The ultimate yarn guide

for pompom making

by
Pom Maker
pommaker.com
Contents
Introduction 3

Wool Yarn 4
- Plied (DK, Aran) 5
- Plied (Lace, Fingering, 4 Ply) 8
- Plied (Chunky & Super Chunky) 9
- S-on-S Plied 11

Experimenting & Testing 13

Alpaca 14

Silk 15

Cotton 16

Mohair 17

Note on Acrylic 18

More to come 20
Introduction

With a good tool, the process of making a pompom is as simple a craft as can be.
Combine this easy craft with a choice of different yarns and you can elevate your
pompoms with a rich variety of textures and styles.

From perfect dense balls in bright colors, fluffy chunky cosy winter looks, the
lush sophistication of a loose bohemian look to delicate and light looks with fine
threads…
Just pick the right yarn and your pompoms can transform the style of so many
projects!

This is our yarn guide for the types of yarns you can use for your pompoms and
what to expect from them to help you make the right choice for your projects.
Wool Yarn (100%)
Wool is a natural sustainable fiber from sheep.
Different breeds of sheep make different quality wool. The wool of Merino
sheep makes some of the finest and softest wool.

We’ll look at two different compositions of wool yarn, ‘plied’ and ‘S on S

plied’ because they make quite different pompoms.

When individual strands of spun fibers are twisted in the opposite direction
from the original spin, the yarn is ‘plied’. The number of plies (2 ply, 4 ply
etc.) can indicate the thickness.

The two different directions of the twist are called Z twist and S twist. If you
hold two strands of yarn and twist to the right, you get Z twist, if you twist to
the left, you get S twist.

Single ply (just one strand of fiber) is plied with Z twist and then plied
with S twist (traditional plied) - the opposite twists give the balance of the
structure. However some yarns are S-plied into 2 ply first, then S-plied again,
these are called S-on-S plied yarns.

You may be thinking... what's this all about?

It is actually essential to select the right yarn because S-on-S plied yarn
makes some crucial differences to your pompoms compared to traditional
plied yarn.

These are often not marked on the labels, so if you want to see what your
yarn is, search for the yarn name on yarnsub.com.
 Wool yarns also come in a large variety of weights, so from lightest / thinnest
to heaviest / thickest: lace, fingering, 4 ply, DK, Worsted, Aran, Chunky (or
Bulky) and Super Chunky (or Super Bulky).
We’ll show you various examples of pom-poms made in different weights.

We're talking about 100% wool yarn here. For blends, please consider the
different characteristics of other fiber. For example, if it's mixed with silk, it
will partly have some characteristics of silk.

Many wool yarns are also mixed with acrylic yarn. We don’t recommend
using any acrylic or acrylic mixed yarn, please see the last chapter of this
book to see why.

Plied
DK, Worsted, Aran

Traditional plied wool yarn is the most commonly used and versatile yarn
for pompom making.

The loose fibers at the cut ends create a soft fluffy look on the surface.
It has the right 'springiness' that lends to a good structure to the pompom,
meaning the pompom can keep a bouncy round shape well.

Rico Essentials Merino Aran - 100% wool, plied

 This is the yarn to choose if you want to make those perfectly round and
dense pompoms.
When wrapped tight and to the full capacity of the Pom Maker, it will make
pompoms that stay in shape very well.

This is also the best yarn for all animal pompoms and many pompoms
with fancy designs and shapes as it's reliable for forming the design of the
pompom as desired. The tip of the yarn also creates a soft furry texture
suitable for animal designs and it can be felted very easily.
All these qualities make it the perfect yarn for creating pompoms with
complex designs.

Animal pompoms made with 100% wool yarn in Aran weight (Rico Essentials merino Aran),
trimmed and finished with a felting technique.
Wool yarn in Aran weight is quick to wrap and makes dense fluffy pompoms with
a bit of chunky texture. DK weight may take slightly longer to wrap, it will make a
finer textured pompom and you can add more details.

Aran & DK weight (from left to right)

A note on DK vs Worsted vs Aran

These three are in the category of ‘medium weight’ yarns.

DK is short for ‘Double Knit’ and the thinnest of the three. It’s thinner than
Worsted so sometimes called light-worsted. Worsted is right in the middle
and Aran is heavier than Worsted.

We normally only mention DK or Aran in our tutorials because most of the

European yarns we use only come in these two weight categories.

However, please note the thickness can vary depending on the brands.
Some Aran yarn is not as chunky as the same weight category in another
brand.

(We've also seen some brands making Aran weight thinner and thinner over
time - perhaps to shave off production cost?)
Plied
Lace / Fingering / 4 Ply

Lace is the thinnest weight. Fingering or 4 ply is the next weight up, but still
very thin.
It’s not easy to make a very dense and full pompom with these weights,
but instead you’ll create lighter looking pompoms that have more space
between each filament. Wool fiber is bouncy so the filaments will still stay in
place well instead of drooping.

4 ply and lace (left to right)

If your project requires a delicate and finer look but needs to stay in shape,
these are a great choice.

