Join our new Instagram crafting community

We're currently taking a break from hosting the "Crafting is my Therapy" blog link-up.

But we're still keeping the creative vibe alive over on Instagram.

Join Jennifer Jain and I over there by tagging your images with #craftingismytherapy_january.

The focus of our new hashtag is crafting for pleasure, basically taking some ‘me-time’ to unwind in our busy lives. It doesn’t have to be a finished project, we love seeing work in progress, planning posts or tutorials too.

Each month the hashtag will change to reflect the month we are currently in. At the end of the month Jennifer Jain and I will feature a selection of our favourite images...

What are you making at the moment? I am currently a bit obsessed with making pom poms. I haven't made one using two pieces of cardboard since I was a child. I had forgotten how much fun they are to make. I love winding the wool around and around and then cutting the yarn to reveal the fluffy pom pom.

Making pom poms is a great way of using up all those spare bits of yarn you may have hanging around. You can experiment with mixing colours, they look great with clashing shades, anything goes!

To make a pom pom using the 'old school' cardboard hoop method, you will need:
* cardboard, cereal packets are ideal
* two circular objects to draw around, one larger than the other. I used a ceramic tea cup and an egg cup to make the 'doughnut' template. Make sure you cut out two 'doughtnuts' to wind the wool around...
* scissors
* wool, any shade and texture, the more colours the better!

They are really simple to make. Just take the two cardboard 'doughtnuts' and start winding the wool around and around. Build up the wool to the thickness you require. The thicker the wool is wound around the cardboard, the denser the pom pom will be. Once you have finished, carefully cut the wool from the cardboard. Be sure to slide the scissors between the two pieces of cardboard when you cut around. Once the edges are all cut, take a piece of yarn and tie the middle part that is between the cardboard doughnuts making sure you have a nice knot. Snip the cardboard doughnuts off.

Any doubts about how to make a pom pom? Take a look at this WikiHow tutorial for more images

Have fun! Be warned, making pom poms can become addictive :)

If you'd like to see more, head over to the Me, You and Magoo Instagram account to see more of my craft projects.

– Please share the love and comment on other people who join in with the hashtag.

– If you share an image please use the hashtag #craftingismytherapy_january on any social media channels, this will help us to grow the community. We will retweet all your posts via Twitter if you mention us @pouchvintage or @JenniferJain

– And finally, if you would like to follow me on Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram, you’re more than welcome! Jennifer Jain’s links are here too: Twitter, Pinterest and Facebook.