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Ball of (almost) any size Amigurumi Pattern

Ball of (almost) any size Amigurumi Pattern
4.7★ Rating
2-3 Hours Time Needed
2.3K Made This
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Intermediate Level

Ideal for those with basic crochet experience, featuring slightly more advanced stitches and techniques to expand your skills.

⏱️

Bite-Sized Project

Finishes in 2-4 hours—perfect for an afternoon of creative relaxation.

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Pocket Pal

A mini friend to carry anywhere, providing comfort and companionship in a perfectly portable size.

About This Ball of (almost) any size Amigurumi Pattern

This pattern shows you how to crochet a round ball (sphere) in amigurumi style using a top, middle and bottom section method. It gives full instructions for an eight-row circle top and bottom and explains how to extract fewer rows for smaller balls or add rows for larger ones. You can use almost any yarn and hook combination, and there is guidance on measuring your stitch unit and estimating yarn usage.

Ball of (almost) any size Amigurumi Pattern crochet pattern - detailed view of completed project

You will learn exact row-by-row instructions for the top and bottom circles plus the middle straight rows, stuffing advice, and how to calculate sizes from your yarn. The pattern is written in UK terms (dc = US sc) with notes to help you adapt for different yarns and hooks.

Why You'll Love This Ball of (almost) any size Amigurumi Pattern

I absolutely love this pattern because it makes size variations genuinely simple — once you see the top/middle/bottom logic the rest is just counting. I enjoy using up odd scraps of yarn to make small balls that become toys, beads or heads for other amigurumi projects. I appreciate how the method scales cleanly from tiny to quite large sizes without complicated shaping. I also love that it teaches you a practical way to measure and calculate how much yarn you need, which saves time and surprises. Making these balls is relaxing, satisfying and endlessly customizable.

Ball of (almost) any size Amigurumi Pattern step 1 - construction progress Ball of (almost) any size Amigurumi Pattern step 2 - assembly progress Ball of (almost) any size Amigurumi Pattern step 3 - details and accessories Ball of (almost) any size Amigurumi Pattern step 4 - final assembly and finishing

Switch Things Up

I love how easily this pattern adapts to different yarns and hooks; try using a chunky yarn and a large hook for a squishier, larger ball.

If you want a tiny bead, switch to a finer yarn and a much smaller hook and follow the same row counts for a smaller unit measurement.

I often change colours every round in the middle section to create striped balls that look great as decorative beads or toys.

To make a weighted ball for baby toys, insert a small sewing-weight packet or some rice sealed in a plastic bag into the stuffing before closing the hole.

I sometimes add embroidered faces or stitched details on one hemisphere to turn a plain ball into a character head.

Try mixing yarn types: a cotton body with a wool accent round gives a lovely texture contrast and interesting visual lines.

If you want posable features, add a short length of wire into the stuffing of half the ball to make a semi-rigid shape for craft projects.

Make a set of graduated sizes by keeping your hook the same and increasing the number of top rows, then display them as a nesting or stacking toy.

Use sparkly or metallic yarns for holiday baubles, and sew in a small loop before closing so they can be hung on a tree.

I also like to glue or sew a wooden bead into a small ball to make a durable necklace bead that is soft but stable.

Common Mistakes & How to Fix Them

✗ Working in joined rounds instead of spirals can create a visible seam and misalign your stitch placement; work in spirals and mark the start of each round with a stitch marker to maintain consistent shaping. ✗ Using a hook that is too large for the yarn will make the fabric too loose and the stuffing can show through; use a slightly smaller hook than recommended to produce a firmer fabric and tighter stitches. ✗ Overstuffing the ball will distort the spherical shape and can make decreases difficult; stuff gradually and evenly, filling the shape little by little to keep a smooth round finish. ✗ Forgetting to measure your unit size will lead to unexpected finished circumferences; make a small sample, measure six stitches in the last row to get your unit measurement before choosing the number of top rows. ✗ Placing increases or decreases all in the same spot every row can create a hexagon rather than a smooth circle; offset increases on rows with even stitch spacings by starting with half the number of stitches then increase to spread them evenly. ✗ Not finishing the last stitches through the front loops can leave a visible hole at the pole; when closing the last six stitches thread the tail through the front loop of each remaining stitch and pull tight to hide the end inside.

Ball of (almost) any size Amigurumi Pattern

Make perfectly shaped crocheted balls in any size with this adaptable amigurumi-style pattern. You will learn a clear top, middle and bottom section method so you can make tiny beads or larger play balls using simple counts. The pattern is written in UK terminology (dc = US sc) and includes guidance for tension, yarn choices, and how to calculate the size from your yarn. Ideal for using scraps, toy heads, decorations or small handmade gifts.

