Tutorial: Crocheted Christmas Baubles

My friend Sandra complained that it's been Valentine's Day on this blog forever, so I'm going to take a huge leap forward and update it with something Christmassy! My crochet projects nowadays are quick and easy, and these are nice little scrap users that are satisfying to make (and play with. Just ask my children.)

You need:

• Main colour: scraps of sock or fingering weight yarn
  (I’ve used a leftover skein of Lana Grossa Magico II. The long colour changes mean that I get a lot of very different-looking baubles from one ball of yarn)
• some metallic thread – again, tiny amounts needed. Alternatively, simply use a contrasting colour.
• a 3 mm or 3.25mm (D) hook
• scissors, darning needle
• a styrofoam ball in an appropriate size or an old bauble you can cover
• a hook to hang it (or simply use a piece of thread)

The pattern is written in American terms. UK terms are in [brackets].


Note: this is a recipe, not a pattern. See my notes for adjusting the bauble cover to fit.

Round 1

Using your main colour, ch 4, make 11 DC [TR] in fourth chain from the hook (the other three chain stitches count as the first DC [TR] ). Join with a slip stitch. (12 stitches)

Round 2
Ch 3 (counts as first DC [TR]), do 1 DC [TR] in the same stitch.
2 DC [TR] in each remaining stitch in the round. Join with a slip stitch. (24 stitches)

Round 3                                                                                                        

Using the metallic or contrasting thread, crochet 1 SC [DC] in each stitch in the round. Join with a slip stitch. (24 stitches).

Your work should be starting to curl now, saucer-like. This is good! The round of SC [DC]s is supposed to pull your work a bit tighter and make it curl.

Round 4

Main colour:  Ch 3 (counts as first DC [TR]), do 1 DC [TR] in the same stitch. 1 DC [TR] in next stitch. *2 DC [TR]s in next stitch, 1 DC [TR] in following stitch.** Repeat from * to ** till back at the starting 3 ch. Join with a slip stitch. (36 stitches)

Round 5

Metallic or contrasting thread: as round 3. (36 stitches).

Round 6

Main colour: Ch 3 (counts as first DC [TR]), do 1 DC [TR] in the same stitch. 1 DC [TR] in next 2 stitches. *2 DC [TR]s in next stitch, 1 DC [TR] in following 2 stitches.** Repeat from * to ** till back at the starting 3 ch. Join with a slip stitch. (48 stitches)

Round 7

Metallic or contrasting thread: as round 3. (48 stitches).

At this point, you should pop the little ‘hat’ on the bauble to see how it fits. Your stitches should come down to the midway point of your bauble. In order for mine to fit, I need one more round of DC [TR]. I do NOT increase in this round. If your bauble is bigger, you might need to do another round with increases, i.e. one single DC [TR] more between each 2 DC [TR]

Round 8

Main colour: Ch 3 (counts as first DC [TR]), do 1 DC [TR] each stitch around. Join with a slip stitch. (48 stitches)

If you find that this makes your bauble cover too big, re-do the last round with a shorter stitch, e.g. HDC [HTR] or SC [DC]

 

Repeat the instructions above to create the second half of the bauble cover, then turn them inside out so their front sides are facing, blithely ignoring the ends you haven’t woven in because no one will see them, and whipstitch the two bauble sides with your metallic thread, leaving about a third of it unsewn. Turn it the right way around and pop the ball inside, sew the rest of it shut. 

 

  Attach the hook or thread for hanging. I stuck a shiny stone on the starting round because it tidied up the bauble stitching … and if you can’t have bling at Christmas, when can you have it, eh?