Turn scrap wool into something soft and stylish for your home.

Words & images: Jane Wrigglesworth

This is a great project to use up scrap yarn or yarn odds and bods from an op shop.

You can make a pompom rug any size you like, but it does take quite a few pompoms. It took 171 pompoms to create this small, 68cm diameter rug.

I recommend using the bulk pompom method which meant I could make 11 pompoms at once. You could also use an empty picture frame, or anything with space in the middle, so it’s easy to tie off each pompom.

MATERIALS

A chair with an open back or an empty picture frame
Yarn in various colours and textures
Scissors
Rug canvas, available in craft stores

DIRECTIONS

Step 1: To make pompoms in bulk, wrap yarn around the back of a chair. You want to create a thick layer, so the pompoms are ‘full’. I used 12 ply yarn and wrapped it around the chair about 150 times.

Step 2: Cut several pieces of yarn about 20cm long. Tie a piece of yarn tightly at 6cm intervals. You can tie it at shorter or longer intervals, depending on how large you want the pompoms.

The distance between each piece of yarn will be the diameter of your pompom, eg 6cm intervals between yarn = 6cm-wide pompoms.

Step 3: To remove the yarn from the chair back, cut in between one pair of ties. Then continue to cut between each pair of ties to make individual pompoms. Fluff out the yarn to form the pompoms. Trim if necessary. Don’t trim the ties – you need these to create the rug.

Step 4: Attach each pompom to the rug canvas by pushing the ties through from the top side and tying them at the back. Trim the ties once the pompoms are secured.

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