Saturday 20 February 2016

Crochet Puzzle Balls


I crocheted these puzzle balls as Christmas presents for two of my nephews (and was requested to make one for another!) They are wonderful toys for babies and toddlers, and I've seen adults in my family spend a fair bit of time with them too! They are very tactile, and pleasing to fiddle with.


They are made using this pattern from Look At What I Made. You begin by crocheting 24 little cone shapes, before hooking them together to make the squares you see above. These three squares can then be assembled to make the pointy star ball (in the first and last pictures). The points can also be rotated after assembly to make a flat sided ball, such as in the pictures below. This means that not only can the toy be used as a ball, to throw and play around, but it also develops motor skills, as it is disassembled and reassembled, and allows for different colour combinations depending on how it is assembled!


The finished size of these balls is an adult handful, but I am hoping to make one closer to knee height, which can be used as a footstool or floor pillows - just need to save up for some super chunky wool! I made these using Stylecraft's double knitting range. At first, it can be a bit confusing how to assemble this puzzle ball, so I made up some instructions to package with them. I'm sharing it as a free PDF that you can access by clicking the image below, but ask that you use it for personal use only. Thanks!

https://1drv.ms/b/s!ACb9z77tEO2ehYwr

I really recommend this pattern though. I don't see many of these being made in blogland, and they deserve more attention!


5 comments:

  1. Fabulous Helen - the assembly pdf looks great - I'd find the spatial bit rather challenging!
    I marvel at your consistency of all those tiny cones!
    The big one sounds fun too - hope you find some chunky wool - or two strands of less chunky!!
    Ali x

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    Replies
    1. Thank you Ali! Any wool that will make the project easier haha!
      Helen x

      Delete
  2. Hi, Helen - oooh, those are so cool! Love your color schemes and just the precision of it - loooove the idea to make a huge one. Hope you do it!!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. What a fabulous toy, both for big and little kids. I've seen something similar to this made with fabric, but not crocheted.

    ReplyDelete

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