Make It Today Pom-Pom Christmas issue 48

EED N U O Y L AL

+ 125 Christmas Festive Ideas

! e d i s n i

Mag & Makes!

NUTCRACKER & BALLERINA

To Make & Share

POM-POM MA S P E T S GIC IN EASY YOURS EXTRA-SPECIA L CREATIONS FOR YOU AND

Santa Teddies

UK £9.99 Issue 48

10 PAGE

CROCHET SPEC IAL GET MAKING WIT H YOUR KIT!

pom-pom fun Craft Bundle!

How-to Guide

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YOUR ULTIMATE

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Follow our simple step-by-steps to make perfect pom-poms with your kit!

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Open up the two halves of the maker, then hold them together

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Using sharp scissors, cut open the pom-pom along the outside gap

Wrap both sides of the maker with yarn, then close the two halves together

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Mix it up!

YOUR EXCLUSIVE KIT INCLUDES SOME COLOURFUL DK YARNS, BUT WHY NOT TRY SOMETHING A LITTLE DIFFERENT? SILK YARN, MOHAIR YARN, JERSEY YARN OR ORGANZA FABRIC

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Take a length of yarn, wrap it around the ball, and tie it in a knot

Corinne’s Top Tips Don’t wind the yarn too tightly around your pom-pom maker. Once it is cut, it will shrink back and make a smaller ball.

■ If you’re making multicoloured pom-poms, you can wrap two or three colours at once to save time.

■ Use small, sharp scissors to cut the yarn once you’ve filled the pom-pom maker.

This will give a neater finish that is easier to trim into shape.

■ Wrap a length of yarn around the centre of the pom-pom three times before starting to knot. This method will pull the strands in at the centre more evenly and make the ball secure.

FINIS

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Congratulations! You’ve just made your very first pom-pom! topcrochetpatterns.com

Trim any stray lengths until you’ve achieved the shape you want

See Corinne’s pom-pom making skills in full at

youtube.com/thecraftschannel

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Ball ON THE

Find all the festive pom-pom and yarn inspiration you need here!

Star Quality

Jazz up your Christmas decorating with Wool Couture's new Pompom Star Wreath kit! It contains Epic Extreme merino yarn in Mink, Natural Grey and Granite to make luxurious balls which are then mounted onto the wooden star frame. £19.99, woolcouturecompany.com

Rainbow Bright

Hair Today

These cute pom-pom hairbands from Rex London would make a great stocking filler for any little girl! The set of five comes in zingy shades of hot and light pink, lime green, neon orange and bright blue. £4.95, rexlondon.com

Studio Pickles offer a range of pretty, ready-made pom-poms, that you can mix and match.

However, we particularly love their strings of Pom Pom Fairy Lights, available in a variety of gorgeous colour schemes, which will brighten up any room! From £14, studiopickles.etsy.com

Let's Get Buzzy!

Crafting group, Grans on the Make, in partnership with ICHF Events, have invited crafters to knit, crochet or needle felt a bee to help raise awareness of the plight of these insects. The Make a Beeline feature will be exhibited at The Creative Craft Show events across the UK this autumn.

To find out more, visit makeabeeline.uk

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Top Tip: You can use yarn from your kit or strong

upholstery thread to tie the pom-pom centres topcrochetpatterns.com

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Poms

inspiration

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PEP UP YOUR

Dream up fluffy creations that are out of this world

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topcrochetpatterns.com

If you’re reading this, you’re probably already addicted to these fluffy balls of wool! As if the projects in the magazine weren’t enough to satisfy your pom-pom craving, we’ve also rounded up the best pominspired buys that you can add to your Christmas list. From makers of all sizes to trimmings and must-have scissors, you’ll be smiling from ear to ear when you wake up to these treats on 25th December.

1 A4 felt sheets, £5 for 15, hobbycraft.co.uk 2 Pom-pom trim bundle, groves@ stockistenquiries.co.uk 3 Extra large pom-pom maker, clover@ stockistenquiries.co.uk 4 Small pom-pom maker, clover@ stockistenquiries.co.uk 5 Pom-pom Christmas decoration, £8, notonthehighstreet.com 6 Slogan tape measure, £8.95, redberryapple.co.uk 7 Maggie Holmes Willow Lane pom-pom frames, £3 for four, hobbycraft.co.uk 8 Wooden blue frost donut medium pom-pom maker, £17, sorenshouse.co.uk 9 Clover patchwork scissors, £23.99, clover@stockistenquiries.co.uk 10 Hemline thread snips, £5.49, crafterscompanion.co.uk 11 Extra small pom-pom maker, clover@stockistenquiries.co.uk

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Beginner

PROJECT DESIGNER

Corinne Bradd

GUESS WHO’S COMING TO TOWN?

