How to Make a Pom-Pom for a Hat (and Attach It Securely)

To make a pom-pom you wrap yarn around a ring, cut the wraps along the outer edge, and tie them very tightly around the middle. The rest is detail: ring size, how much to wrap, and how to fasten the ball to a hat so it does not flop or fall off. This tutorial uses two cardboard rings and yarn you already have, with no special tools.

What You Need

• Yarn: any weight. Leftovers from the hat are ideal. The amounts in the table below are rough estimates.
• Tying strand: about 16 in (40 cm) of strong, smooth yarn. If the hat yarn is soft and loosely spun, it may snap when pulled hard, so use a sturdier yarn in a similar color.
• Thin, stiff cardboard, such as a cereal box.
• Something round to trace: a glass for the outer circle and a coin or bottle cap for the hole.
• Sharp scissors with fine points, a pencil and a tapestry needle.
• Optional: a flat button with two or four holes, for a removable pom-pom.

No gauge and no knitting abbreviations are involved.

Choose a Size

The outer diameter of the ring sets the diameter of the pom-pom before trimming; expect to lose a little when you neaten it. The hole sets how much yarn fits, and so how dense the result is.

The amounts are for worsted weight (4) yarn as defined in the Craft Yarn Council yarn weight system. Thicker yarn fills the ring in fewer wraps and fewer yards; thin yarn takes longer and makes a finer ball. On a chunky knit hat, the large size keeps the proportions balanced.

Make the Pom-Pom

1. Cut two rings. Trace the outer circle twice on the cardboard and draw the smaller circle in the center of each. Cut out both, then cut away the centers so you have two flat donuts.
2. Cut a slit. Snip straight through each ring from the outer edge to the hole, turning the donut into a letter C shape. The slit lets you wrap without threading yarn through the hole every time.
3. Lay the tying strand in place. Stack the rings with the slits lined up. Slide the 16 in (40 cm) tying strand between the two rings so it circles the hole, with both ends hanging out of the slit.
4. Wrap. Hold the yarn end against the cardboard and wind around both rings together, passing through the slit. Work back and forth from one side of the slit to the other in even layers. Wrap firmly, but do not stretch the yarn.
5. Keep going until the hole is nearly full. This is the step that decides the result. A half-filled ring gives a thin, stringy pom-pom. When you can barely pass the yarn through the center, cut it.

6. Cut around the edge. Slide one blade of the scissors between the two cardboard rings at the outer edge and cut through all the wraps, working all the way around. Keep a hand flat on the top so the cut strands stay in place.
7. Tie the middle. Pull the two ends of the tying strand up between the rings. Cross them twice instead of once, as for a surgeon’s knot, and pull as hard as the yarn allows. Bring the ends around to the opposite side, pull tight again, and finish with a double knot.
8. Remove the cardboard. Ease the rings off, or tear them away. Keep the two long tying ends; do not trim them.
9. Shake and fluff. Roll the ball between your palms until the strands spread evenly.
10. Trim. Hold the tying ends out of the way and snip off anything that sticks out, turning the pom-pom constantly. Take a little at a time.

Attach It Securely

Attach the pom-pom after the top of the hat is closed, the ends are woven in and the hat has been blocked. Those steps are covered in the guide on how to finish a knit hat.

Method 1: tied over a button (removable)

1. Thread one tying end onto the tapestry needle and pass it through the top of the hat to the inside, just beside the closed center.
2. Bring the second end through about two stitches away, so the pair straddles the center of the crown. Never bring both through the same hole.
3. Turn the hat inside out. Thread each end through a separate hole of the button.
4. Pull until the pom-pom sits firmly on the crown, then tie the ends in a bow over the button.

The button spreads the pull across the fabric. Untie the bow to take the pom-pom off before washing the hat.

Method 2: knotted and woven in (permanent)

Bring the two ends to the inside as in steps 1 and 2 above. Tie them together in a firm double knot against the fabric, then weave each end away from the center in a different direction for about 2 in (5 cm) before trimming.

If This Happens, Do That

• It looks thin or you can see the knot. There was not enough yarn. Trim it smaller for a denser ball, or make a new one and fill the hole completely.
• Strands pull out. The tie is too loose. Wrap a fresh strand of strong yarn around the middle, pull hard and knot it twice.

Ways to Vary It

• Two colors, speckled: hold two strands together and wrap them as one.
• Two colors, in halves: wrap one half of the ring in the first color and the other half in the second.
• Fiber: wool and wool blends have natural spring and fluff up into a full, rounded ball. Smooth cotton makes a flatter, heavier pom-pom with more defined strands. The guide to the best yarn for knitted hats compares fibers in more depth.

A medium pom-pom is the traditional topping for a classic knit beanie with a folded brim, and a good first one to try.