Off-kilter pompoms

Pom poms don't have to be adornments for garments - they can be creations in their own right

We're putting on a workshop tomorrow to show kids the basics of knitting. We don't really know what age the kids will be since it's part of our local Brockley Max community arts festival and people can simply turn up and give it a go. 

Our own experience is that learning to knit doesn't necessarily come easily - but it's pretty addictive once you start. But with lots of things to do on the day and limited attention spans, we thought it a good plan to also offer pom pom making as as option. Pom poms are often used to finish off a hat, bag or scarf and are ideal as a project to take away and complete once your enthusiasm on the day wanes. 

I remember sitting in my bedroom when I was about 10 making pom poms. I haven't done much of it since. With a bagful of multicoloured scraps of yarn, I've experimented with two and three colour pompoms for my pre-event practice. Now I'm thinking of what I can use them for afterwards - ideally something that doesn't lead me back in to the danger zone of flipping through a knitting pattern book and starting a new knit so I've got something my pompom can make complete.

Pom poms can be objects in their own right. Make a few and you've got the makings of an animal body, cut out and glue on felt shapes and give yours a face or attach it to a length of elastic and taunt the cat. But there's one inescapable fact: pom poms always come out spherical. 

Since I like to do different, I'm now trying out asymmetric pom pom making for size. I've figured out that simply shifting the hole off-centre will have little effect on the finished object. So I'm trying elongated shapes instead - long animal bodies and lozenges for legs. I may even make pom pom veg. 

Brockley Knits at Brockley Max

I've finally signed up to a Ravelry account, which means I can splurge details of my in-progress knitting frustrations on their forums rather than here. But in a bid to be more sociable with my new-found creativity, I'm making a concerted effort to 'reach out' to other knitters. My Facebook, Twitter and blogging will no doubt reflect this, whereas last year's blogging was more of a show and tell about my gardening endeavours. 

We're putting on a knitting event during this year's Brockley Max festival. On May 30th we'll be knitting and chatting at Mr Lawrence Wine Bar in Crofton Park from 7.30pm. 

Brockley Knits doesn't yet have an identity, so I've suggested we knit this fella as our mascot. You can see more of him at the Jellybums site.

Brockley Knits now has a Facebook page, and I'm hoping to get in touch with other local knitting groups so we can make a broader local event. 

Julia from Knitshop in Lee Green is probably our nearest local yarn shop, so I've asked her along, and I'm hoping the wonders of Twitter and Facebook will yield responses from the Fox & Firkin knitting group and their equivalent in Nunhead. 

Knitting's a lot of fun when shared with friends. Come along and see.