Pom-poms

This is one of the easiest things I know how to make that still looks great. They look especially good in the winter to cheer up a room or decorate a Christmas tree!

To make these pom-poms, you will need wool, cardboard and a pair of scissors.  To start, cut 2 identical circles with a hole in the middle of each. The other circle should be roughly 12-13 cm (5 inches) in diameter and the hole should be about 7cm (2.5 inches) in diameter.

Take a long length of wool and wrap it into a small ball. This is so it fits through the hole in the cardboard. Tie one end of the wool to the ring tightly.

Wrap the wool around the ring. Make sure the wool is several layers thick. The more layers of wool there are on the ring, the denser the pompom will be.

One you've got several layers of wool around the ring, you can cut it to make the pom-pom. Slide one blade of a pair of scissors between the 2 cardboard rings. Cut through the wool along the outside edge of the ring. This will leave lots of small strands of wool on the inside of the ring, be careful not to knock these out. Once you've cut it all, cut a piece of wool roughly 50cm (20 inches) long. Slide this between the rings and tie it tightly around the pieces of wool in the middle. It's best to do a tight double knot so it doesn't come undone.