Introduction: Create Yarn Pom Poms Using a Fork

Pom Poms are a basic craft staple. They're remarkably easy to make yourself. It takes less than a minute to make a pom pom. Most crafters will have the supplies, because all you need is yarn and a fork.  Making these pom poms are also an easy way to use up leftover yarn that's just hanging around the house.

Step 1: Supplies

All you  need to make a pom pom is yarn, a fork, and some scissors.

If you want to make larger pom poms, you'll need a bigger fork, like a salad serving fork.

The pom poms I'm making in this tutorial are about 1 inch in diameter (marked "small fork" in the image below). I used a simple dinner fork. 


Step 2: Wrap Your Fork

Keeping the yarn attached to the ball, begin wrapping your fork. Think of how you'd wrap spaghetti around a fork. It's just like that.

For small pom poms, wrap the yarn around the fork about twenty times. Keep your wraps tight. Also, be sure to center your wraps in the middle of the fork, leaving space at the bottom and top of the fork.

If you want a fuller pom pom, or you're creating a larger pom pom, wrap the yarn around more (the large pom poms pictured previously were wrapped around a larger spoon 50 times).

Don't be afraid to experiment with the size and amount of wraps. You can also extend the length the yarn covers the fork. Just be consistent. If you want all of your pom poms to come out the same size, use the same fork and wrap it around the same number of times for each one.

Step 3: Tie Off the Wrap

Cut the yarn and hold the wrap in place. 

Take another piece of yarn that's a couple of inches long and thread it through the bottom of the fork from front to back. Then pull it underneath the wrap and back over the top until the ends of the yarn meet. Now tie them together.

Pull the wrap off of the fork pull the knot tighter. The wrap will begin to curl and turn flat and round. The yarn will also make a bunch of tiny loops. Tie another knot on top of the other one just to secure things up.

Step 4: Cut the Wrap

Now, take your scissors and put them under the little loops created in the rounded ball of yarn. As you cut the loops, you'll see the pom pom begin to form.

Once you've cut all of the loops, go around the pom pom and cut any pieces of yarn that may be sticking out too far. Make sure the pom pom symmetrical.

Step 5: ...and You're Finished!

Yay! Now you've got a cute little yarn pom pom to use in your crafts. Thanks for reading the tutorial. Find more crafty and delicious things at my blog aweekfromthursday.com.

p.s. Cats love these things.