How to Make Pom Pom Dolls

Make pom-pom dolls with brightly colored yarns.

Pom-pom dolls, with fuzzy balls of yarn for heads, hands and feet, are cute enough to give as gifts to the little girls in your life. They're also simple enough to do as craft projects with those little girls, who might need help using scissors or making tiny braided arms and legs from yarn. Perfect for a crafts bazaar or fundraiser, these dolls are quick to make, taking only about an hour of your time.

Things You'll Need

• 3 three-oz. balls of yarn
• Pom-pom makers, pompom tree or 4 pieces of cardboard (each 3 inches wide and one 1 1/4 inches long, one 2 1/4 inches long, one 4 1/4 inches long, one 7 1/4 inches long)
• Scissors
• Glue

Instructions

Body and Clothing

1. Make the head. Wrap the yarn around prongs 1 and 5 of a pom-pom tree, as directed on a circular pom-pom maker measuring 4 1/4 inches in diameter or on a piece of cardboard measuring 4 1/4 inches long.

2. Cut a piece of matching yarn to 16 inches. On a pom-pom tree, tie the yarn in the middle. Using a circular pom-pom maker, follow the instructions for tying it off. On a piece of cardboard, slide the piece of yarn under all of the loops on one end of the pom-pom and tie it tightly.

3. Ease the yarn off the pom-pom device.

4. Cut the loops on the untied end of the pom-pom and trim them to an even length. Do not trim the ends of the yarn you used to tie the pom-pom.

5. Make the doll's hands in the same manner as the head, using prongs 1 and 2 on a pom-pom tree, a circular pom-pom maker measuring 1 1/4 inches in diameter or a piece of cardboard measuring 1 1/4 inches long. Make two of these pom-poms and tie them with 9-inch pieces of matching yarn.

6. Make the doll's feet in the same manner as the head and hands. Use prongs 1 and 3 on a pom-pom tree, a circular pom-pom maker measuring 2 1/4 inches in diameter or a piece of cardboard measuring 2 1/4 inches long. Make two of these pom-poms and tie them with 9-inch pieces of matching yarn.

7. Make the body using prongs 1 and 8 on a pom-pom tree, a circular pom-pom maker measuring 7 1/4 inches in diameter or a piece of cardboard measuring 7 1/4 inches long.

8. Cut a piece of matching yarn to 20 inches. On a pom-pom tree, tie the yarn around the pom-pom just below the top. If you're using a circular pom-pom maker or cardboard, slide the loops off the device and tie the yarn around the entire pom-pom just below one end.

9. Cut all the loops on the untied end, forming a tassel. Do not trim.

10. Make arms on the body. Separate 24 strands of yarn on each side of the tassel. On the left side, make three sets of eight yarn strands and braid them. Tie the end of the braid snugly with matching yarn and trim the ends. Repeat on the right side of the tassel.

11. Make a leg. Cut 30 pieces of yarn, each measuring 24 inches.

12. Fold the strands in half, creating 60 strands measuring 12 inches long.

13. Cut a piece of matching yarn and wrap it around the entire bunch of yarn strands just below the fold. Tie it tightly to make a long tassel.

14. Separate the yarn into three sets of 20 strands each and braid them.

15. Tie the end of the braid securely and trim the ends.

16. Make the second leg in the same manner as the first.

Hair

1. Decide what hairstyle you want the doll to have. You can do braids, a hairstyle with bangs, or a bob.

2. Make braids by cutting strands of yarn to 15 inches. Cut as many strands as you like, depending on the thickness of the braids desired.

3. Use one piece of the yarn to tie the strands together in the middle.

4. Working on the left side of the tie, separate the yarn into three equal sections and braid them. Cut a piece of the yarn you used for the body and tie a bow at the end of the braid. Repeat on the right side.

5. Create a hairdo with bangs by wrapping the yarn around prongs 1 and 8 on a pom-pom tree, using a circular pom-pom maker measuring 7 1/4 inches in diameter or a piece of cardboard measuring 7 1/4 inches long. Wrap the yarn as many times as you like, depending on the thickness desired.

6. Tie the yarn just below prong 1 on a pom-pom tree or slide the yarn off a pom-pom maker or cardboard and tie it just below one end.

7. Cut through all of the loops, using the short ends as the bangs.

8. Make a bobbed hairdo by wrapping the yarn in the same manner as for a hairdo with bangs, but tie the yarn in the center. Cut through all the loops and use the center tied area as the part in the hair.

Assembling the Doll

1. Set the head on top of the body. Separate the long ends of yarn you used to tie the head pompom. Wrap them around the body, passing them underneath the arms, crossing them on the back and ending beneath the neck on the front. Knot the ends securely. Glue the head to the body.

2. Attach the legs to the body. Lay the doll face up on a table and lift half of the strands of the body tassel. Place the legs inside the tassel, positioning them close to the neck, and glue them in place. Secure the legs further by passing a few strands of the body tassel through the loops at the tops of the legs. Tie the yarn tightly.

3. Return the strands of the body tassel to their original position. Cut 10 pieces of yarn for a sash, which can be the same color as the tassel or a contrasting color. Place the strands on the middle of the body tassel, wrap them around the tassel to secure the legs and tie them all tightly together in a bow at the back.

4. Attach the hands and feet to the arms and legs. Use the long pieces of the yarn you used to tie the pom-poms. Wrap the yarn around the ends of the arm and leg braids, tying them tightly. Trim the yarn to the same length as the pom-poms. Glue the hands and feet to the arms and legs.

5. Cover the underside of the hairdo with glue. Press the hair lightly onto the head and let the glue dry.

6. Make facial features with bits of yarn and glue them on.

Tips & Warnings

• Choose yarn colors to make a taupe body, black hair and yellow clothes, or a light pink body, yellow hair and teal clothes.

• For all pom-pom sizes, wrap the yarn at least 40 times for a full pom-pom.

• This pom-pom doll is 16 inches long.

References

• Lion Brand Yarn: PomPom Dolls
• Lion Brand Yarn: Jiffy Yarn