Star Ball – A Crochet Amish Puzzle Ball Pattern

This crochet star ball is based on the traditional Amish puzzle ball and, as such, comes apart into 3 segments or “rings” that have to be assembled to form the ball.  Despite how it looks, there are only 3 tiny bits of actual sewing involved in making this ball.

I was going to call it a Spiky Amish Puzzle Ball (erm, not very imaginative), but when little X saw the ball he went:  “Wow…a (s)tar ball…can I have it?”  You should have seen his little face.  This was the fastest one of my completed projects has disappeared off my craft table yet.

This ball is an excellent developmental ball.  Not only can you change colours by turning the “spikes” around…

…but you can also fold the wedge pairs flat once the ball has been built.

If you fold all the wedges flat, you will end up with a multi-faceted ball.

Star Ball Pattern

©Dedri Uys 2014.  All Rights Reserved. (See Terms of Use)

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Difficulty

Intermediate

Gauge

Gauge is not important, but it is important that you work as tightly as you comfortably can.  The more tight your stitches are, the less likely you are to over-stuff the wedges (and the less likely you are to get stuffing poking out)!

Size

Using the hook and yarn specified:  7″ (17.5 cm) from point to point.

Materials

• Worsted Weight Yarn – approx 200 m/220 yards
  • 7.5 m/8 yards per wedge
  • 10 – 20 m/11 – 22 yards for joining the wedges (depending on which method you choose)
• 4 mm Clover Amour Crochet Hook
• Stuffing (see Stuffing Bombs)
• Yarn Needle

Suggested Yarn

• For a ball that is easy to build and wash, use acrylic yarn.  I suggest Deborah Norville Everyday Soft Worsted Weight Yarn as it is soft and non-pilling.  This yarn is suitable if you want a ball that little hands can build and take apart easily.
• For a very solid ball that will take some muscle to build, use cotton yarn.  Why?  Cotton has virtually no elasticity.  “Slipping” the segments over each other becomes more of a “wrestle” the segments together.  But the resulting ball has cleaner lines and is very solid and strong.  So if you don’t intend for it to be used as a “puzzle” much, this is your best bet.

For this Specific Star Ball I used Drops Paris Cotton (available HERE from Wool Warehouse) in Heather (7), Light Turquoise (2), Medium Pink (33), Pistacho (39), Strong Yellow (14), Orange (13), and White (16).

Abbreviations

• Ch – Chain
• Hdc – Half-double Crochet
• RSM – Running Stitch Marker (see Running Stitch Marker below)
• Sc – Single Crochet
• Sl st – Slip Stitch
• St/s – Stitch/Stitches
• () – Repeat the instructions between parentheses the amount of times specified
• {} – Stitch Counts

Running Stitch Marker

The wedges are worked in a continuous spiral, so you will be making the first st of each round in the first st of the previous round.  To help you keep track of your rounds I suggest using a Running Stitch Marker.

A Running Stitch Marker is a piece of yarn that is place over your work before making the first st of a round.  It is then flicked backwards/forwards over your work before making the first st of every subsequent round.  It will form a running stitch up your work, helping you to identify the first st of every round.  In this pattern, your Running Stitch Marker should creep slightly to the right as you work (left if you are left-handed).  The last st of a round should fall in the st before the RSM.

You can read more about Running Stitch Markers and working in a spiral in HERE.

Instructions

For the Star Ball you will need to make 24 wedges as stipulated below.  So I suggest keeping this project for tv-time and waiting at the doctor’s office.

Seamless Wedges

Make 24 in any colour you fancy.  I am using 6 colours and making 4 of each.

