I am tickled to begin our new magazine series where we discover and learn from some of the wonderful women and men I have the pleasure of knowing. Our first collection will be introductions and tutorials for projects you can do at home for free - or pretty darn close to it. So let's dive right in...

I first me Lily when she was very young - maybe 6 years old. We were neighbors when my children were very small. I have had the absolute pleasure of watching Lily grow up into one of the most kind and accomplished human beings I know. And I am even happier to say, we have become dear friends. Our shops are right around the corner from each other and before the shutdown, we would visit on a regular basis, so it is nice to be able to collaborate in some way again.

Lily is the owner of three - that's correct! - successful businesses - Apprentice Studio, an elevated knitwear line made entirely by Lily, co-owner of Good Gray, one of the prettiest practical stores in all the land, and her latest baby, Judith & Lily. Judith & Lily is a wonderful little yarn shop that filled an empty niche in Petaluma. They carry a curated selection of yarns as well as supplies and patterns. They also offer classes for everyone from the beginner to the advanced knitter and crocheter. It is a must visit for any knitting or crochet lover! 

In the following tutorials, Lily will be teaching us how to make pompoms and tassels as well as giving us some inspiration for how to use them. As you all know, I am a huge fan of pom poms and tassels as adornments for our bags. Our bags are all fairly neutral in color and I love the addition of a pop of color! Try making these with thin strips of colored fabric as well!

I hope you all have fun with this new series! 

Pom poms and tassels are so easy to make with things you have around your home and have endless uses. I like to use them for wrapping packages, making garlands, tying a little posey together for a friend, you can stitch them on ribbon to make a bookmark, or even hair ties for fun. The list really goes on forever, so have fun with it. 

Materials you will need:

Yarn, a fork (or if you want to be fancy a Pom Pom maker), scissors, strong thread - I like to use button thread, and a business card. 

How to make a Pom Pom

1. Wrap your yarn around the tines of a fork approximately 30-40 times and cut the end. 
2. Taking your strong thread tie all the loops tightly through the middle tine of the fork. 
3. Slide off of the fork, cut all the loops, and trim! Don’t be scared, they take a good amount of squishing and trimming. 

1. Wrap your yarn around the business card length wise about 25 times and cut your yarn. 
2. Cut a 10 inch piece of yarn and thread it under wrapped yarn and pull it all the way to the top and tie it tightly with a knot.
3. Remove wrapped yarn from card and using another 10” piece of yarn and about 1/4 of the way down wrap the yarn tightly around all loops about 10 times and tie a knot. 
4. Cut all the loops at the bottom and trim.