It is possible to use 4 ply wool yarn for animal pompoms or other fancy
pompom designs.
This will require time-consuming wrapping of many more layers of yarn than
with Aran or DK. But it can result in a much more realistic, more detailed
pompom with finer texture so it may be worth it if you have the patience!

The evenly spread fine bouncy filaments can create airy pompoms that look
effervescent and light.
Try mixing multiple colors in similar tones for a gradation-like look too.
They make lovely pompoms!
 Plied
Chunky & Super Chunky

Chunky weight is normally plied just a few times.

Super chunky is sometimes not plied at all and is just like roving yarns.

They make very quick pompoms with a bulky, rustic look. Cosy, big-textured
ones perfect for the cold season.

Left to right: Debbie bliss Roma (chunky), Drops Alaska (super chunky),

Wool & the Gang Crazy Sexy Wool (super chunky weight) with Bow Pom Maker
Super chunky yarn makes super quick
pompoms (3 - 4 minutes).
It's meant to look rustic and big-textured
so you can skip all that fine trimming,
relax & enjoy!

It's fun to mix different weights.

On the left: Super chunky yarn mixed with
chunky, DK and 4 ply for a multi-textured
pompom.

Super chunky yarn can be used just like

wool roving for felting.
On the right, a little bit of pink super chunky
yarn (Wool & The Gang Crazy Sexy Wool
- pink lemonade) was used to make the
tongue of the dog pompom.
 S on S plied
Aran, DK, 4 Ply

This is also called multi-thread or millefili yarn. As mentioned, the single plies
are S-twisted into 2 ply yarns, then they’re plied again with an S-twist. This
creates an airy yarn with a lot bounce and stretch.
The fibers are firmly twisted in one direction and don’t unravel easily when
cut. This means that the cut end stays in 2 ply instead of unraveling into
single ply as it does with the traditional plied yarn. So the pompoms made
with this yarn have a very different texture.

The character varies from brand to brand depending on how they're made
(some stay more firmly together while some unravel a little more) as you can
see in the photo below. It's best to test each one.
You can make lush and beautiful looking pompoms with a variety of textures.

From left to right:

Baruffa Aran,
Debbie Bliss Rialto DK,
Rico essentials merino DK

Rico Essentials merino DK is S-on-S plied while the same brand Aran weight is normal plied. This DK yarn hardly
unravels when cut, which makes for an unusual texture to the pompom.
They’re normally made from pre-treated superwash fibers to prevent locking
and felting of the fibers. It creates a less 'fibery' yarn and sheds much less
fluff than plied so it is ideal for pompoms for babies.

You can still felt this yarn to shape your pompom into a specific design, but
the effect will be slightly different. Instead of the look of blended fine fiber, it
can look more like thin filaments held together.

Mixed yarn: S-on-S plied color yarns with white plied

 Experimenting and Testing
with Wool Yarn

It's always a good idea to experiment with different yarns and get to know their
characteristics well so you can figure out which yarn will serve your project best.

For example, we tested 4 different weight wool yarns for the pompom dog:
plied /4 ply, chunky, super chunky, S-on-S DK (from top left clockwise)

We liked 4 ply and super chunky ones best.

4 Ply was a thinner yarn than we normally use but we wanted to create a dog with fine fur.
Although the yarn is thin, plied wool holds up the shape well.
Super chunky made a cute dog with thick fluffy fur. A very different look that we also liked.
Using finer yarn for the center of the face around the eyes and nose only could work well
too.
The one made with S-on-S yarn (left bottom) looked too moppy and shaggy.

Try the differnt yarns, have fun!

Alpaca
Alpaca yarn is another natural sustainable fiber from animals. Alpaca is a
species of South American camel - a woolly lovely animal similar to llamas.
100% alpaca yarn is even softer than wool. The fiber is lustrous and silky. It
has no lanolin, so if you’re allergic to wool, you can use alpaca!

Due to the extreme fineness and softness it's a less 'bouncy' than the wool
and the pompom may feel more 'relaxed', although the difference may be
quite subtle.

You can also easily find wool & alpaca blended yarns.
It will have the combination of the extra softness of alpaca and the
bounciness of the wool.
All alpaca and alpaca & wool
blends can be used in the
same way as wool yarn.

Right:
Black wool yarn with white
alpaca for an extra soft
face, super chunky wool for
the tongue
Silk

Malabrigo Mora, 100% Silk, Fingering

Silk yarn is a natural fiber made from material that insect larvae use to
form cocoons. The best quality silk is from the mulberry silkworm. It has a
prism like structure that refracts light at different angles that creates the
characteristic shimmering effect.

It does not fluff up like wool, it’s very smooth on the surface and drapes.
Combined with the beautiful sheen, a silk pompom looks totally lush and
sophisticated. Perfect for elegant, shimmering tassels as well.

Hand-dyed silk yarn with its subtle variation in shade will add even more
richness to the look.
A special choice for luxury interior projects, dressy accessories or
sumptuous grown-up holiday decorations.
Cotton
Cotton makes a moppy looking pompom that's hard to shape into a neat
form.
They’re not a good choice if you want a perfectly round pompom or
pompoms with designs. (e.g. animal pompoms). It will not felt at all.
However, they make great additions to summer projects or crocheted
cotton items to match.

