Comparison of pompoms and tools

Yarn pom poms in 3 ways

Recently, I got into the topic of making yarn pom poms. I have gone through countless pages with instructions on how to make a pom pom. I chose three ways and described below. Additional I created a list of the pros and cons of each approach.

I invite you to my subjective comparison of 3 methods of making yarn pom poms. And most importantly, below you can find the step by step instructions for each method. You can choose the one that suits you the best 

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For comparison, I chose three methods: a fork, a pom pom maker and a cardboard circle. I looked at: the price, the available pompom sizes that can be created using given method, the difficulty of making, who can make the pom pom and my subjective feelings after facing each method. See the graphics below for details.

Pompom maker techniques comparison

My unquestionable favorite is the pom pom maker. In the further part of the post you will find the instruction for each method.

Making pom poms using a pom pom maker

I do not hide that this is my favorite method. I fell in love with these pom poms 🙂

Supplies

  • Pom pom maker
  • Yarn
  • Scissors
Supplies for making pompoms

Instructions

  1. Open the device.
  2. Combine both parts.
  3. Wind the yarn on the first half. Start from right to left and back until you fill the entire maker. The more yarn you wove, the denser the pompom will be.
  4. Cut the yarn.
  5. Wind the yarn to the other half and finally cut the yarn.
  6. Close the tool and secure with latches.
  7. Cut the yarn on the wound of the device.
  8. Repeat on the second half.
  9. Now comes a very important moment! Cut the piece of yarn, insert it between the two parts of the device and tie firmly. It’s best to make a few loops by dragging the yarn back and forth. At the end tie a good knot.
  10. Release and remove the device.
  11. Form a nice spherical pom pom by cutting off protruding threads.

Making pom poms using cardboard circles

This method is very similar to making a pom pom with pom pom maker. In my opinion, it differs primarily when the yarn is cut. Here, this step is much more difficult because the fibers run away and you have to be very vigilant and careful. However, the huge advantage is that you do not need to buy special equipment and you can create a pom pom of any size. You just need to cut out smaller or bigger cardboard circles.

Supplies

  • Cardboard
  • Pencil
  • Yarn
  • Scissors
Pompom out of cardboard circles

Instructions

  1. Put the circle one on top of the other.
  2. Wind the yarn on the joined rings. Reel from right to left and back until you fill the whole circle. The more yarn you wove, the denser the pom pom will be. Now it seems to me that my mistake was to wrap too little yarn. Because of this, the fibers escaped. If I was ‘full’ like at the maker it would be easier.
  3. Cut off the yarn.
  4. Cut the yarn. Do it carefully, hold the circles firmly and make sure that the threads do not fall apart.
  5. Now comes a very important moment! Cut the piece of yarn, insert it between the circles and tie firmly. It’s best to make a few loops by dragging the yarn back and forth. At the end tie a good knot.
  6. Take pom pom out of the circles.
  7. Form a nice spherical pom pom by cutting off protruding threads.

Pom pom on a fork

Very easy way to make a pom pom. It is ideal for playing with kids and drawing them into the world of DIY. An example of a chicken made on the basis of such a fork pom pom is here.

  1. Begin by winding the yarn on the fork. Use the ‘toothed’ part so that there is a small gap at the beginning of the teeth. The more yarn you wove, the thicker the pumps will be.
  2. Before you remove the yarn from the fork, tie the yarn in the middle to form kind of a bow. Transfer the extra piece of yarn through the hole in the fork and tie a tight knot.
  3. Now you can take off the yarn from the fork. Cut the loops with scissors. The first version of the pompom is ready, although it still does not look too nice.
  4. At the end, the pompom goes to the hairdresser, which is children’s favorite part. The idea is to cut out protruding threads and give the pompom a nice round shape.

Which method do you choose?

Pompoms