I Did A Thing, vol. 28: Yarn Crafts

One of the hobbies that I’ve been neglecting this year is knitting. Of all the crafty hobbies I’ve tried, it was always my least favourite. It doesn’t really lend itself to improvisation and learning as you go, so I never felt like I could simply run with it; there was a lot of YouTube tutorial watching and feeling lost. Too much for my liking. But there is something about cold weather and long winter nights that makes me miss knitting. So I’ve been looking at my pile of yarn and wondering if it was time to do something with it again.

I already have a couple of old, unfinished projects (including a sweater that likely won’t be complete until 2030) but none of them were calling my name. Then a random post on my Instagram Explore page – usually to be avoided because, ugh, I hate their stupid algorithm – caught my attention. When you have a big basket full of yarn, like this:

Know what you can make with yarn? Pom poms.

And know what you can make with pom poms? Well, actually, many things. But for purposes of this post let’s start with this: a pom pom wreath.

If you’re an amateur crafter, you probably already have all the necessary supplies; I did (thanks to a little improvisation). Apart from yarn, the main thing is a pom pom maker. You don’t NEED it; there are lots of suggestions for crafting pom poms using cardboard, forks, you name it. But I find the tool convenient, and I already had it (purchased as a 3-pack on Amazon for about $10 last year). The other component is the wreath frame. I repurposed a spare embroidery hoop, which worked great.

I am terrible as bad at giving step-by-step instructions as I am at following them, so I encourage you to Google around for a proper tutorial if you’re inclined to try your hand at making a pom pom wreath. Nonetheless, here are some progress photos:

Yarn wrapped around the tool:

Cut the yarn:

Tie pom pom together (I used leftover embroidery floss in a matching colour) and voila:

Repeat process a dozen more times, making different sizes of pom poms:

Then wrap the wreath frame in yarn. This will serve as the base to which the pom poms can be secured:

Sew the pom poms to the wreath frame. I used a thread that matched the colour of the yarn on the frame, so I could be as messy as I wanted without it looking too sloppy.

And the back:

I love how colourful this turned out to be: not necessarily Christmassy but definitely festive.

Making the wreath was super easy and quite fast. I became quite adept at whipping up pom poms … and quite addicted to it to. So I had a look online for other easy crafts I could make with pom poms. A pom pom bouquet immediately caught my attention, and it turned out to be even easier to make than the wreath.

First you start with some pom poms, natch.

Then you need some florist wire (or, according to my local dollar store, jute wire):

Cut the wire to size (based on the vase you want to use) and stick one end into the pom pom. That is it. I am not kidding. I will caution that the longer the “stem” and bigger the “flower”, the more droopage you will have to deal with, but you can bend the wire to make it appear intentional or double up the wire to strengthen the stem. Here’s my bouquet:

I love how fun and whimsical these look – they remind me of autumn chrysanthemums.