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I get bored with the standard pom pom for a hat... I was looking at a recent make from my talented friend Amanda Price and the Unicorn's mane and tail just screamed "Make me into a pompom". Amanda runs a FB group which you can check out here.
Yeah I know I'm odd, but it had been a long morning and these things happen from time to time.
So I grabbed the nearest hook and some yarn and set to hooking up a new style of pom pom. I had a lovely collection of matching minis from Scheepjes so finding colours that blend nicely was a breeze.
I also decided to test out how different hook sizes behaved with the same weight of yarn. The smaller the hook the shorter the final length of spirals, the tighter you keep the tension the more spirals are created.
After experimenting with hook size on the dk yarn you can see there are quite significant differences in the size and length of spirals based on the choices you make. I opted for 2sts in each chain for the samples shown below.
The far left is a 2.5mm hook, the centre a 3.5mm and the far right a 4mm hook.
I then decided to give different stitch counts within a chain to see what effect, if any this had on the finished spirals. Boy did I get a shock!
While I prefer the looser spirals of 2 sts in each chain I know several folk who would love the solid curls created by upping the stitch counts within each chain, as in the left spiral above.
If you want added texture you can vary the hook size and stitch count as you make your pompom. You can also alter how many rings of spirals you include depending upon ho full you want your pompom to end up.
I'd made the baby octopus for my niece which has lovely tight spirals for tentacles so I opted for shorter versions of these linked together on a base of a magic circle.
I've included instructions in both, UK and US terms, if you want to make a Spiral Pom Pom for yourself.
You will Need
3, or more, matching colours of DK or lighter weight yarn, my minis are 10g each colour
2.5mm hook, or to match your chosen yarn weight (remember to drop down a size or two for a tighter spiral or as you prefer, based on my experiments
Wool needle, to sew in the loose ends
UK Terms
ch chain
dc double crochet
Loop 1
Make a Magic Loop to start - Video Tutorial at the end of the post.
Rnd 1: Dc 12 sts into ring
Strand 1: Ch 15 sts, dc in the 2nd ch from hook. 2 dc in ea chain returning to the original Magic Loop. When back to the loop, sl st in the original stitch.
Strand 2: Ch 15 sts, dc in the 2nd ch from hook. 2 dc in ea chain returning to the original Magic Loop. When back to the loop, sl st in the next stitch.
Repeat Strand 1 & 2 eleven more times to make a total of 24 strands. Alternate your yarn colours with each new pair of strands your create, or if you have lots of colours you can change it up with each individual strand, although this will lead to a a lot of loose ends to be tidied away at the end.
Loop 2
Work in colour 1 only.
Make a Magic Loop to start - Video Tutorial at the end of the post.
Rnd 1: Dc 9 sts into ring
Strand 1: Ch 15 sts, dc in the 2nd ch from hook. 2 dc in ea chain returning to the original Magic Loop. When back to the loop, sl st in the original stitch.
Strand 2: Ch 15 sts, dc in the 2nd ch from hook. 2 dc in ea chain returning to the original Magic Loop. When back to the loop, sl st in the next stitch.
Repeat Strand 1 & 2 eight more times to make a total of 18 strands.
Loop 3
Work in a colour 2 only
Make a Magic Loop to start - Video Tutorial at the end of the post.
Rnd 1: Dc 6 sts into ring
Strand 1: Ch 15 sts, dc in the 2nd ch from hook. 2 dc in ea chain returning to the original Magic Loop. When back to the loop, sl st in the original stitch.
Strand 2: Ch 15 sts, dc in the 2nd ch from hook. 2 dc in ea chain returning to the original Magic Loop. When back to the loop, sl st in the next stitch.
Repeat Strand 1 & 2 five more times to make a total of 12 strands.
Loop 4
Work in a colour 3 only
Make a Magic Loop to start - Video Tutorial at the end of the post.
Rnd 1: Dc 3 sts into ring
Strand 1: Ch 15 sts, dc in the 2nd ch from hook. 2 dc in ea chain returning to the original Magic Loop. When back to the loop, sl st in the original stitch.