The moppy look is casual, bohemian and summery. It's also practical and
durable for outdoor items such as a picnic blanket.

Beware, a thick layer of cotton is very hard to cut through.

DMC Natura Medium, 100% Cotton, Aran

 Mohair
Mohair is made from the hair of the Angora goat.
Mohair yarn creates a pompom with a super light & fluffy texture that looks
like cotton candy.

It normally has a thin core thread and the final look will vary depending on
the amount of mohair attached to the thread.

Mohair yarn will create

pompoms that look like a
cloudy fuzzy ball.
It doesn’t felt as wool does.
If you're after a very unusual
look for accessories or key
rings you could experiment
with Mohair.

Debbie Bliss Angel 76 % Mohair, 24 % Silk

Debbi Bliss Electra Mohair (discontinued)

Acrylic
We don’t recommend acrylic yarn, but we receive many questions about it.
So here’s our chapter on acrylic yarn.

Acrylic yarn is so widely used and is probably the most used yarn for
pompom crafting out there. It is cheap and easily available in a huge range of
bright colors. It can be used in the same way as wool including felting.

However, sadly there are many terrible qualities about this common yarn:

1. It is toxic for the environment.

It’s made from crude oil and is essentially a plastic. It does not biodegrade.

Natural fibers such as wool, alpaca, cotton and silk are all sustainable,
biodegrade and easy to recycle. Acrylic yarns on the other hand pollute our
environment and are difficult and costly to recycle.
They fill up landfill and the fibers from them that end up in the ocean are
increasingly becoming a threat to marine biology.
Tons of toxic chemicals are also used and toxic fumes are produced during
the production of acrylic yarn.

2. It is toxic for the health of those who make it.

Acrylonitrile, the key ingredient for acrylic fiber, is highly toxic and is a known
carcinogen.
It’s also known as a mutagen that can target the central nervous system.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, acrylonitrile
enters our bodies through skin absorption, as well as inhalation and
ingestion.

Acrylic also has dimethylformamide, when interacting directly with skin,

“can cause liver damage and other adverse health effects.”
Add flame retardants, dyes and the tons of other processing chemicals that
create toxic fumes, and you get your acrylic yarn.
A Canadian study found that women working in textile factories producing
acrylic fibers have seven times the risk of developing breast cancer than the
normal population.

This is very sad. Costing the health of other women is not what we want
to end up with from our crafting. But it’s not just the factory workers who
handle these chemicals directly who are at risk.

3. It’s harmful for you and your family’s health.

As you know, lots of small fibers are created in the process of making
pompoms (or any other yarn crafts). Think of all the carcinogenic
microplastics from acrylic fibers that you inhale regularly while making and
handling your project - this can be very harmful to you and your family’s
health.

Evidence regarding microplastic toxicity and epidemiology is emerging.

Americans ingest and inhale an estimated 74,000 to 121,000 microplastic
particles every year (https://time.com/5601359/microplastics-in-food-air/)
Much of this comes from broken down plastic bottles but new studies are
emerging about the plastic fibers in the air.
A recent study found that plastic fibers are found in lung tissue and they
remain there for a long time. Workers who handle plastic textile fibers are
known to suffer from many types of lung disease. In the house, babies who
crawl on the floor breathe in the most fibers.

Cutting and trimming the acrylic yarn creates excessive microplastic you’ll be
breathing in on a regular basis.

4. Inferior texture

In addition, acrylic yarn doesn’t compare to wool & alpaca in its softness and
lovely natural look and feel. This may be a tiny issue compared to the gravity
of the environmental and health issues mentioned above, but still, we strive
for beauty and joy in crafting and giving handmade items of the best quality
to our loved ones. We think acrylic just doesn’t cut it for this standard either.
More to come!
Did you find this guide useful?

Although yarns made of the same type of fibers generally share the basic
characters of that fiber, once you start developing a keen sense from more
experience, you'll notice yarns from different brands can still vary a lot from
one to another.

When the label says 100% wool, there are different breeds of sheep,
different ways of spinning, twisting, dying, finishing all varying from one
brand to another, there's never knowing exactly what you'll get when you try
a new yarn. When it comes to blends it gets even more diverse.
A lot of experiments and surprises are awaiting along the way of a pom
maker's journey...!

There are also some outlying specialist and super luxury fibers we haven't
mentioned here, such as cashmere. (for that ultimate handmade gift for a
new born?)

We intend to record results from any new yarn we test and continue
updating this guide in the future. We also look forward to hearing from you
about your discoveries.
Please share if you have tried anything interesting and have further
comments to make! You can join our Facebook Group to share or feel free
to email us your new finds.

How geeky can one get about pompom making? Well, we shall see! : )

When we have an updated e-book in the future, we'll email it to all our
subscribers.

If we find yarn that is especially reliable and excellent for pompom making,
we'll also try to make it available on our shop.
See our Yarn section for any updates: https: //pommaker.com/category/yarn/

Hope you enjoyed this.

Thank you! : )