How to Make Your Own Yarn Pom Pom Rug

A few weeks back, I came to the realization that I have way too much yarn. Sure, the average craftsmith may have a few skeins (or rolls of yarn) strewn about, but this was much more than that. I mean much more.

Now, it's commonly known that the Do It Yourself part of the Internet is dangerous. The sheer volume of DIY content on social media sites alone has been responsible for countless weekend hours lost.

And it's claimed another casualty.

That's right, I've finally succumbed to the craft beast.

While perusing the Internet, I came across a how-to article on pom pom rugs made of yarn. It was great and all, but didn't give as much detail as my failure-is-imminent geared brain would like. So I tried my hand at making the thing anyhow and (SPOILER) it worked! And here we are today.

The bright side is that I finally had something to do with all this yarn I'd accumulated throughout college (remember, kids: buying a ton of crafting materials does not a crafty person make - you've actually got to DO SOMETHING WITH THEM).

The brighter side of this situation is that you, lucky reader, will have a much more thorough guide than I did.

Enough talk.

LET'S DO THIS

1. Is there a certain color, pattern, or design you want your rug to be? If you would like to do a solid color, be sure to stock up on a specific color of yarn. If you're planning to do a hodgepodge of colors, then collect as many different hues as you can get your hands on! The more of a certain color you plan on using in your rug, the more of that colored yarn you'll need.
2. Are you making a large or small rug? There is a direct relationship between the size you want the rug to be and the amount of yarn you'll need. The bigger the rug, the more yarn you'll need. The smaller the rug, you get the picture.

1. Take the first skein of yarn you'll be working with and locate the end of your choice.
2. Cut a length of yarn no shorter than 1 ft. in length and set aside. You'll need it later.
3. Next, lay the closed glasses case flat on the table or any other surface you have. Return to the skein of yarn and place the tip of the end on the case so that the strand of yarn lays perpendicular to one of the case's longest edges.
4. Holding the end in place with one finger, begin to wrap the yarn snugly around the case. It's better to keep the yarn on the loose side than wind it too tight. Keep wrapping until you have a layer of yarn roughly 1 in. thick and 3 in. wide.
5. Cut the yarn so the end lays even with the same edge with which you began.
6. Carefully slide the ring of yarn off the end of the case. Allow the two lengths of yarn to rest on top of each other, creating a rounded crease at either end. Be sure to keep th strands of yarn parallel to each other.
7. Pinch the center of the yarn bundle, creating a bow tie shape.Take the length of yarn you set aside in Step 1 and wrap it once around the center of the bow tie, knotting it as tightly as possible. Feel free to double knot if needed. DO NOT CUT THE TWO LONG STRANDS OF YARN HANGING FROM THE KNOT. These will be used to tie the pom pom to the rug canvas later.
8. Gently tug on a few strands of yarn. If they freely slide out from beneath the knot, cut the string you tied around the bundle, measure out a new length of yarn from the skein, and try again. REMEMBER: There is no such thing as too tight when making these knots. The more secure the strands of yarn are in the bundle, the more secure the pom poms will be on the finished rug.
9. Take your scissors and enter a single blade into the loop on one end of our bow tie. Once you're confident the strings on either side of the scissors are the same length, cut them. Continue to do this until the loops of yarn on either end of the bow tie have been cut. If the strands aren't exactly the same length once they're cut, don't worry. It won't impact the final rug.
10. Feel free to trim any strands you think are too long if you'd like the pom poms to have a uniform look. If not, that's perfectly fine, too!
11. Admire your pom pom! You will be making quite a few of these, as they will be covering the entire surface of your rug.

1. Remove your rug canvas from its packaging and lay flat.
2. If you have decided to make a rug of a particular size or shape, now is the time to measure out and cut the rug canvas to fit your needs. A regular pair of scissors will do the trick.
3. Once the rug canvas is the size and shape you need, you will begin attaching the pom poms to it. Most rug canvases will have a grid on them. You will be tying a pom pom at each intersection on that grid. Take your crochet hook and, holding the first pom pom underneath the first intersection, reach the hook through one of the four squares which form that intersection. Take one of the long pieces of yarn hanging from the pom pom and wrap it once around the hook. This will allow you to pull that piece of yarn through the square in the canvas.

4. Once you have the first strand through the square, reach the crochet hook through the square on the opposite side of the X shape formed by the intersecting blue lines. Pull the second strand through to the other side of the canvas.

5. Taking the two long strands of yarn, knot them as tightly as possible against the rug canvas. Double knotting is recommended.

6. Repeat these steps at the other intersections formed by the blue lines of the grid until your canvas is completely covered by pom poms.

7. Pat yourself on the back! You just made a rug!