In my recent employment, I helped run arts and crafts sessions for adults with predominately learning difficulties and autism. I worked alongside a wonderful lady who had ample experience in crafts and arty hobbies, and was so kind as to teach me, during our sessions, how to loom knit a basic bobble hat…

Please see below a 50 step photographically demonstrated ‘how to’ guide of how to go about making a basic bobble hat (with brim and pom pom)… I do hope you find the information useful…

• First of all you will need to purchase a loom knitting kit. Usually, the size loom you will need to use to produce an adult size bobble hat is the largest loom in the kit. You may think “surely that one is too big?”, but trust me, that’s the one you want. In my kit, my largest loom is bright pink (see above)
• Once you have chosen two colours of yarn (medium or chunky size, depending on how thick you’d like your hat to be), tie a slip knot around the protruding anchor peg (figure 2)
• Next, wrap the yarn around each individual peg (in a clockwise motion, but the circumference of the loom itself anticlockwise) until you have wrapped every peg (figure 3). Repeat this step exactly so that you end up with two rows of yarn (figure 4). To clarify, by ‘two rows of yarn’ I mean one purple and grey yarn, in my case, underneath another row of purple and grey yarn
• Then, take your pick and pull the bottom row of yarn over the top row (as demonstrated in figure 5 and 6). Handy tip: if you start with the peg just before the anchor peg, this avoids your yarn unravelling mid-process (which is an absolute nightmare!) Starting with this peg secures your looping
• Go all around the circumference of the loom anticlockwise pulling the bottom row of yarn over the top row…

• You should then simply repeat, repeat and repeat the process:
• Push your yarn down with your pick to make room for a new row of yarn. Loop a new row of yarn, wrapping each individual peg, then use your pick to pull the bottom row of yarn over the new top row of yarn, working your way anticlockwise around the circumference of the loom
• As you continue with this ongoing process, the depth of your hat will grow at a steady pace (as visible in the figures above)…

• Once your hat has grown to a reasonable length (twice the size of how big you’d like your brim to be), the next step is to actually create a brim:
• Firstly ensure there is only one row of yarn on your pegs at this moment
• Hook with your pick the middlemost loop you have knitted over the top of each individual peg (figures 12, 13 and 14). There should be exactly the same number of loops as pegs, so these should fit perfectly. Handy tip: you can at this stage take your slip knot off the anchor peg and tuck it inside the brim you are creating so it is no longer visible; tuck it in neatly
• Pull with your pick the bottom row of yarn over the new top row of yarn (as demonstrated in figure 15) all around the circumference of the loom, and hey presto, we have a brim! :D…

• Then we’re back to growing the depth of bobble hat, which may take a wee while, so patience and perseverance is key
• Loop a new row of yarn around the circumference of the loom, use your pick to pull the bottom row over the top row, repeat, repeat, repeat (I think you may have the hang of this now, hehe)… continue maybe even for a fair few hours, as your new bobble hat grows and grows in depth
• Once your hat has grown massively (to round about the size of figure 25), you are ready to finish it off, yippee…

• Cut your yarn to roughly the length of one and a half circumferences of loom (figures 26 and 27)
• The next step is a little bit trickier: thread your pick underneath the yarn attached to the peg (figure 28) then hook and pull the cut yarn upwards and out with your pick (figure 29) do this around the entirety of the loom, threading your pick underneath the attached yarn on each peg and pulling the cut yarn upwards and out (a close-up is shown in figure 30)
• Your bobble hat is now ready to be detached from your loom, just lift it off the peg with your pick (as visible in figure 32)
• Decide at this point which way round you desire your hat to be, as it is or inside out. Either is perfectly fine, it’s all down to personal preference really
• For aesthetic purposes, knots should be tied opposite to the way you wish your hat to be worn: If you then pull the loose yarn, your hat will suddenly join together splendidly. Ensure you tie a few knots to secure…

• Now it’s time to create your pom pom!
• I have used the largest size pom pom maker in my purchased pom pom maker kit. Generally for an adult size bobble hat, this is the most suitable choice size wise for everything to look in proportion (if you’re making a smaller hat, use a smaller pom pom maker)
• Place your two (almost) identical pom pom maker shapes on top of each other, they should slot together nicely although you will have to hold them in place, so don’t be surprised if they don’t click and lock together! Tie new yarn around the pom pom maker (figure 37)
• Wrap your new yarn around one side of the pom pom maker (figures 38 and 39), then basically continue your wrapping on the other side (figure 40)
• When your pom pom maker is wrapped thickly with yarn on either side, tie a knot to secure (figure 41) and clip your pom pom maker together with the clips that should be provided with your kit (figure 42)…
  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  
• You must then place your thumb or finger (thumb is easiest) through the hole in your pom pom maker (this is very important as your yarn will fall apart otherwise), and use a pair of little scissors to cut all around the middle of the pom pom maker (figures 43 and 44)
• Cut off a loose bit of yarn (figures 45 and 46), to then tie very very tightly inside the middle of your pom pom maker to secure (figure 47)
• Your pom pom maker can then be safely be detached, and wahey we have a pom pom!
• Trim your pom pom a little bit maybe with some scissors for aesthetic purposes, then all is left is to sew your new pom pom onto your hat (figure 50)…

… And there you have it! You have created your very first pom pom bobble hat! Congratulations! (Mine is modelled above by my lovely mum, hehe)

Remember, you can always choose to use different colours; I have a few bobble hats a grey and a block colour yarn as I think these work quite well, but black goes well too with a block colour, or maybe try different shades of the same block colour – it’s your choice entirely, whatever suits you! 😀

In hindsight, perhaps a video (instead of photographs) would have been a better choice to best illustrate the process of how to make a bobble hat for beginners, but I do very much hope you found the post informative and relatively easy to follow…

Thank you, much love always, Lauren x

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