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Hands Occupied

Contemporary yarn crafts by Heidi Gustad. Knitting, crochet, latch hook and macrame.

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Attempting a Giant Pom Pom Costume

October 31, 2019 2 Comments

Yarn was provided by Lion Brand yarn. Featured: Pound of Love in Pastel Blue.

I got this wild idea to make a giant pom pom costume using latch hook, so I gave it a go for Halloween. Take a closer look at this three dimensional rug-making project and its construction.

Last year, I developed quite the obsession with latch hook, and it all culminated in a semi-wild idea: Could I make a giant pom pom costume using the technique? Today’s costume blog post/proof of concept/whatever-you-call-this is the culmination of an artistic experiment that I think is going to lead to some more interesting ideas with 3D rugmaking. For now, here’s a look at my first swing at making a wearable latch hook piece.

P.S. Halloween is such a great time to experiment with creative ideas – even if, from just the wrong angle, you look kiiiiinda like your grandma’s toilet seat cover from 1995. 🤷🏼‍♀️

I got this wild idea to make a giant pom pom costume using latch hook, so I gave it a go for Halloween. Take a closer look at this three dimensional rug-making project and its construction.

A bit about the construction

Each half of this costume consists of two, diamond-shaped panels of rug canvas, hand sewn together with strong fishing line. Then I latch hooked onto the seamed structure (with the help of my endlessly patient sample maker – shout out to Mariah!). For the construction, I was inspired by beach balls. I think if I try making another curved/spherical latch hook piece, I’d like to make the effort to have more panels for a rounder finished surface and more internal structure. It’s a LOT of effort though, lol! Hand sewing fishing line into rug canvas gives you mad callouses and rug burns.

I got this wild idea to make a giant pom pom costume using latch hook, so I gave it a go for Halloween. Take a closer look at this three dimensional rug-making project and its construction.

Finishing & Wearing

I quickly finished the raw edges of my rug canvas using a combination of random running and whip stitches, but if you’re replicating this idea, my basic latch hook finishing tutorial covers what you need to do. I used Lion Brand 24/7 Cotton yarn for my finishing because it’s really sturdy, and I had some on hand in a light blue that blended well enough with the body of the costume. I also added a few inches of the cotton yarn to each side of my costume for a simple tie closure. Another set of ties were added at each shoulder to make it into a wearable garment.

I got this wild idea to make a giant pom pom costume using latch hook, so I gave it a go for Halloween. Take a closer look at this three dimensional rug-making project and its construction.
I got this wild idea to make a giant pom pom costume using latch hook, so I gave it a go for Halloween. Take a closer look at this three dimensional rug-making project and its construction.

What I’d change: Since this this is pretty heavy, I’d use something wider and more padded than cotton yarn at the shoulders for comfort during wear. One detail I really like about this costume in terms of wearability is that you can sit in it!

I got this wild idea to make a giant pom pom costume using latch hook, so I gave it a go for Halloween. Take a closer look at this three dimensional rug-making project and its construction.

Stuffing: The costume has a lot of inherent structure from its seams and rug canvas backing, but it can cave in a bit. A couple of small, round pillow forms stuffed inside pretty easily fixed the cave-in issue, though it added bulk. I think I might cut custom pads to sew to the inside of the structure next time.

I got this wild idea to make a giant pom pom costume using latch hook, so I gave it a go for Halloween. Take a closer look at this three dimensional rug-making project and its construction.
I got this wild idea to make a giant pom pom costume using latch hook, so I gave it a go for Halloween. Take a closer look at this three dimensional rug-making project and its construction.

Anyway! Hopefully this weird experiment is interesting to some folks, and if you’ve got any insights to share or ideas for future wild latch hook experiments, holler in the comments. I’d love to hear. 😊

I got this wild idea to make a giant pom pom costume using latch hook, so I gave it a go for Halloween. Take a closer look at this three dimensional rug-making project and its construction.

Yarn was provided by Lion Brand yarn. Featured: Pound of Love in Pastel Blue.

Filed Under: Halloween, Latch Hook, Yarn Crafts Tagged With: costume, diy, giant pom pom, halloween, handmade halloween, latch hook, latch hook costume, pom pom costume, rug making

About Heidi

Heidi Gustad is a craft book author & content creator in love with primary colors & vintage vibes. She specializes in knitting, crochet, latch hook and macramé, and her first book, Latch Hook: 12 Projects for the Modern Maker, is out now!

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Comments

  1. Cindy G

    October 31, 2019 at 6:01 pm

    It came out great! And, if you ever do attempt another, you know what to do to make it even better. Could you just zigzag the panels together on a sewing machine? And, was it hot to wear? Even though it’s only covering your torso, it looks like it would be pretty toasty.

    Reply
    • Heidi

      October 31, 2019 at 8:10 pm

      Yeah, it’s kind of like wearing a very aggressive sweater vest, lol! I like the zig zag idea, but I doubt my little sewing machine could stand up to rug canvas. Maybe if I had access to an industrial machine… Hmmm… :)

      Reply

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Heidi Gustad from Hands Occupied / Craft Book Author and Knitting, Crochet, Latch Hook and Macrame Designer

Hi! I’m Heidi, an author, yarn craft designer and content creator specializing in knitting, crochet, latch hook & macrame. My work unapologetically features primary colors and vintage-meets-modern style. My first book, Latch Hook: 12 Projects for the Modern Maker, is now available!