Intermediate 2-3 Hours

Materials Needed for Ball of (almost) any size Amigurumi Pattern

— Main Fabric

  • 01
    PaintBox DK cotton (firm yarn) - used for main samples, recommended for a firm accurate sphere
  • 02
    Catania (sport weight) - used for small six-row sample examples
  • 03
    PaintBox cotton Aran (worsted/aran weight) - used for larger sample with a 4mm hook
  • 04
    Use leftover yarn scraps for small balls; quantities vary by size (see stitch-count table to estimate yarn)

— Tools Required

  • 01
    Crochet hook size 3.5mm (used with PaintBox DK cotton for firmer fabric)
  • 02
    Crochet hook size 4mm (used for PaintBox cotton Aran sample)
  • 03
    Crochet hook size 2.5mm (example used with Catania sport weight)
  • 04
    Large-eye needle or yarn needle (to pull the end through and finish closing)
  • 05
    Scissors
  • 06
    Stitch markers to mark the start of rounds
  • 07
    Measuring tape or ruler (to measure unit measurement and circumference)
  • 08
    Digital scales (optional) to weigh yarn samples for yarn usage estimates
  • 09
    Polyester stuffing (fibrefill) for filling the balls
  • 10
    Pins (optional) for holding pieces when shaping or finishing

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— Pattern Overview :

Info :

Work this in amigurumi style, in spirals, marking your row start (or end, as you please) so you don't lose track. No stepping up. This is written in UK style – US, see the abbreviations to translate. The first eight sizes are given in full and instructions are included for how to extract rows for smaller balls and add rows for larger balls.

— Materials :

Info :

Firm yarn – I’ve used PaintBox DK cotton for the main set of samples. Crochet hook to match the yarn – one size less than the yarn usually asks for is a good idea, to get a firmer fabric, so I used a 3.5mm hook instead of a 4mm for the DK cotton. Large-eye needle (or smaller hook) to finish the ends (pull through inside).

— Size :

Info :

Just about any size you like. The balls in the main picture have circumferences of about 2.5, 5, 7.5, 10, 12.5, 15, 17.5 and 20 cm (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 inches). See Choosing the Size of your Ball for how to work out how to make the size you want or to work out what size you are going to get from the number of rows and the yarn you have.

— Tension :

Info :

Absolutely depends on your yarn, but ideally firm. The basis of this pattern is that a dc (US – sc) crochet stitch is more-or-less the same height as its width. See the section on Choosing the Size of your Ball for more about tension and size.

— Abbreviations :

Info :

dc – double crochet, (what the US calls sc) dec – decrease, work two stitches together, dc two together (US, sc two together). Either pull one loop through each of the next two stitches so you have three loops on the hook and then finish them off together, or do an invisible decrease.

— Method :

Info :

Read this next part if you are interested in how this pattern works. If you don’t care and just want to make a ball, go on to ‘Top Section’. You do not need to understand this bit of maths to make the balls. The basis of this pattern is that a crochet dc stitch (US, sc, but I’m saying dc here) is more-or-less square, that is it is the same width as it is high – so you could make a square with five stitches and five rows, or any number of stitches and the same number of rows. To make a ball, you need a circle (more or less) at the top and bottom, which will be pulled into a curved shape by the flat repeated rows around the middle. To make the circle section, you can use the standard six-stitches in a magic ring and increase six evenly all around each row until you have the circumference you need for your ball. If you increase in the same place every time, you get a hexagon – it will still make a sphere, but it’s not quite as neat as if you offset the increases, so for the rows with even numbers of stitches between increases I offset the place by half – you’ll see how that goes when you read through the pattern. In any case, the number of stitches is 6 times the number of rows you have done, since you start with six and increase six each time.

— Working a Ball :

Info :

Top Section for an eight-row circle ball: Note – repeat just the section in the brackets just before the word repeat! The bracket at the end is the number of stitches you should now have in the row – it is always a multiple of six.

— Top Section for an eight-row circle ball :

Round 1 :

Row 1: 6 dc into a magic ring.

