Pompom Stitch Crochet Pattern: A Playful Bobble Stitch Tutorial in 6 Steps

If a plain single crochet blanket is a quiet room, this stitch is the party decorations. The pompom stitch crochet pattern grows rows of plump, squishy pompoms out of a flat crochet fabric — each one a big, cheerful bobble you can actually squeeze. It looks like a novelty stitch, but it is built from one repeated move: five half-finished double crochets pulled together in a single stitch. Learn that one move on a small counted swatch, and this pompom stitch crochet pattern will carry you straight to a finished cushion front covered in pompoms.

What Is the Pompom Stitch?

The pompom stitch is the bobble stitch’s bigger, bouncier cousin. A standard bobble gathers three unfinished double crochets into one stitch; a pompom gathers five, which makes a rounder bump that stands proud of the fabric — closer to a sewn-on yarn pompom than to flat texture. If you have already made our crochet bobble blanket pattern, you will recognise the family resemblance immediately.

In this pompom stitch crochet pattern, the pompoms are worked on the wrong-side rows in a contrast colour, so they pop forward onto the right side. One plain row of single crochet sits between pompom rows, and the pompoms are staggered — each row’s pompoms sit in the gaps of the row before — so the coverage looks scattered and playful rather than lined up in regimental columns. It is a natural partner to other clustered stitches like the puff stitch in our braid stitch slippers. Once you see that rhythm, this pompom stitch crochet pattern feels easy to follow.

Materials and Gauge

• Worsted weight (#4) yarn: for the swatch, about 30 yd (27 m) in total. For the cushion, approx. 550 yd (500 m) — roughly 350 yd of a main colour (cream) and 200 yd of contrast colours (pastels) for the pompom rows. A smooth acrylic or wool blend shows the pompoms best; avoid fuzzy yarns while you learn. If yarn labels are still a puzzle, the Craft Yarn Council’s standard yarn weight system explains the “#4” on the band.
• 5.0 mm (US H-8) crochet hook
• Stitch markers, tapestry (yarn) needle, scissors and a tape measure
• For the cushion: a 16 in (40 cm) cushion pad

Gauge: 16 stitches and 15 rows = 4 inches (10 cm) in single crochet with worsted yarn and the 5.0 mm hook, measured on a plain section of the swatch. Each pompom measures about ¾ in (2 cm) across.

The spacing, in one breath: pompoms sit every 6 stitches along a pompom row, the next pompom row is staggered 3 stitches sideways, and exactly one plain single crochet row separates pompom rows. The repeat is 4 rows: pompom row A, plain row, pompom row B, plain row.

Useful Materials from Amazon

A smooth worsted acrylic in a pale main colour plus two or three pastels is the classic pairing — pale grounds make coloured pompoms look twice as bright.

Every pompom is five yarn-overs in one stitch, so a soft-grip 5 mm hook saves your pulling hand on a full cushion front.

Clip a marker where the first pompom of a row belongs and the staggered spacing checks itself as you work.

Two panels mean long seams and plenty of ends; a large-eye tapestry needle makes the finishing calm instead of fiddly.

Abbreviations (US Terms)

• ch = chain
• sc = single crochet
• dc = double crochet
• st(s) = stitch(es)
• rep = repeat
• RS = right side
• WS = wrong side
• PS = pompom stitch (fully explained in Step 3 — five unfinished dc closed together in one stitch; counts as ONE stitch everywhere in this pattern)

The Pompom Stitch Crochet Pattern, Step by Step

Follow this pompom stitch crochet pattern on the practice swatch first: Steps 2 to 5 build the swatch row by row, and Step 6 turns the same four rows into the cushion. Every row ends with its stitch count — pompoms included, each pompom counting as one stitch — so you can check yourself constantly.

Step 1 — Materials, Gauge and Spacing

Lay out your yarn, hook and markers, and read the spacing plan once before you pick up the hook: on a pompom row, the first pompom lands in the 4th stitch, then one pompom every 6 stitches. On the staggered row, the first pompom lands in the 7th stitch instead. That 3-stitch shift is the whole secret of the scattered look. If your gauge is far from 16 stitches to 4 inches, change hook size now — tight pompom fabric curls. Keep that spacing in mind and the pompom stitch crochet pattern stays perfectly even.

