Introduction: Fluffy Pom-Pom Bookmark

About: During the day, I'm a hard-working student. Yet during the night —or more like 4 in the morning— I get those billion-dollar crafty ideas. Here, I will make these amazing projects available for you to enjoy, th…

What's your favourite thing to do during the cold winter days? Watching television or baking? Or is it warming up to the fireplace under a cozy blanket with your favourite book? I know that's my favourite thing to do.

This Fluffy Pom-Pom Braided Bookmark takes that experience to the next level. There's nothing better than a fireplace, blanket, book...and an adorable braided bookmark attached to a fluffy yarn ball! To create the bookmark, you will need the following materials and supplies:

  • Yarn - you will need three different colours. I did purple, blue, and pink
  • Scissors - they will have to be strong enough to be able to cut through lots of yarn
  • Measuring tape
  • Fork - for making the pom-pom fluffier
  • Felt - to create the mug and heart at the end of the bookmark
  • Paper - to sketch out the mug and heart design
  • Pen
  • Sewing needle - optional, but works the best
  • Hot glue gun and sticks - to stick everything together

Step 1: Preparing the Yarn

To prepare the yarn, I first had to measure and cut the following lengths:

  • 10 inches of purple yarn (used to tie the yarn together)
  • 20 inches of yarn (x3) -- of the different coloured yarns (used to create the 'tail' of the bookmark)

Set these strands of yarn aside for later use.

COOL HINT: For the 20 inch long strands, make each strand a different colour of yarn. For my project, I did purple (the same colour as the main yarn), blue, and pink!

Step 2: Wrapping the Yarn

Instead of using cardboard or the various other ways to make a pom-pom, I used my fingers. It's much easier and a more convenient way to make a nice and fluffy yarn ball. For this step, I did not use any of the strands that I cut previously. I used yarn straight from the ball for the pom-pom.

  1. Take the end of the yarn from the ball and hold it in your hand
  2. Wrap it around your index, middle, and ring finger. (Wrap it snug, but not too tight)
  3. Continue to wrap the yarn around your fingers for about 90 times, then cut.

TIP: Don't wrap the yarn too close to the tips of your finger --the yarn will become loose and start to unravel.

Step 3: Tying the Yarn

  1. Carefully, slide the yarn off your fingers slowly. (Make sure it doesn't fall apart!)
  2. Lay it over the 10 inch strand that you cut in the first step
  3. Using this piece, tie the 'pom-pom' through the middle so that it looks like the picture above.

Step 4: Attaching the 'Tail'

In this step, I used all three of the 20 inch long strands of yarn.

  1. Put the 20 inch long string through the sewing needle (If you don't have a needle handy, using a tool with a sharp point -such as a pen- also works)
  2. Use the needle to bring the yarn UNDER the 10 inch strand that was used to tie the 90 loops together
  3. After slipping it under (or poking it with a pen to go through) take away the needle and tie a knot
  4. Repeat these steps (steps 1-3) twice for the two other 20 inch long strands
  5. Cut off the short ends of these three 20 inch strands and the two ends of the 10 inch strands. This is so that the different coloured strands don't stand out when the pom-pom is finished.

WARNING: DO NOT cut the rest of the 20 inch long strands AT ALL until instructed (these three strings are important for creating the bookmark!)

Step 5: Forming the Pom-pom

At this point, your pom-pom should look like the first picture above.

In this step, I cut the strings to get a messy yarn ball.

  1. Hold the ball on its side
  2. Slide the scissors through the yarn loops (on the side) and cut

For best results, use a strong pair of scissors. It will be easier to cut and will not pull the strings out as you cut.

When you have finished cutting the strings, the pom-pom will appear very uneven and seem to barely resemble a ball. That's ok, because that's what it's supposed to look like...It's time for a haircut!

Step 6: Trimming the Pom-pom

To trim the pom-pom, slowly cut off the uneven and odd pieces. Make sure to look at the ball from different angles so that it is cut into an even sphere. As you are cutting, be careful...DO NOT cut the bookmark tails!

After I trimmed the pom-pom, I didn't like how it lacked some volume. So I decided to use a fork to result in a fluffier look. To do this, I combed through the yarn strands on the pom-pom as if it was hair...or the fur of a dog --probably a POM-eranian! (See what I did there? Aha.)

Just be aware that if you pull too hard with the fork, it is possible to yank some strands of yarn out. So be gentle as you do this. For a cleaner look, I did another trim afterwards to get rid of the fuzz.

Step 7: Braiding the Tail

If you already know how to braid, skip this step and braid the tail. However, if you don't know, I've included a step-by-step collage through pictures for you to follow above.

Here is how you braid in more details:

You have three strands of different colours of yarn --the pink is on the left, the purple is in the middle, and the blue is on the right. Make sure there is a reasonable distance between each strand.

  1. Bring the pink strand over the purple so that it is next to the blue from the inside.
  2. Bring the blue strand over the pink so that it is next to the purple from the inside.
  3. Bring the purple strand over the blue so that it is next to the pink from the inside.

Repeat this process until the tail becomes about 11 inches long, and cut. Tie a knot about an inch before the end (at about 10 inches).

TIP: As you braid, the pom-pom might move a lot and make the steps more challenging. Try getting someone to hold it, putting it under something heavy (like a book), or putting it through the inside of a pair of scissors (it sounds weird, but it does the job!).

Step 8: Sketching the Mug and Heart

For my final decoration at the end of the bookmark, I choose to create a cute mug with a heart in the middle. But you can do whatever you want --from nothing at all to a miniature book, favourite food or dessert, animal, or craft supply! For the mug and heart (or whatever you are creating), it is best to sketch out your idea first on paper.

  1. On a 1.5 x 1.5 inch piece of paper, sketch a mug (like above).
  2. On about a 0.5 x 0.5 inch piece of paper, sketch a heart (like above).

I created my designs using felt, so cut a...

  1. 1.5 x 1.5 inch long square piece of felt for the mug (x2). I did a light blue felt colour
  2. About 0.5 x 0.5 inch long square piece of felt for the heart (x2). I did a pink felt colour.

To trace the shapes onto the felt, cut out the mug and heart (on paper) and place over the felts to copy.

Step 9: Cutting Out the Mug and Heart

Cut out the traced sketches of the mug and heart on the felt.

Make sure that you have two mugs and two hearts.

Flip one mug so that the mug handles are on the outside and make sure that the proportions are right (the heart fits properly on the centre of the mug).

Step 10: Putting It All Together

For this final step, I used a hot glue gun to attach everything together. Before glueing, make sure that you have plugged the glue gun in for at least 5 minutes and allowed it to heat up for the best results.

  1. Glue the hearts onto the centre of the mugs and press down for 5 seconds
  2. Place the side of one mug with the heart down, so that the side without the heart is facing up
  3. Put the end of the tail of the bookmark on top of that side, making sure that it fits inside the mug (cut off excess yarn if necessary)
  4. Put glue on the inside and then immediately place the second mug (with the heart side up) and press together for another 5 seconds

Step 11: Enjoy!

Your fluffy pom-pom bookmark is now done! So go ahead and show it off to your friends as you read in your favourite chair, with a cozy blanket, next to the warm fireplace during the snowfall with your new, fluffy, and detailed bookmark! Enjoy!

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