The Free Pattern

See "The Details" for size, yarn, needle, and gauge information.

Managing raffia:
A spool of raffia can get out of control. We recommend keeping the cardboard circles on both ends and pulling from the side of the roll. You may also like to keep a rubber band around the spool and move it as you work.

Wrap well:
For nice fat pompoms, wrap raffia until crescent opening is nearly full but still has a little bit of a dip. For spikier pompoms, fill a little less. Try a couple and see what you like.

Tie tightly:
Cut an 18"/46cm piece of waxed flat dental floss. After clipping raffia, tie very tightly with floss. Loop your first overhand knot through twice for less slippage while you tighten; tie tightly again. Wrap tails to opposite side and knot twice again. Leave tails nice and long; knot into a loop when you place them on tree or package so you’ll know how long to cut tails.

Soak:
Note: Don’t skip this step—it makes all the difference! It helps to relax the raffia and hides the center tie. Soak pompoms in tepid water for 20 minutes. Gently squeeze out as much water as possible. Squeeze in a towel, or place in a lingerie bag and run through spin-only cycle in washing machine. Fluff up a little and lay flat on a moisture proof surface to dry, fluffing occasionally. If you’re in a hurry, you can help the drying along with a warm blow-dryer.

Trim:
When dry, clip ends to shape up a little. Don’t clip pompoms too evenly—they look super cute with a little spiky randomness.