Santa & Elves

Make this Christmas hero and his little helpers!

As the festive season approaches, a certain someone will be getting ready to deliver presents to all the girls and boys. Corinne Bradd has celebrated Santa in pom-pom form, using careful trimming to shape his beard and crocheting a smart hat to top him off. There is also a pair of Elves to assist him, with wooden beads forming their heads, topped with stitched felt caps.

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inspiration

Amazing shade range!

James C. Brett, Party Time Chunky, PT6, £2.99 for 100g (154m), woolwarehouse.co.uk.

Walk on the wild side with your colour choices when you add this rainbow yarn to your stash. The vivid colours make beautiful gradients in pom-poms, knitted and crochet items alike, taking the hard work out of adding colours. There are eight shades in the range to choose from, including a vivid pink and beautiful blue.

Paintbox Yarns Simply Chunky, Washed Teal and Bubblegum Pink, £2.25 for 100g (136m), lovecrafts.com. These beautiful soft tones would look stunning on a pom-pom garland, strung up for a party or to simply add a pop of colour to your home. A complete bargain at under £2.50 each and over 50 colours to experiment with, there’s hours of fun to be had with these yarns!

WIN

Amazing Acrylics them a o n p 6 1 !l l

When it comes to making pom-poms, it’s all about having the right yarn for the fluffiest and most magnificent results, which you can gain from affordable acrylic yarns in a wide range of colours

Bargin buy!

Stylecraft Special DK, Wisteria, £1.95 for 100g (295m), lovecrafts.com. With nearly 300m on one ball, you’ll be making pom-poms for days with this yarn. There’s a whole rainbow of shades to choose from, and this is a stash essential everyone should keep to hand for a soft and colourful pom-pom display!

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Stylecraft Batik, Cherry, £1.99 for 50g (138m), woolwarehouse.co.uk. Add dimensional colour to your makes with the Batik range.

Whether you use this for crochet, knitting or plush pom-poms, your makes will have a beautiful mottled colour that is unique with each ball of yarn.

Choose from 19 shades.

Red Heart Lisa, Intense Blue and Yellow, £1.05 for 50g (133m), lovecrafts.com. An absolute steal at just over £1 per ball, the 25-strong shade range has a key selection of colours, with some solids and semi-solid shades for great variety. The perfect everyday yarn, this is one to have a stack of for when inspiration strikes.

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Top Tip: Leave one end of the yarn fairly

long to connect the head and body

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Relax & Read

P m-P m Inspiration We gather the latest kits, gadgets and expert tips devoted to all things fluffy!

WORDS BY MELISSA HYLAND

There’s nothing like a pom-pom to brighten things up, especially at Christmas! We chat to three designers who reveal their planned festive makes involving these little fluff balls, and present a selection of goodies to start you on your own pom-pom journey. From kits and makers, to fun workshops, you’ll be smitten in no time!

topcrochetpatterns.com

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HEAD TO TOPCROCHET PATTERNS.COM FOR TONS OF FREE PROJECTS

PROJECT DESIGNER

Sarah-Jane Hicks

“To create the wreath wraparound, you only need double crochet and chain stitches so it’s a really easy project to make” SARAH-JANE HICKS, DESIGNER

topcrochetpatterns.com

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HEAD TO TOPCROCHET PATTERNS.COM FOR TONS OF FREE PROJECTS

Top Tip: The size

of the crocheted balls can differ depending on the tension, but a couple of practise runs should help.

Remember also to stuff the balls with the same amount of filler to keep the sizes even

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templates F IN D YO U R

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JANOME GD8100

This computerised free arm sewing machine is ideal for making your stocking, plus all kinds of craft and dressmaking projects. It offers 100 built-in stitches, including three styles of buttonhole, a jam-proof top loading drop-in bobbin, needle threader, drop feed for free motion embroidery and so much more.

Available at the special price of ÂŁ299, janome.co.uk

topcrochetpatterns.com

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Crochet C U T- O U T & KEEP special!

HEAD TO TOPCROCHET PATTERNS.COM FOR TONS OF FREE PROJECTS

Top Tip:

Save time by darning the ends in as you go: there are a lot of them!

topcrochetpatterns.com

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