Skip to Main Content

Area 49

This guide provides information on how to use technology within Area 49, as well as guides for digital technologies and physical projects. Area 49 is available for use by all current students, faculty, and staff.

Ideas for Using Pom-Poms

  • String them up and use them as garland.
  • Use them in place of bows on presents.
  • Attach them to the ends of sweatshirt pull strings.
  • Attach them to large paperclips to make a fun bookmark.
  • If you have a cat, throw them on the floor for the cat to bat around.

Supplies

  • Yarn
  • Your choice of: pom-pom maker, fork, your fingers, cardboard or a sturdy item, 
  • Scissors
  • Optional: embellishments (glitter glue, googly eyes, paper for making critter arms and legs)

Steps

  1. Find a sturdy item the same diameter as the pom-pom you would like to make.
  2. Cut the tie yarn. Cut this piece a bit longer than the base item, but make sure it is long enough for you to tie later.
  3. Wrap the yarn around the item. You will need to experiment with how much yarn to use based on the sizeof your base item and how full and puffy you would like the finished piece.
  4. Tie and slide off:
    1. If using a fork or your fingers:
      1. Place the tie string at the middle of the item and tie it as tight as you can around all the yarn without breaking any yarn.
      2. Slide the wrapped part off the base.
    2. If using cardboard or something sturdy:
      1. Slide the wrapped part off the base, making sure to hold the yarn together.
      2. Place the tie string at the middle of the item and tie it as tight as you can around all the yarn without breaking any yarn.
  5. Cut the loops. Don’t worry about cutting evenly.
  6. Trim your pom-pom. No matter how you cut the loops, your pom-pom will need some polishing. Trim the edges of your pom-pom until you have achieved your desired shape.

Hints & Tips

  • Leave the tie string long if you’d like to tie the pom-pom to something else.
  • The bigger the base item you use for wrapping, the bigger your pom-pom will be. 
  • If you don’t have yarn, you can use ribbon, string, or any other wrappable item, including fabric strips.

Challenges!

  • Trim your pom-pom into a different shape, such as a cube or a heart.
  • Wrap more than one color yarn at a time to make multi-colored pom-poms.
  • Trim some pieces shorter than others to give an explosion effect.
  • Add googly eyes and paper arms and legs to make little critters or use black yarn and googly eyes to make Soot Sprites!
  • Add glitter glue with a paint brush to add shine, but avoid clumping.
  • To make tassels, instead of pom-poms, use less string and tie your string through one side of loops and tie another string around all the yarn under the string that’s through the loops. Only cut the loops on the loose side.