A Really Big Crocheted Ball

I was flipping through one of the kid's crocheting books, when a large crocheted ball caught my eye. After examining the page a little closer, I realized, that the picture of the ball, in the book, had been taken to make the ball appear larger than it actually was. According to the pattern, the ball would only be about eight inches in diameter - of course, in the picture it looked huge.

I don't know what it was about the idea, that intrigued me, but I knew I had to make one. The pattern I followed was similar to this free pattern at Craft Designs 4 You. The only change I made was to continue increasing until I had 180 stitches. Then, I crocheted 17 rounds of 180 stitches, before decreasing my way back down.

It is really a very simple pattern (until you add six children, and a chatty husband, to the equation - then things get a little more complicated). I used about two, and half, skeins of yarn, and several bags of poly-fil, and I did end up with a really large ball. It's about 20 inches in diameter.

It's great for indoor play with the little ones, because it is a little heavy to throw, so it promotes rolling, rather than throwing. Or, taken outside, out of the way of breakables, it provides a pretty good workout for the older kids. I'd love to make one out of plarn, specifically for outdoor use - but that's a project for another day. Right now, I've got a really big game of catch to join in.

It's great to be a homeschooler