Here we are again, in the dead of winter. It’s the time of year that we all start dreaming of tropical destinations, beautiful beaches and hot, hot weather. And planning an exotic vacation necessitates one thing: packing for an exotic vacation.
I’m pretty set in the bathing suit department and my collection of distressed jean shorts is getting out of control, but there was one thing I was missing: a cute beach tote. You know, a bag you can shove your magazines, sunscreen and headphones in and head straight for the sand. I’ve long been coveting a festive pom pom bedecked beach bag like this one by Jadetribe, and since I had a bunch of colorful yarn lying around, I decided to make my own.
I started with a $3 straw tote I got in the dollar section at Target, so all-in-all this beach bag probably cost me around ten dollars. All the more money to put towards my next plane ticket! Check out the detailed instructions below to create your own pom pom beach bag.
For this project, you’ll need the following:
• yarn (I used this pack of mini balls of neon yarn)
• straw bag
• fork
• scissors
• big eye needle
1. The first step is to make a whole bunch of pom poms. There are a few methods you can use, but in my experience, the fork method is the easiest. Start by wrapping the yarn around the tines of the fork. I wanted to make small, full pom poms, so I wrapped the yarn around the fork 50 times. Then, cut a small length of yarn and thread it through the middle tine closes to the base of the fork and tie it in a tight knot at the top. Gently slide the ball of tied yarn off the fork and hold it tightly by the longer strings.
2. Using sharp scissors, gently snip each loop of yarn. Once all of the loops are cut, carefully tie the longer pieces of yarn once more so it’s nice and tight. Finish the pom pom by snipping off the longer pieces and trimming any other pieces that are sticking out.
Repeat the process until you have a nice stockpile of colorful pom poms.
3. Next we need to make a couple of pom pom strings. Grab a piece of yarn or twine and thread it with a big eye needle. String the pom poms on one at a time, leaving about an inch of space between each one. When you get to the middle, leave about five inches of space (this is where it will wrap around your bag handle). Finish the string by tying a knot at each end so nothing slips off.
4. I figured I would add some tassels for good measure (per my current obsession). The method for making a tassel is very similar to making the pom poms. Instead of using a fork, wrap the yarn around your four fingers about 20 times. Then slide the loops of yarn off your hand and tie a piece of yarn through the top loops of yarn. Cut another length of yarn and tie it around the yarn close to the top. Then, cut the bottom loops to create the fringe and trim any pieces that are too long. Finish the tassel by tying the top string together to create a long loop.
5. Attach the pom pom strings and tassels to the handle of your straw beach tote just like you would attach a luggage tag to a suitcase.
