Craft Book Corner: Pom-Poms! 25 Awesomely Fluffy Projects Review

It's time for a new Craft Book Corner!  This latest book is one that's hot off the presses and is all about a fun & fluffy craft: pom-poms.  I'm giving you a little sneak peek and review so you'll have the scoop on it before it even hits the bookstore shelves.  You'll be "in the know" on the newest craft book coming out!

Today's Book:  

Pom-Poms! 25 Awesomely Fluffy Projects by Sarah Goldschadt and Lexi Walters Wright, a new craft book coming out October 1, 2013.

Why I'm Sharing It: 

Quirk Books sent me an advanced copy to review.  I tried out some of the things I learned as well as made one of the projects, this little pom-pom hedgehog paper weight:

What's it about?

As the name says, this book is about all things pom-pom: 25 crafty projects using pom-poms as well as unexpected ways to make them. And not just the usual yarn types, but also those fluffy tissue paper party poms, those made with felt, fabric & more.

What makes it helpful?

I really liked that the book shared numerous methods to make pom-poms, beyond techniques I knew, and explained why to chose one over another, depending on the look, materials and size desired.  I also liked that they gave ideas for materials that you might not think to use for pom-poms, like t-shirts, tulle, tinsel, even rubber bands.  Here are a few I made using standard yarn, as well as chunky variegated yarn, embroidery floss & baker's twine:

What's the format?

The book starts out with the 25 various projects - some wearables, some accessories, some decorations.  There are a few "seen before" ideas like the knit hat, wreath & brooch, but others are more unique like a t-shirt pom rug, rubber band pom ring and tinsel pom cake toppers.  Then it heads into Pom-Pom 101 which shows the various ways to make pom-poms, materials, wrapping & trimming styles and some good newbie crafter info like basic hand sewing stitches & how to transfer patterns.  

I'd have preferred the Pom-Pom 101 section be in the front of the book, before the projects, which is the usually format for craft books.  I like to learn what to do first and then delve into the projects instead of having to flip around for those details. However, I understand that the projects are the eye candy and that's what most browsers want to see first when flipping through a book on the shelf.

Extra info: 

I think my favorite part of the book was the ways to make different patterns, aka wrapping styles, in your pom-poms: a marled look, polka dots, even a sectioned beach ball.  It really expands the looks you can make.  I had a lot of fun trying them out.  Here are a few of the varying styles I was able to make just by changing the wrap style of two colors of yarn:

From left: Polka Dots, Mrs. Speckles, Beach Ball

Usefulness Score: 

This is a nice book for any crafter to have and is kid-friendly too (extra points in my opinion). I really like that everything pom-pom can be found in this book, so it's a great reference. I've found random tutorials or projects here & there online and had mixed final results, but nothing has been as helpful or complete.  It's literally a bible of pom-pom knowledge.

Back cover Pom-poms!

And it gives you all the skills to come up with your own unique projects based on what you've learned.  It would be great for someone new to crafting too - you don't need to have any prior craft knowledge to be able to make some fun pom-pom projects. Definitely a good gift idea too.  You can find even more info about the book Pom-Poms! HERE.

I was not financially compensated for this post.  I was sent a copy of this book to review. The opinions are completely my own, based on my experience.