How-To Tuesday: How to Make a Dr. Seuss-inspired Truffula Tree Pom Pom Rug

For parents-to-be who happen to be literary nerds, take a page from Dr. Seuss' books to decorate your new little one’s room with an adorable and sweet nursery theme. You can pull inspirational quotes from the books of Seuss, play up bright colors that will keep your little "Who" entranced, and of course load up the library with all of the Seuss classics. To tie it all together, you can make a Truffula Tree Pompom rug as a subtle and stylish nod to Seuss' The Lorax. This project requires very little in the way of materials and is simple enough to make that any level crafter can do it. Not only will it be a stylish room accent, it can be the perfect backdrop to the endless newborn photo shoots.

Remember, a handmade project adds a personal touch, no matter how small!

What You'll Need:

4 spools of multicolored yarn

1 non-slip gridded rug mat*

Scissors

Yarn Needle

*I used a small area rug size, roughly 12" x 18"

For the Pompoms:

1. First, you'll want to establish your prominent color, as you'll be making your largest pompoms from this color. Straighten out your hand palm side up so it lays flat.

2. Place the end of the thread in the center of your palm and secure it using your pointer finger.

3. With your other hand, begin winding the yarn around your flat palm, wrapping roughly 50 to 100 times, depending on how thick you want your pom pom.

4. When you are finished wrapping, cut the yarn and tuck the loose end into the folds of the yarn.

5. Cut an additional string of yarn from the spool, roughly 6 inches long.

6. Gently slide the wrapped yarn off of your palm and pinch it in the center, making a bow shape.

7. Lay the 6 inch long string of yarn flat and place the wrapped yarn in the center of it and tie the string around the "bowtie" center tightly. Knot the string together to secure it.

8. Holding the two strings you tied together, take the scissors and begin to cut the loop end of the bow tie until all of the ends are loose.

9. Trim the cut ends to form the desired shape and length of the pom pom. Make sure that the string used to tie the pom pom together is longer than the cut ends.

Repeat this process until you have roughly 50 pompoms. To vary the size of the pompoms, instead of wrapping the yarn around your palms, wrap the yarn around the width of four, three, or two fingers. (Keep in mind that you'll need more of the smaller poms to fill the same amount of space.)

For the Rug:

1. Take a large pompom and thread one of the long strings you secured it with through the yarn needle.

2. Sew the thread through one of the grid squares and pull the string the entire way through.

3. Repeat the previous step with the other string using an adjacent square. Don't space them out too far—you're anchoring the pom in place.

4. Flip the non-slip rug over and tie the strings together. Knot the string ends to secure it.

5. Repeat the previous step, alternating colors and shapes, until the entire rug is filled in.

6. Trim any excess strings.