Step 2 — Foundation and Plain Set-Up Rows

With the main colour (cream), chain 26 for the swatch.

• Row 1 (RS): Sc in the 2nd chain from the hook and in every chain across, turn. (25 sc)

That plain row is the foundation everything builds on: 25 stitches, and the count must never change. If you end any row with 24 or 26, the mistake is in that row, not the ones before it.

Step 3 — The Pompom Stitch, Loop by Loop

Here is the one move this whole tutorial hangs on. Work it slowly three or four times into practice stitches before you start the first pompom row for real.

PS — pompom stitch, defined exactly: (Yarn over, insert your hook into the next stitch, yarn over and pull up a loop to the full height of a double crochet, yarn over and pull through 2 loops) 5 times, always into the same stitch. You now have 5 unfinished double crochets stacked in one stitch and 6 loops on your hook. Yarn over once more and pull through all 6 loops in a single motion. That is one pompom.

Three things make it plump rather than sad: pull every one of the five loops up to the same height; keep the final pull-through smooth, not yanked; and give the finished pompom a little push from behind with your fingertip so it sits proud of the fabric — worked on a wrong-side row, it pops forward onto the right side as the fabric grows.

Step 4 — The Pompom Row, Stitch by Stitch

Change to your first contrast colour — the whole pompom row is worked in the contrast colour, so the single crochets between pompoms sit recessed and read as part of the texture.

• Row 2 (WS) — Pompom Row A: Ch 1, turn. Sc in the first 3 sts, *PS in the next st, sc in the next 5 sts; rep from * 2 more times, PS in the next st, sc in the last 3 sts. (25 sts — 4 pompoms, landing in stitches 4, 10, 16 and 22)

Work across slowly and count the pompoms, not the stitches: four, evenly spaced, with 3 plain stitches cushioning each end. Turn the work over — the pompoms should be standing on the front face. If any popped through to the back, poke them forward with your hook tip now; the next row locks them in place.

Step 5 — Plain Rows and Repeating

• Row 3 (RS): Change back to the main colour. Ch 1, turn. Sc in every stitch across, working into the top of each pompom stitch exactly as if it were an ordinary stitch. (25 sc)
• Row 4 (WS) — Pompom Row B: Change to a contrast colour. Ch 1, turn. Sc in the first 6 sts, PS in the next st, sc in the next 5 sts, PS in the next st, sc in the next 5 sts, PS in the next st, sc in the last 6 sts. (25 sts — 3 pompoms, landing in stitches 7, 13 and 19)
• Row 5 (RS): Repeat Row 3. (25 sc)

See what the stagger did? Row B’s three pompoms sit in the gaps between Row A’s four, offset by 3 stitches — no pompom ever sits directly above another. Now repeat Rows 2 to 5 once more (Rows 6 to 9) and your swatch is finished: 9 rows, about 6¼ in (16 cm) wide and 2½ in (6.5 cm) tall, carrying 14 pompoms. Block it lightly, pressing around — never on top of — the pompoms. That scattered effect is the signature of this pompom stitch crochet pattern.

Step 6 — The Cushion Project: Finishing

Now put the pompom stitch crochet pattern to work: the cushion front is the swatch, widened. With the main colour, chain 62.

• Row 1 (RS): Sc in the 2nd chain from the hook and in every chain across. (61 sc)
• Pompom Row A (WS): Sc in the first 3 sts, *PS in the next st, sc in the next 5 sts; rep from * 8 more times, PS in the next st, sc in the last 3 sts. (61 sts — 10 pompoms)
• Pompom Row B (WS): Sc in the first 6 sts, *PS in the next st, sc in the next 5 sts; rep from * 7 more times, PS in the next st, sc in the last 6 sts. (61 sts — 9 pompoms)
• Work the same 4-row rhythm as the swatch — pompom row A, plain row, pompom row B, plain row — changing the pompom colour as often as you like, until the front measures 57 rows in total (the set-up row plus 14 full repeats). It should measure about 15¼ in (39 cm) square.

