Short answer: you can make a pom pom out of pretty much any yarn you've got in the stash. Wool, cotton, that mystery ball with no label that's been rolling around your craft box since 2019. It'll all fluff up into something round-ish and lovely.
But if you want the good stuff, the pom poms that hold their shape and let you go a bit wild, there's one yarn I reach for every single time...
The best yarn for pom poms is acrylic (it's my ride or die)
I always, always go for acrylic yarn. It's why every pom pom kit I make comes with it!
Here's why it wins:
🎨 The colour range is unreal. If you can dream up a shade, acrylic exists in it. Perfect when you're colour-matching a fruit, an animal, or something completely random!
☁️ It's soft which means your pom poms will be lovely and silky to touch.
✂️ It cuts like a dream. Easy to slice through, which matters a lot when you're trimming.
🐘 You can shape it into basically anything. Trim it into a face, a fruit, an animal, a fluffy little blob of joy. The possibilities really are endless with it.
🌱 Bonus: it's vegan friendly. No sheep involved, so everyone's happy.
My favourite acrylic brands
The two I reach for again and again are James C Brett and Cygnet Pato Everyday DK. Gorgeous colours, lovely and soft, and they behave exactly how I want them to when I'm trimming.
I love them so much I stock a bunch of the colours in my own shop, so you can grab the exact shades I use without hunting all over the place. 👉 Browse the yarn colours here
What weight yarn is best for pom poms?
For weight, I stick to Double Knit (DK) or Chunky and Super Chunky.
DK gives you that lovely dense finish with loads of control for detail. Chunky and Super Chunky get you a big, bold pom pom fast. Both are brilliant, it just depends on the vibe you're going for.
If you're just starting out, DK acrylic is the easiest to get hold of in the UK and the easiest to work with. You can't really go wrong. It's nice and affordable too, so it keeps the costs down when you will no doubt want to stop up on your yarn stash!
My special occasion yarn
Now for a little shoutout to a yarn I keep for best.
Omegacryl fingering yarn. It's very thin and comes in strands of 3, and it's my secret weapon when I want delicate detail. Think tiny meadows of flowers or little dots.
It's not as easy to get hold of as acrylic, so I don't use it every day. But when a design calls for something dainty, nothing else quite does the job. It also cuts through like butter!
What happens when you use different materials?
You can use almost any material, but each one behaves differently once it's a pom pom. Here's what to expect.
🧵 Cotton. This is the big one to watch. Cotton makes a fairly stiff pom pom that won't easily hold its spherical shape. Instead of a lovely round ball, you get something a bit floppy and tassel-like. Pretty for some projects, but not the classic pom pom look.
🎋 Bamboo. A similar experience to cotton. You can get some really nice colours, but the yarn won't easily mould together when you're trimming, so you miss out on that neat blended finish.
🐑 Wool. Wool makes a lovely fluffy pom pom. The catch is it's not always easy to trim or cut through, so shaping takes a bit more effort. It's also a lot more expensive so can become unaffordable if you're making a lot of pom poms.
✨ Novelty yarns. Tinsel and feather yarns are the main culprits. They look gorgeous and sparkly, but they shed like hell. You'll be finding fibres for days. It's exactly why I use real tinsel garlands in my pom poms rather than novelty tinsel yarn.
Want the yarn choice made for you?
Guess what though? If you buy one of my DIY kits, you don't have to think about any of this.
Every kit comes with the exact acrylic yarn I've hand-picked for the design. Right weight, right colours, ready to go. You just open the box and start making.
👉 Shop the kits here and let me provide the colourfulest, juiciest yarns for you!
One more thing: stay safe when you snip
Important note. Acrylic is a synthetic yarn, and when you're trimming a pom pom you're cutting through a lot of tiny fibres.
Those pesky little fibres love to float up and go right up your nose.
So do what I do: pop a mask on when you're cutting. It keeps the fluff out of your lungs and your sneezes to a minimum. Make sure you tidy up in between pom poms so you aren't sitting around lots of fibres at a time.
Best yarn for pom poms: your questions answered
What is the best yarn for pom poms?
Acrylic yarn, every time. It comes in every colour under the sun, it's soft, it cuts and trims beautifully, and it's vegan friendly. It's what I put in all my kits. My favourite brands are James C Brett and Cygnet Pato.
What weight yarn should I use for pom poms?
Double Knit (DK) for colourful pom poms with a dense finish, or Chunky and Super Chunky when you want something big and bold, fast.
Can you use acrylic yarn for pom poms?
Yes, and I'd argue it's the best choice you can make. It holds its shape, trims into any design you like, and won't cost you a fortune.
Do you need special yarn for pom poms?
Not at all. You can use almost any yarn you already have. But if you want the fullest, most shapeable pom poms, reach for acrylic in DK or chunky.
Is acrylic yarn safe to work with?
Make sure to wear a mask while you're trimming so you don't breathe in the little fibres. That's the one habit I'd never skip.
Happy pom making! :D
Jess x
Fat Pom Poms