pompom firmly, cut the wool, using the groove in the pompom gadget as a guide. Make sure that every thread is cut. Now turn the gadget over and do the same cutting on the other side. Once both sides are cut, make sure all the threads are also cut.
4) Tie it up
Place the pre-cut length of wool along the groove in the pompom gadget and tie a knot tightly. If it isn’t secure the pompom will fall apart when you open the gadget. Once you’ve made sure it’s tight, carefully open the lever on each side of the pompom gadget. Grip the circular sides of the gadget and carefully pull the two halves apart.
5) Ta-da!
Your pompom is pretty much complete! It may just need some trimming to neaten up any longer threads. And after that, you’re ready to start experimenting with different colours of wool and different sized pompoms.
The pompom possibilities are endless
A creative Cornish community set the world record in sphere of pompom making, by making and hanging more than 8,000 pompoms in a row. The PL24 Community Association earned their spot in the Guinness Book of Records following their success, which was celebrated at their Big Lunch 2017 on Par Running Track.
