Fun with Yarn - Tassels and Pompons

My trip to Denver was very successful! Over a hundred people had a wonderful time making tassels and pompons at the Denver Public Library. I think what's fun about the projects are they're easy to make and you see results so quickly. For those of you who weren't able to join us for the event in Denver, here's a short tutorial on how to make pompons.

Your first step is to choose a yarn that has some loft to it. The ball or cone should feel spongy or springy to the touch and have some give to it. Then you're going to choose something to wrap the yarn around. I chose a mini-DV tape box. The larger form you use, the more yarn you'll need to make the pompon fluffy. Wrap the form with the yarn until you have a nice bulky hank on it.

Next, slide the hank off the form and tie it tightly around the middle so you have loops on both side of the tie. It's important to use a strong yarn or string for tying your pompon. It has to be tied tightly and it puts a lot of pressure on the yarn.

 Once it's tied, cut the loops on both sides

And fluff out the pompon

It's going to look sort of lop-sided initially, so you'll need to give it a haircut to even it out. It makes a bit of a mess, so it's best to cut it over a plate or tray. Leave the tails from the tie on it to attach to your project.

My friend Marisa Pawelko is putting together an event for the Craft and Hobby Association summer trade show, CHA, to raise awareness of the delicate balance of the worlds oceans and has asked me to help by making two projects for it - one for the home and one to wear. Inspired by the pompon my friend Trish wore in her hair at the Denver event, I decided to make a pompon headband for the latter

...and a key tassel for the former.

If you'd like to learn how to make tassels have a look at this video on the subject from several years ago: