Awhile back, maybe two or even three years ago, I bought four sizes of Clover pom pom makers at JoAnn. At the time, I was inspired to make all kinds of pom pom crafts. And Bailey had started knitting up a storm so I decided to buy her a set, too, because knitted caps and such look cute with pom poms.
Fast forward to this year: I FINALLY got around to making a pom pom garland! I can't even remember what I initially wanted to make with my pom pom makers, but this project ended up being just the ticket! It was easy to make and, even though I was skeptical at many points along the way, I love how it turned out. I think it could be used for various holidays throughout the year.
Because I knew we would be having a long drive to Texas for Thanksgiving, I decided that I'd make pom poms as we drove along. Unlike reading or staring at my phone, this seemed like something I could do to feel productive whilst still carrying on conversation. And other than the yarn fibers which made Spouse sneeze, it was a good task to do in the car!
I had no idea how many pom poms I'd need for my garland plus I thought I'd make a few tassels, too...LONG STORY SHORT, I ended up buying WAY TOO MUCH YARN! But the skeins were really inexpensive and I figure I'll be able to use them up over time.
I did learn that you need a certain weight (thickness?) of yarn to make a decent pom pom. Thin yarn makes feeble-looking pom poms. At JoAnn, most of the yarn is a Size 4 (indicated on the package), so that's what I bought. This size worked great.
So we headed off to Texas, me with my ginormous yarn skeins on the floor next to me. Luckily, the skeins were already wound to pull from the center. If you pull yarn from the outside, the skein will be tumbling all over the place.
I know you can make your own pom pom template with cardboard but seriously, these pom pom makers are just the best! Take a look at a video HERE.
I started out with the medium size pom pom maker and made quite a number of white and cream pom poms before we even hit Missouri!
In no time at all, I was producing pom poms right and left!
After I made a few medium size pom poms, I made the same number of small ones. The smaller ones were super fast to create.
Before you use your pom poms, you'll want to trim off the bits of yarn that are a little longer than the others, just to give a neater appearance.
Once we were back home, it was time to create my garland. To string the pom poms, I used a craft floss (I could have used yarn since I have plenty!) and a darning needle. It was easy to string them onto the floss and just move them to the proper position. I ended up having to make several more to fill up my garland.
Of course, I couldn't stop at just ONE garland. I wanted to add a second one with felt balls, also purchased at JoAnn. I strung them onto the same floss.
Eventually I had enough to make a long chain. Again, the balls can be easily moved along and positioned where you want them without much slippage.
I decided to position my felt ball garland first. I tacked up the two outside ends with painter's tape, then made shorter loops in the center, counting to be sure I had the same number of felt balls in each loop.
Next, I positioned the pom pom garland by taping the ends in a similar way to the top of the mantel. Instead of four loops, I decided on three. This step was a little fiddly as I had to get the correct number of pom poms in each loop and make sure they were spaced evenly.
For the garland, I think using a thicker thread or yarn might have been better because those larger pom poms are a bit heavy and they tend to distort the loops a little. But in the end, I just left it as is.
To cover up all the tape holding the operation in place, I added a garland across the mantel. I hadn't completely thought all of this through so had to scramble and dig around to come up with enough greenery to make a decent garland! This one is actually made with branches from an old artificial tree we got rid of a couple of years ago. I kept some of the branches (and the top!) to use for decorating. I added in a few berries and pinecones to jazz it up.
I'm glad I finally got around to using the pom pom makers. The pom pom garland was a fun way to do something a little different with my Christmas decor. Now to come up with a few more pom pom projects to use up all of my yarn!
