Do you remember my post on making a pom pom from scraps? Well I was asked to re-make a weave that included that messy scrap pom pom. While I was making it I realized I didn’t share how I trimmed the pom pom to make it look nice, but also keep the messy beauty of it.
I do love those pom poms that are perfectly shaped into a sphere, but I realized that I like the messy pom poms a little bit better. For me, they show off more of the yarn that makes up the pom and have a bit of personality.
If you want to achieve that same look, I’ve included how I made the scrap Pom Pom along with how I trimmed the Pom so that it looked messy. I’m going to skip how to make the cardboard holder that holds the scrap yarns, but if you want to see those steps, click here for the post. It’s easy to make.
How to make a scrap Pom Pom
step 1| decide on a scrap yarn length, for example I chose 3 inches long for my scrap yarns. Pile your scrap yarns onto the tool we just made, laying them perpendicularly across the center.
Yarns that are shorter then your scrap yarn size should not be used for this pom pom. Yarns that are longer can be cut down. I had a few that were 10 or 12 inches, too short to really weave with, so I cut them down to as many 3 inch pieces as possible. For the yarns that were slightly longer then 3 inches I just added them. Having the slightly different lengths helped add to the messy look, although some I trimmed depending on how it looked.
step 2| as you pile the scrap yarns, make sure to pack the threads down every so often so you can fit more threads. Stop when you have reached the top of your tool, or when you have reached the fullness that you wanted.
step 3| take a piece of yarn to tie off the pom pom with. Place the yarn across the top of the pile of yarn scraps.
step 4| flip your tool over while holding the tie off thread, making sure to lose your pieces.
step 5| while holding the tie-off string tight, carefully pull your tool off the threads.
step 6| now tie a very tight double knot around your threads and you have your scrap pom pom! Trim the sides as necessary.
How to trim your Pom Pom to get a messy look
step 1| trim parts of your Pom Pom to help achieve a spherical shape. For my pom pom, I started by trimming the fluffy grey wool and leaving the other threads long.
Tip: The most important part to trimming is having a nice pair of sharp scissors. I use a pair of 5 inch precision scissors that are so sharp, I keep them in the packaging they came in. They trim fiber perfectly and I only use them on my fibers which helps keep them sharp longer.
step 2| next I trimmed the colored threads, but for these I purposely trimmed them at different lengths and kept them longer then my fluffy grey wool. This helped make the colored threads visually stand out. If I were to cut all the threads at the same length, the colors would be more hidden (I tried it before and didn’t like it as much as I like the messy look).
Have you made pom poms before? Do you prefer the evenly trimmed pom pom or do you like the messy pom pom look? I’d love to hear from you.
Happy Weaving!
Kate
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