Professionally I’m most known for: advanced intarsia knitting design & modern latch hook design.

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Craft book author & content creator in love with primary colors & vintage vibes. / #latchhookbook out now!
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knitting, crochet, latch hook & macramé

Heidi Gustad 🧶✂️
Happy Wrestlemania weekend, folks!!! 🎊 It’s c Happy Wrestlemania weekend, folks!!! 🎊 It’s coincidentally International Punch Needle Rug Hooking Day today, so I’d be remiss not to share a first look at this project finished JUST in time to wear while I watch some rasslin’ on a pirate ship in a football stadium in Tampa! 💪🏻 I’m excited to watch tonight’s women’s matches the most. Eee!
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Pictured: A blond woman in a denim dress and glasses wearing a giant belt made with punch needle. The belt is made with wool in primary colors and was inspired by the WWE Universal Championship title belt. 
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This is just a preview - after jab 2.0 tomorrow (feeling grateful 🙏🏼), I’ll be editing together a vlog about the design process for this wooly waist cover. Sometimes it’s hard to know how to make some of your wilder craft ideas come to life. Stuff you’ll never find a pattern for, you know? I’ll finish editing that ASAP, but I might take a few days to edit if I feel like trash from 💉 and only want to watch wrestling and wrestling YouTube for a day or two. 😂
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#ipnrhd #punchneedle #wwe #wrestling #championshipbelt #wool #yarn #handmade #universalchampionship #universalchampion #rugmaking #wrestlingfan #wrestlemania37 #wrestlemania
A look at the halo on the back of my wrestling-ins A look at the halo on the back of my wrestling-inspired punch needle project! It’s interesting to see how fuzzy the handspun beige yarn is compared with the primary color sections of @knit_picks Wool of the Andes Bulky. ❤️💛💙🤎 
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Pictured: The back of an in-progress punch needle project. A wooden punch needle tool sits on the work.
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#punchneedle #woolrug #rugmaking  #kpambassadorsapr21 #sponsored #griefproject #handsoccupied #wrestlingfan #universalchampion #yarn #yarncraft #wool #needlepunch
Happy Easter / One week til Wrestlemania! Finishin Happy Easter / One week til Wrestlemania! Finishing up the punch needling part of this crazy @wwe inspired project by tonight. 💪🏻🧶 Anybody else have crafty plans for this fine spring day? 
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Pictured: A blond woman sits, smiling and holding an in-progress punch needle project inspired by the Universal Championship belt. Houseplants are in the background and there’s lots of sun. 
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#punchneedle #griefproject #handsoccupied #heidigustad #wrestlingcrafts #wwe #universalchampion #universalchampionship #wool #wooloftheandes #primarycolors #oxfordpunchneedle
I'm finally starting to get some of my energy back I'm finally starting to get some of my energy back from the past few weeks, and as I dip my toe back into production mode, the long-promised seamed sweater knitting YouTube series is at the top of my list. I've got FOUR versions of a simple sweater I've been playing with since last JULY to feature as a free pattern for folks who want to knit along during the series. Pictured is the first prototype for the series, knit in 2 colors of @knit_picks Mighty Stitch yarn. I imagine this soon-to-be short sleeved number will come in handy as an emergency Waldo costume or Christmas sweater. 🌲 
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I've got my own list of topics I think folks would like to see in a series like this: things like tips for construction, working with vintage patterns, how to seam as invisibly as possible, and more, but as always, I'd love to hear from you: What scares you about knitting seamed sweaters? What would be helpful to cover, especially since we'll be doing more long form video content. I get so much positive feedback on my series of 20 minute+ intarsia tutorials, so I'm using those as a starting point as I produce this series. Seamed sweaters using vintage or self-improvised patterns are one of my favorite things on the planet, so I'm eager to share some seamed sweater skills with y'all super sweet folks. 😉 
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Pictured: A red and white striped, short sleeved sweater knit in pieces that have yet to be seamed. They are laid out on a yellow and orange colorblock background and one sleeve is yet to be bound off. 
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#handsoccupied #seamedsweater #kpambassadorsmar21 #sponsored #knitpicks #waldo #waldosweater #wip #yarncraft #yarn #knitting #knittersofinstagram #heidigustad #vintageknitting #sweaterknitting
Work continues this evening on my absurd punch nee Work continues this evening on my absurd punch needle pro wrestling inspired championship belt project. I’ve finished most of the front pretty quickly thanks to the @knit_picks Wool of the Andes Bulky yarn I’m using. For now, I’ve got a couple more weeks until Wrestlemania, & I’m on track to finish this in time! 
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The biggest question I have is what to do with the “plates” - the open circles in the picture. Should I try to closely replicate the Universal Championship belt or go rogue and make it wool themed? Please advise in the comments. ☺️🧶🙏🏻🐑 
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Pictured: The front of an in-progress punch needle project. A wooden punch needle tool with navy yarn running through it rests on top of the work. 
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#kpambassadorsmar21 #sponsored #knitpicks #punchneedle #rugmaking #primarycolors #punchneedlerughooking #punchneedlelove #wool #wip #yarncraft #yarn #yarnaddict
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