Pompom Christmas pudding

Last Monday my lovely friend Karen showed me how to make pompom Christmas puddings and I have been addiceted to making them. They are super simple to make, fun and look great as a garland, gift tags or just hanging on your tree. 
I've added a little holly leaves to the top just for added charm but it is not necessary so don't worry if you can't crochet, just a pompom pudding will look great. 

To make your pudding, you will need:

• Pompom maker - I'm using one by Clover which produces 4.5 cm pompom in diamteter. If you do not have a pompom maker just cut one out of cardboard, for tutorial follow the link - https://www.redtedart.com/how-to-make-a-yarn-pom-pom-with-cardboard-discs/
• Oddments of yarn in cream or light grey or white and burgundy or brown - I'm using Rowan Alpaca Cotton DK as it's lovely and fluffy and I had remaines of balls left, not enough to make anything else.  
• Sharp little scissors 
• Tapestry needle 

For holly leaf:

• 3 mm crochet hook
• Oddments of green DK yarn 

Let's make a pudding

• Open up one half of the pompom maker and wind the burgundy yarn around, when the half is full, cut off the yarn.
• Close the half of pompom maker and open up the empty half.
• Wind the grey yarn around it so that 2/3 of it are filled, cut off the yarn and finish filling up the second half with burgundy yarn, that way the icing of the pudding will cover just the top and not form a full half of the pudding.
• When filled, cut off yarn and close the second half. 
• Using scissors cut aroud the wound yarn.
• Cut approximately 50 cm of yarn and fold in half, tie this length of yarn around the pompom maker, in the ridge, making sure that the knot is in the middle of the icing part, so that the pudding hangs in the right position.
• Seperate the pompom maker to reveal a gorgeous pompom. 
• Trim around so it looks neat and even, but DO NOT cut off the lengths of yarn used to tie the pompom together. 
• Knot the two ends of yarn together to form a loop. 

Leaf 

Please note the pattern is written using UK terminology, US conversions are given in brackets in abbreviation list.

Abbreviations:
dc (US sc) - double crochet (US single crochet)
ch - chain
htr (US hdc) - half treble (US hald double crochet)
picot - ch 2, sl st to first of these ch. 
sl st - slip stitch
st(s) - stitch(es)

Using green yarn make 5 ch. 
Round 1: 1 dc in second ch from hook, [1 htr, picot] all in next st, 1 dc in next st, [2 htr, picot, 1 htr] all in next st, working on the other side of foundation ch, 1 dc in next st, [1 htr, picot] all in next st, 1 dc in last st, sl st to first dc. 
Fasten off, leafing a tail off 15 cm 

• Join two leaves together by sewing. Weave in the begining tails. 
• Thread the long end tails of both leaves through the centre of the pompom.
• Tie them together to secure the leaves in place. 

If you are making just one leaf to go on your pudding, make sure you leave the beginning tail long as well, feed both ends through the centre of pompom and tie to secure.  

 

Voilà!! Your gorgeous pompom pudding is ready. 

I made so many of them to gift on a present and to make into a graland. 
The garland one looks very effective on my shelf. 
To make one - just crochet a long length of chains using the burgundy yarn used for the pudding and 3 mm hook. Feed as many puddings through their loops as you like and hang wherever you wish. 

Happy making, 

Anna xx