DIY Pompons, Tassels, and Easy Knit Hat Embellishments

It's easy to decorate and personalize a basic knitted hat using only yarn, cardboard, and scissors without any fancy sewing accessories. Add some tassels or pompons to a hand knit hat for a fun skiing or snowboarding hat. Match the color of the yarn to the hat, or provide a bright contrast to a basic solid colored hat. For added color interest, add a row of blanket stitching or crochet a single row around the bottom of the hat matching the color of the tassel or pompon. You may wish to add just a single pompon or tassel or a whole row. Use any midweight yarn to make these knitted hat embellishments, and sew them to the hat using a darning needle after they are complete.

To rapidly cut multiple strands of yarn in the desired length, wrap the yarn around a piece of cardboard ½ the width of the specified length. For example, use a 6" piece of cardboard to create 12" yarn pieces. Cut through the yarn loops along one side of the cardboard and you'll quickly have multiple yarn strands in the desired length.

Snowboarder Hat Trim: Braided Pigtail Tassel

Popular among the snowboarding set, these braided "pigtail" tassels really catch the air. Add five in different colors to the top of the hat for a color explosion! For each braided tassel, cut 6 strands of yarn 18" in length, plus an additional piece of yarn 12" in length to tie it off. Fold the yarn in half and pin to a solid surface using a large safety pin. Divide the yarn into three bundles of 4 strands each and braid tightly to 2" from the end. Loop the extra piece of yarn around the yarn bundle tightly to hold the braid in place and tie in a knot. Trim the excess and shape as desired.

Classic Hat Trim: Thick Ponytail Tassel

To make a thick tassel to trim the top of a hat, cut 20 strands of yarn 12" in length. Fold the yarn in half. Tie an additional 12" piece of yarn tightly around the yarn bundle 1" below the fold and blend the ends in. Fluff and trim the ends of the tassel to the desired shape.

70's Retro Hat Trim: The Pompon

To make a classic 70's vintage pompon, cut 40 strands of yarn 3" in length. Tie a 12" strand of yarn very tightly around the center of the bundle, compressing the yarn together at the center. Fluff and trim the pompon. Vary the pompon by using longer yarn for a wild look, or shorter yarn strands for a more compact and neater silhouette.