Need something to make when you've given up knitting? How about a garland of pom poms?!
I haven't exactly "given up" knitting, it's just that I've run out of things to make as I live in Southern California. How many scarves do I need, really? And I can only do like two or three stitches, so that cuts back on the patterns I can complete.
Luckily(?) I have a ton of yarn. And I saw this:
from
a subtle revelry. How cute is that?! So. Now. How to make pom poms.
There are a like a ton of tutorials and videos. I tried a few and settled on this one. Using my hands. Start with some yarn, I got this from Big Lots for $1. (I'm pretty fancy).
Then you just wrap it around your fingers. I used three fingers. The end disappears inside, don't worry about it.
Now just wrap. For a while.
More...until...now. That's pretty good. You could keep going if you want, but this will work just fine.
Next you slide it off your fingers. I slip my thumb and forefinger into the middle and pull it off keeping the loop intact.
You'll also need two 8" pieces of the same yarn. I use two for strength. Some of the yarn I used doesn't want to be tied in a knot.
Lay the yarn bundle on top of the two strands of yarn and tie in the center into a knot.
The knot should be as tight as you can without breaking the yarn. I had to take the picture, so it slipped out a bit.
See? Nice and tight. And right in the middle. With loops on the top and bottom.
Now I hold it at the knot and snip all the loops in the middle.
Keep snipping until you get all the loops. And try to cut the loops in half.
Now you have a misshapen ball of yarn with a giant knot. Yay!
Next you trim the ends until it's a pretty ball of yarn. I turn it and flatten it at the top and bottom, press out the sides and snip in a circle. Then fluff it out and hold it up looking for strays. Then I keep turning it until it looks good.
See? Still a little uneven...
...and a cute little ball!
I put together a color palette I liked and made a bunch in different sizes. I used 2 fingers for small ones, 3 for medium and 4 for large pompoms. Then I used a big, fat needle and threaded them onto some yarn. (I used a strong wool for the garland).
I have no idea where it should live. I put it on my yellow cabinet, in front of the tv. Or maybe I'll put it on the bottom of a jacket or sweater. It was only outside so I could take its picture. The weather is so brooding and complex right now...so winter-y.
Which is not exactly what I'm used to in Southern California. Maybe I do need some more scarves.
3 comments
Do you ever stop being so freaking creative? I'm shamed.
Terri! Yes, all the time. I sit in my room and watch every British show I can find on Netflix, ignoring my bag of embroidery floss and yarn. And pretending all my unfinished projects are not that important. And then one day I have too much caffeine and,...well,...that's when the magic happens!
Thanks for always reading! You're the coolest!
Are you kidding? More scarves!
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