Hello! Our craft for August was pom pom making. We have such a fondness for pom poms so we dedicated the entire month to expanding our skills and overall knowledge of how to make them. Throughout the month we had so much fun making a variety of pom poms ranging from 1 inch (cute) in size to 7 inches (giant) and experimented with various yarns, tinsel and floss.
Here’s a quick Q&A of our pom pom adventures:
What did you want to get out of this project?
K: I knew this month would give me an opportunity to try out a unique side of pom pom making. I’ve always wanted to try making those cute animal pompoms that you see from other crafters. When done, they can become fun gift toppers, tree ornaments or even used as decor in a kids room. I knew I could go a number of ways with this but ended up making all of the animals from the book “Pom Pom Pom” by Henry Le. Most of my supplies came from Michael’s and my yarn was from the Lion Brand Heartland line. I decided to use a select number of colors to make a cohesive group of animals. I’ve had my pom pom makers for years now and you can find them here.
M: My goal for the month was to tackle some projects that have been on my crafting to-do list for ages, one being attempting to make a giant pom pom. I’m going to surprise my kiddos with their own personalized trees in their bedrooms this holiday season that they are able to decorate however they please. I found 7 foot pencil trees on super sale after Christmas last year and from the first time I had the idea I knew pom poms would be incorporated! I envision using a giant pom pom as a tree topper with a smaller pom pom and wooden bead garland.
Katie and I went to our local Michael’s store and spent over an hour finding the right combos for our pom pom projects. Here is the yarn I purchased: Lion Brand Wool Ease Thick & Quick (Carousel, Celebration, Mustard, and Starlight), Red Heart Scrubby Sparkle and Craft Smart (Pink Rose and Mustard) yarn. I already had numerous pompom makers and sharp scissors so I was good to go! My daughter’s tree will have a semi-sparkly giant pom pom in shades of shimmery white and a pastel rainbow with a geometric natural wooden beaded garland with pink rose pom poms. Since my son is obsessed with the color yellow, so his giant pom pom topper is in shades of mustard, cream and hints of gold and a simple wooden bead and mustard yellow pom pom garland. I can’t wait to share the final product!
Did you enjoy the process?
K: Definitely. I found the instructions in Henry Le’s book to be very easy to follow. He guides you along to place colors in the exact spots they need to go in order to create animal faces and fur. It was almost like magic to pull the maker away and see an animal (albeit rough around the edges and still missing eyes) staring back at you! It did take me a few tries to get it right with some animals, especially when it came to their mouths and noses. Once they’re trimmed down to size, I added eyes and ears to complete the little ones. I did 6 out of the 11 animals in the book and they came out so cute! I think with more practice I could get them looking even better.
M: I find so much joy in seeing yarn become fluffy pom poms! The repetitive motions of winding yarn around and around puts my overthinking brain at ease. It’s also something I can do while I watch a movie with the family or listen to an audiobook. I feel so relaxed and also productive when the movie is over and I have a lapful of pom poms!
Would you do it again?
K + M: Well, of course we will!! This month of making lots and lots of different styles only made our love for pom pom making even stronger. The possibilities and creative ideas really are endless!
Happy crafting, friends!
– Katie & Maghan