Round 2 :

Row 2: 2dc into each dc (12)

Round 3 :

Row 3: (dc, 2dc in next dc) repeat 6 times (18)

Round 4 :

Row 4: 1 dc, 2dc in next dc, (2 dc, 2dc in next dc) repeat 5 times, 1 dc (24)

Round 5 :

Row 5: (3 dc, 2dc in next dc) repeat 6 times (30)

Round 6 :

Row 6: 2 dc, 2dc in next dc, (4 dc, 2dc in next dc) repeat 5 times, 2 dc (36)

Round 7 :

Row 7: (5 dc, 2dc in next dc) repeat 6 times (42)

Round 8 :

Row 8: 3 dc, 2dc in next dc, (6 dc, 2dc in next dc) repeat 5 times, 3 dc (48)

— Middle section (any ball) :

Round 1 :

Middle Row: 1dc in each dc to end – repeat until you have as many 'middle rows' as you have rows in your top (circle) section.

— Bottom Section for an eight-row circle ball :

Info :

Note: These row numbers count DOWN to the top of the ball, so for an eight row circle ball the next row is row 8. Read the notes, below, on stuffing before the hole in your ball gets too small.

Round 8 :

Row 8: 3 dc, dec, (6 dc, dec) repeat 5 times, 3 dc (42)

Round 7 :

Row 7: (5 dc, dec) repeat 6 times (36)

Round 6 :

Row 6: 2 dc, dec, (4 dc, dec) repeat 5 times, 2 dc (30)

Round 5 :

Row 5: (3 dc, dec) repeat 6 times (24)

Round 4 :

Row 4: 1 dc, dec, (2 dc, dec) repeat 5 times, 1 dc (18)

Round 3 :

Row 3: (dc, dec) repeat 6 times (12)

Round 2 :

Row 2: dec 6 times (6)

Round 1 :

Row 1: Cut the yarn, leaving a long tail. Put the tail in a sewing needle, and thread through the front loop of each of the remaining 6 stitches going around the ring in the same direction you were working. Pull tight and finish the end, hiding it inside the ball.

— Stuffing :

Info :

Do not stuff the ball too firmly, it will distort the shape. Try to stuff evenly, if possible with small balls just use one piece of stuffing pushed in at perhaps the 18 stitch row (balls smaller than this may not need stuffing at all). If you need a lot of stuffing, try putting in a fairly large amount to start with and then spreading it out so that you can put the rest into the middle of the stuffing you’ve already put in – this tends to give a smoother, more even result. When you’ve finished off the ball, roll it in your hands for a while (or on a flat surface if it’s too big for that) until it’s as round as you can make it.

— The other 7 smallest sizes :

Info :

Yes, I said the first eight sizes were given in full. They are. Just take the first however many rows you want from the eight-row ball, the middle section, and the last same-number of rows, counting from the end. So for the tiniest ball with the yarn you have, just the first row, one middle row, and the last row. For the next size, the first two rows, two middle rows, and the last two rows. And so on for the first seven sizes.

— Larger Sizes :

Info :

OK, for larger sizes I think you can probably see how it goes. Every row of the top circle section you increase (2dc in next dc) six stitches, evenly spread around the ball. The number of stitches between the increases gets bigger by one stitch on each row. If this is an odd number, start the row with that number of stitches, increase, then repeat that until the end of the row. For example, rows 3, 5 and 7 on the method above. If it is an even number, then to put the increase in the middle of the space rather than in the same place as the increase on the previous row, you start with HALF that number of stitches, increase, then (the full number, increase) five times, then that half number again and you should be at the end of the row. The middle is always the same – unshaped rows of the same number as the number of rows in your top circle. The bottom circle works exactly the same way, except that instead of spacing your increases, as described above, you are spacing your decreases.

— Choosing the size of your ball :

Info :

To work out how to make a ball the size you want, you need to know the size of the stitch you get from your yarn with the hook you are using. I do this by making a little sample of crochet about 15 stitches wide and ten rows high (because I feel the first few rows may be distorted by the chain at the beginning). Measure the width of six of the stitches in the middle (ish) of the last row. This is your Unit Measurement. One stitch is a sixth of this, but the measurement you just took is the one you need because all the ball circumferences are a multiple of six stitches. Each size of ball has a circumference of the Unit Measurement multiplied by the number of rows in the top circle section.