For the back, work a plain panel: chain 62, then 57 rows of single crochet (61 sc per row) in the main colour. Place front and back wrong sides together, pompoms facing out, and join with the main colour: single crochet through both layers all the way round — 61 sc along the top and bottom edges, 1 sc into the end of each row along the sides (57 per side), and 3 sc into each corner stitch (244 sc in the joining round). Join three sides first, slip in the 16 in (40 cm) cushion pad, then close the last side. The slightly smaller panels stretch gently over the pad, which is exactly what makes the cushion look plump — the same trick used on our flower pillow pattern, where a motif panel becomes a finished cushion.

Tips for Plump, Even Pompoms

• Same height, every loop. A pompom with one short leg leans. Pull each of the five loops up to full double crochet height before closing.
• Change the pompom colour, not your tension. Pompom rows pull in slightly more than plain rows; if the edges start to waver, it is tension, not counting — relax your grip on the pompom rows.
• Count pompoms, not stitches. Mid-row, a quick “four on A rows, three on B rows” (on the swatch) catches a spacing slip far faster than counting to 25.
• Mark the first pompom. A marker in stitch 4 (A rows) or stitch 7 (B rows) at the swatch stage trains your eye for the spacing.
• Fluff, don’t flatten. Block the fabric flat and let the pompoms dry untouched; steam held a few inches away plumps them back up. A riot of colourful texture like this makes a brilliant gift cushion — our crochet star cushion is the shaped alternative for a second one.

Common Mistakes and How to Fix Them

• My “pompoms” look like ordinary bobbles. Too few legs — three or four unfinished doubles make a bobble, five make a pompom. Count the loops before you close: there must be 6 on the hook.
• The pompoms popped to the back. They were pushed the wrong way as the next row was worked. Poke them to the right side with a hook tip before the plain row locks them in — after that row, they stay where they are.
• The stitch count keeps growing. The pompom is being counted as several stitches, or a single crochet has crept into the same stitch beside it. A pompom replaces exactly one stitch: 25 stitches on every swatch row, no exceptions.
• The fabric buckles and waves. The plain row between pompom rows was skipped or shortened. That row is structural — it gives the pompoms room and keeps the fabric flat.
• Lopsided pompoms. Uneven loop heights. Slow down just for the five legs of each pompom; the single crochets between them can go at full speed.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the pompom stitch crochet pattern the same as a bobble stitch?

They are close relatives, not twins. Both cluster unfinished double crochets into one stitch, but a bobble uses three legs and sits like a neat bead, while a pompom uses five and stands much taller and rounder. Skill-wise they are identical — learn one and you own both.

Can I make a baby blanket with this stitch?

Yes — the texture is made for tummy time. Chain any multiple of 6 plus 2 (the +2 keeps the pompom rows symmetrical): chain 98 gives 97 stitches, about 24 in (61 cm) wide, and you simply repeat the 4 rows to your length. For a smoother, flatter baby texture instead, our honeycomb crochet baby blanket is the gentle alternative. That flexibility is another reason the pompom stitch crochet pattern works so well for gifts.

How much yarn does a pompom row use?

Roughly three times as much as a plain row of the same width — five double-crochet legs are packed into every pompom. Budget generously for the contrast colours: a cushion front’s pompom rows alone take about 200 yards.

Why does my fabric curl at the edges?

Pompom fabric is dense and the clustered stitches pull the work in. Check your gauge first (too tight is the usual cause), keep the first and last stitches of every row relaxed, and block the finished piece — the curl almost always settles.

Can I work the pompoms all in one colour?

Absolutely. A single-colour version — cream pompoms on a cream ground — reads as rich texture rather than polka dots and looks genuinely expensive. The stitch counts and spacing stay exactly the same. Either way, the pompom stitch crochet pattern keeps its plump, tactile charm.

Final Thoughts

One stitch, five loops, endless pompoms. This pompom stitch crochet pattern is the rare texture that makes people reach out and touch the finished piece first — and once you have the loop-by-loop rhythm from Step 3, it is genuinely relaxing to work. Make the swatch, trust the counts, and let the cushion be the first of many: pompoms have a way of multiplying across a house. Start with the swatch, then enjoy every row of this pompom stitch crochet pattern.