Pony McTate: Celebrate Easter the crafty way

World pomination starts here. Photo / Pony McTate

Bored kids? Wet holidays? Sick of your ho-hum decor? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you need this marvellous pom-pom chair in your life. Doesn't it make you happy just looking at it?

I used pom-pom makers, a fairly recent innovation. They're a type of plastic clip with hinged arms around which you wrap yarn. I recommend tracking them down. If you're used to the traditional cardboard rings, you'll find pom-pom makers will make the whole process infinitely quicker and easier with less yarn wastage. I used three different sizes.

YOU WILL NEED:

• A retro wire chair or stool -- try Trade Me or an op shop.

• Lots of yarn -- this chair took about 20 200g balls of acrylic yarn. You can use any kind but acrylic is cheap and produces a good fluffy pom-pom.

• Pom-pom makers -- find them at Spotlight or Trade Me/online (they'll come with fulsome instructions).

• Sharp and pointy scissors.

• Patience or some willing children/chums.

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Woohoo! My new craft column in @nzherald has got off to a pomlicious start. Get yourself a copy and whip up your own pompom chair this weekend. 💖💚💜✂️

A post shared by Pony McTate (@ponymctate) on Apr 14, 2017 at 3:06pm PDT

1. Wrap yarn around one arm of the pom-pom maker. For a dense pom-pom, aim to "fill in" the arch. Cut the yarn and fold the wrapped arm back in place. Repeat the process for the other arm.

Handy tip: Wrap with two or three strands of yarn at the same time: it'll halve the time you spend wrapping the arms.

2. Once you have finished wrapping, cut the yarn. Use sharp scissors to snip the yarn off each arm. Keep a firm grip on the arms to stop them springing apart as you cut (some pom-pom makers come with clips to prevent this happening).

Photo / Pony McTate

3. Do your best to hold the whole thing together while you tie a 30cm length of yarn around the middle of the pom-pom between the two halves of the pom-pom maker. Another set of hands will come in handy, but with practice you can do it by yourself. I tie a firm half-knot on one side then wrap the yarn back around the other side to work a full knot.

4. Open up the arms of the pom-pom maker and gently pull it apart to release your glorious pom. Give it a haircut to even it up, taking care not to cut the ties.

5. Make enough pom-poms to cover your chair (I needed 102). Pack them in tightly for superior comfort, and shuffle them around until you are pleased with the layout. Tie them to the wires of the chair, trimming the ends short.

Photo / Pony McTate