Strand 2: Ch 15 sts, dc in the 2nd ch from hook. 2 dc in ea chain returning to the original Magic Loop. When back to the loop, sl st in the next stitch.
Repeat Strand 1 & 2 two more times to make a total of 6 strands.
Construct Your Spiral Pom Pom
Place Loop 2 on top of Loop 1 and whip stitch into place through the central circle of stitches.
Place Loop 3 on top of loops 1 &2 and whip stitch into place
Place Loop 4 on top of the rest of the already joined loops, with the strands away from the lower loops. Through the sides of the two top loops join with a whip stitch, leaving the strands loose.
If you want a less full pom pom you can chose which of the loops to make and join together.
US Terms
ch chain
sc single crochet
Loop 1
Make a Magic Loop to start - Video tutorial at the end of the post.
Rnd 1: Sc 12 sts into ring
Strand 1: Ch 15 sts, sc in the 2nd ch from hook. 2 sc in ea chain returning to the original Magic Loop. When back to the loop, sl st in the original stitch.
Strand 2: Ch 15 sts, sc in the 2nd ch from hook. 2 sc in ea chain returning to the original Magic Loop. When back to the loop, sl st in the next stitch.
Repeat Strand 1 & 2 eleven more times to make a total of 24 strands. Alternate your yarn colours with each new pair of strands your create, or if you have lots of colours you can change it up with each individual strand, although this will lead to a a lot of loose ends to be tidied away at the end.
Loop 2
Work in colour 1 only.
Make a Magic Loop to start - Video tutorial at the end of the post.
Rnd 1: Sc 9 sts into ring
Strand 1: Ch 15 sts, sc in the 2nd ch from hook. 2 sc in ea chain returning to the original Magic Loop. When back to the loop, sl st in the original stitch.
Strand 2: Ch 15 sts, sc in the 2nd ch from hook. 2 sc in ea chain returning to the original Magic Loop. When back to the loop, sl st in the next stitch.
Repeat Strand 1 & 2 eight more times to make a total of 18 strands.
Loop 3
Work in colour 2 only.
Make a Magic Loop to start - Video tutorial at the end of the post.
Rnd 1: Sc 6 sts into ring
Strand 1: Ch 15 sts, sc in the 2nd ch from hook. 2 sc in ea chain returning to the original Magic Loop. When back to the loop, sl st in the original stitch.
Strand 2: Ch 15 sts, sc in the 2nd ch from hook. 2 sc in ea chain returning to the original Magic Loop. When back to the loop, sl st in the next stitch.
Repeat Strand 1 & 2 five more times to make a total of 12 strands.
Loop 4
Work in colour 2 only.
Make a Magic Loop to start - Video tutorial at the end of the post.
Rnd 1: Sc 3 sts into ring
Strand 1: Ch 15 sts, sc in the 2nd ch from hook. 2 sc in ea chain returning to the original Magic Loop. When back to the loop, sl st in the original stitch.
Strand 2: Ch 15 sts, sc in the 2nd ch from hook. 2 sc in ea chain returning to the original Magic Loop. When back to the loop, sl st in the next stitch.
Repeat Strand 1 & 2 two more times to make a total of 6 strands.
Construct Your Spiral Pom Pom
Place Loop 2 on top of Loop 1 and whip stitch into place through the central circle of stitches.
Place Loop 3 on top of loops 1 &2 and whip stitch into place
Place Loop 4 on top of the rest of the already joined loops, with the strands away from the lower loops. Through the sides of the two top loops join with a whip stitch, leaving the strands loose.
If you want a less full pom pom you can chose which of the loops to make and join together.
Attach the pompom to your hat using the central circle, either threading all loose ends through the central stitch of the hat and securing loose ends in the body of the hat itself, or secure loose ends by weaving them within the central circle of the pom pom if creating a removable pom. This will also give a more secure way to attach your button or snapper.
I love to see your creations so please tag any photos you share on social media with #Igotcraftywithbabs or #crochetspiralpompom share within our Yarn Jugglers group in Facebook.