— How much Yarn / How big a ball from my Yarn? :

Info :

You may want to know how much yarn you need for a ball, or how big a ball you can make from whatever amount of yarn you have left from a previous project. To do this, you need to know either the weight or the length of yarn needed for (say) 100 stitches in your yarn. So make a trial piece 10 stitches by 10 rows (or similar), and either weigh it or undo it and measure how much yarn it took. If you’ve done the 15 x 10 piece above to try out the size of the stitches, take two-thirds of your result for that (because that was 150 stitches). Now, each ball has 6 stitches in the first row, 2x6 in the second row, 3x6 in the third etc. up to Nx6, then has N rows of N x 6 stitches where N is the number of rows which defines the size of the ball, so that is NxNx6 stitches. Plus of course the same size circle section at the base. So we need to add up all the stitches in the top section, multiply by two (so we have the bottom section as well) and add the number in the middle. I’ve done this for you on a chart for the first 12 sizes – if you are doing a bigger ball, you’ll need to do the maths to add on to this. I do it by adding six to the number in the row, then adding that to the last circle size, then doing the rest of the sum. Don’t forget to multiply the circle stitches by two as well as adding in the middle section.

— Number of stitches in a ball :

Info :

Number of rows in circle section: 1 to 12. Number of stitches in one circle section (A): 1:6,2:18,3:36,4:60,5:90,6:126,7:168,8:216,9:270,10:330,11:396,12:486. Number of stitches in middle section (B): 1:6,2:24,3:54,4:96,5:150,6:216,7:294,8:384,9:486,10:600,11:726,12:864. Total number of stitches (2A+B): 1:18,2:60,3:126,4:216,5:330,6:468,7:630,8:816,9:1026,10:1260,11:1518,12:1836.

— Ideas for using balls :

Info :

Of course the most obvious thing is for soft things for young folk to throw around. I made quite a few larger ones of these for babies and toddlers (DO make sure it is stitched up well so they can’t get at the stuffing!) before I worked out this pattern. For winter holidays, you could make baubles – use yarns that shade, or change colours every row, or do something elaborate with colour. Small balls in pretty or sparkly yarns can be used as beads for a graduated necklace. Balls make decent heads for dolls or animals, and you can make half or so of a ball in the next size up as hair – add some shaping to the last row or two. I’m sure you’ll have more ideas!

Assembly Instructions

  • When finishing the bottom, cut the yarn leaving a long tail, thread the tail through a yarn needle and pass it through the front loop of each of the remaining 6 stitches, pull tight and hide the tail inside the ball.
  • Stuff evenly as you work through the middle rows; add firm stuffing first then spread out additional stuffing into the center to obtain a smooth round shape.
  • Roll and shape the completed ball in your hands (or on a flat surface) after closing to make it as round as possible before hiding ends.
  • For use as a doll head, make a half ball of the next size up and attach it to the top of the body, adding shaping to the last rows as required and sewing securely.
  • If making ornaments or baubles, consider inserting a small loop of yarn before closing the last stitches to hang the ball, ensuring it is sewn in firmly and the opening is fully closed.

Important Notes

  • 💡Use a slightly smaller hook than usual for your yarn to produce a firmer fabric and minimize visible stuffing through the stitches.
  • 💡Work in spirals and mark the start of your rounds with a stitch marker to avoid losing track of rows or misplacing increases and decreases.
  • 💡Do not overstuff the ball as this will distort the spherical shape; stuff gradually and evenly for the best finish.
  • 💡Measure your Unit Measurement by making a small swatch and measuring six stitches in the last row to accurately calculate the circumference for your ball size.

This pattern lets you create soft, round balls in dozens of sizes using simple maths and basic stitches. 🧶 Perfect for toys, heads, baubles, beads, and more — use scraps or special yarns to make something unique. ✨ Try different yarns and hooks to change scale and feel; have fun and enjoy shaping your own handmade spheres! 😊

You ask,

we answer.

FAQs

What size will the finished piece be?

The finished ball circumference depends on your Unit Measurement and the number of top rows; for example, with PaintBox DK and a 3.5mm hook a six-row circle gives about 15cm circumference.

Can I use different yarn weights for this pattern?

Yes, you can use different yarn weights; changing yarn or hook will change the Unit Measurement and therefore the finished circumference — make a small swatch to calculate the size.

Do I need prior crochet experience for this pattern?

This pattern is rated intermediate; basic knowledge of working in spirals, increases and decreases, and reading repeat instructions is recommended.

How long does this project typically take to complete?

Most crafters can complete a single ball in 2-3 hours depending on size, yarn, and how much time is spent on measuring and stuffing carefully.

How do I estimate yarn needed for a ball?

Make a swatch and either weigh it or measure the yarn used for a known number of stitches (for example 150 stitches from a 15x10 swatch). Use the stitch-count chart to find the total stitches for your chosen size and scale the yarn amount accordingly.