Scrappy Crochet Christmas Ball Ornament

Did you ever make Christmas ornaments by gluing wedges of scrap fabric to a foam ball? This Scrappy Crochet Christmas Ball Ornament is the same idea, but in crochet! Use up scraps or mini-skeins and add a touch of nostalgia to your tree.

I made these a couple of years ago, and the pattern was originally published in I Like Crochet Magazine.

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Fabric Christmas Ball Ornaments

I remember being very young and making these ornaments with fabric scraps. I think it might have been a project we did in girl scouts. We all brought in fabric scraps from home and cut them into wedge shapes. The adults may have actually done the cutting.

Then they helped us glue them on to foam balls with a hot glue gun. We used strips of rick rack to cover the messy seams. Mine had a red fabric, and a white fabric with tiny little strawberries on it.

I wish I could show you, but I’ve lost those ornaments now. They were on our tree every year when I was a child.

Lion Brand Bonbons Yarn

For my ornaments, I used Lion Brand Bonbons Metallic yarns in several different colors. I love BonBons because the color sets have colors that all go really nicely together, and the skeins are just the right size for small projects like this. You can get 2 ornaments out of 3 skeins.

I have lots of bon bons left over and they’re great for embellishments on amigurumi and other patterns. See what I did with the gold metallic color on my Trim the Tree Pillow pattern!

Note that Bonbons are not all the same size yarn. The metallic yarns are a size 2 (sport weight), while the solid colors are a size 3 (DK weight). The pattern will work with the different size yarn, but you will need a larger ball to stuff it with, or will need to use some other stuffing material.

Styrofoam balls or stuffing

I originally designed these to fit around 2 inch foam balls, but you can also stuff them with fiber fill if you prefer. In this picture, the ball on the right was stuffed with fiber fill, while the other two used a foam ball.

Styrofoam balls make a lighter and smoother ornament, while fiber fill makes a softer, denser, and more rustic looking ornament. I like Smoothfoam brand balls, because of the smooth and even finish. For fiber fill, my favorite choice is PolyFil Royal Silk, for the same reason.

Scrappy Crochet Christmas Ball Ornament

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Materials

• Yarn: Lion Brand Bonbons Metallic yarn – 3 mini skeins in different colors.
• Hook: Size D / 3.25 mm crochet hook or size needed to match gauge.
• Notions:
  • Yarn Needle
  • 2.5 inch foam ball or stuffing material

Project Level

Easy: Basic stitches with some increases, decreases, and seaming. Working into sides of rows for edging.

Size

Fits a 2.5 inch diameter ball.

Gauge

23 sc x 28 rows = 4”

Use pattern as gauge swatch – each section should measure approximately 1” x 3.75”.

Abbreviations used

(Pattern is written in US terms)
ch = chain
sc = single crochet
st(s) = stitch(es)
sl st = slip stitch
sk = skip
rnd = round
RS = Right side
WS = Wrong side

Recommended Resources

• Edging – Working Evenly Across / Around

Instructions

Section

(Make 2 in each of the 3 colors – 6 total)

Ch 2

Row 1 (RS): Sc in 2nd ch (1 sc)

Row 2: Ch 1, turn, 3 sc in first st (3 sc)

Row 3: Ch 1, turn, sc in each st across

Row 4: Ch 1, turn, sc in first st, 3 sc in next st, sc in last st (5 sc)

Rows 5-19: Ch 1, turn, sc in each st across

Rows 20-23: Ch 1, turn, sk first st, sc in each remaining st. (1 sc)

Edging:

Rnd 1 (RS): Ch 1, turn, sc in first st, ch 1, sc in side of each row to end, ch 1, sc in bottom of row 1, ch 1, sc in side of each row to end, ch 1, join with sl st to first st. (48 sc, 4 ch-1 sps)

Rnd 2 (WS): Ch 1, turn, sl st loosely in each st and in each ch sp around. Fasten off, leaving a 10-12 inch tail. (52 sl sts)

Hanging loop: 

Join any of the 3 colors with sl st at one end of any section. Ch 20 or to desired length of loop, sl st in same st as joining, fasten off.

Weave in all tails except for the one remaining long tail.

Finishing:

The remaining long tail should be at one end (top or bottom). Use the tail to sew that end closed.

With right sides facing, sew the final edges together about 2/3 of the way. Go as far as you can while still being able to fit the foam ball into the hole. If you are using stuffing, you can go almost all the way closed.

Turn work right side out, insert the foam ball, and carefully sew the remaining portion of the seam. It’s ok to switch to a running stitch at this point if that’s easier, just try to keep the seam hidden under the slip stitch edging.

Sew the other end shut the same way you did the first end, then weave in the tail.

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I hope you enjoyed this ornament pattern. A downloadable pdf of this pattern is also available on Ravelry, for a small fee. The fee for the pdf format is to offset the advertising revenue lost when you print or download the pattern rather than viewing it online.

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