1. Into a magic ring:  ch 1 (this does not count as a stitch), 6 x hdc.  Tighten the ring.  Place a piece of scrap yarn over your work to mark the beginning of the next round.  {6}
2. Make 2 sc’s in the first hdc of the previous round.  This is your first increase.  Sc in the next st.  (Make 2 sc’s in the next st, sc in the next st) twice.  Flick the piece of scrap yarn back over your work before making the first st of the next round.  From here on out you will do this every time you see RSM.  {9}
3. (Make 2 sc’s in the next st, sc in the next 2 st’s) 3 times.  RSM.  {12}
4. (Make 2 sc’s in the next st, sc in the next 3 st’s) 3 times.  RSM.  {15}
5. (Make 2 sc’s in the next st, sc in the next 4 st’s) 3 times.  RSM.  {18}
6. (Make 2 sc’s in the next st, sc in the next 5 st’s) 3 times.  RSM.  {21}
7. (Make 2 sc’s in the next st, sc in the next 6 st’s) 3 times.  RSM.  {24}
8. (Make 2 sc’s in the next st, sc in the next 7 st’s) 3 times.  RSM.  {27}
9. (Make 2 sc’s in the next st, sc in the next 8 st’s) 3 times.  {30}

Sl st in the next st.  Ch 1 and bind off.  Remember to remove the running stitch marker when you are done with your wedge.

  

Preparing the Wedges for Attachment

Insert your hook into the stitch containing the sl st, from the outside of the wedge to the inside, and pull the end tail of yarn through to the outside of the wedge.

Insert your hook into the next st, from the inside of the wedge to the outside, and pull the tail of yarn through to the inside of the wedge.  Pull it quite tight so that the knot formed by the ch-1 is no longer visible.

Pulling the tails into the wedge like this means that there is no need to work away the tails of yarn and it eliminates the bump formed by the ch-1 bind-off.

 

Joining the Wedges

Please note, in the photos below I have not pulled the end tail of yarn into the wedges yet, because I only realized that it would be easier to do so after I had attached the first segment.

You will be attaching the wedges to each other in groups of 8, or 4 pairs.

Attaching the First Pair of Wedges

Pick up the first wedge.  Insert your hook from the outside of the wedge to the inside into the st containing the sl st (Photos 1 and 2).  Place the next wedge behind the first wedge, with the right sides facing away from each other, and insert your hook from the inside of the wedge to the outside into the stitch containing the sl st (Photo 3).  Now make a sl st through both layers (Photo 4).

The next 14 st’s will be made into the back loop only (blo) of the wedge closest to you and the front loop only (flo) of the wedge furthest away from you.  So insert your hook into the blo of the next st on the wedge closest to you AND into the flo of the next st of the wedge furthest away from you and make a sl st (Photos 5 and 6).

Make 13 more sl st’s through both layers (Photo 10).  You should now have made 15 sl st’s in total.  Insert your hook into both loops of both layers of the next st (Photo 11) and make a sl st.  You are working through both loops for this last st because it will make the join between wedges stronger.

Phot0 7 shows what the sl st’s should look like.  Photo 8 shows the sl st’s from the top (closest to you).  Photo 9 shows the sl st’s from the bottom (furthest away from you).

Attaching the Second and Third Pairs of Wedges

You will now join the next pair of wedges to each other, so pick up the next 2 wedges and hold them with right sides facing away from each other.  Insert your hook into the st’s containing the sl st’s as before (Photo 12), and make a sl st through both layers.

(Sl st into the blo of the next st on the wedge closest to you AND into the flo of the next st on the wedge furthest away from you – so both layers) 14 times.  Sl st through both loops of the next st of both wedges.

Join the next pair of wedges to each other in the same way.

Attaching the Fourth Pair of Wedges

Join the last pair of wedges by making a sl st through both layers of the stitch containing the sl st (as before).  (Sl st into the blo of the next st on the wedge closest to you AND into the flo of the next st on the wedge furthest away from you – so both layers) 14 times.  (Sc, ch 1, sc) through both loops of the next st of both wedges (Photos 14 – 16).

Well done!  You have now attached one side of each of the 4 pairs of wedges.  Now we will close and stuff the wedges.

A Word about Stuffing

You want to stuff the wedges quite tightly, but not so tightly that the stuffing starts poking through and/or distorting your ball.  BUT, if you’re wedges aren’t nice and fat to begin with, your ball will very quickly become limp and lifeless.  It’s a tiny bit of trial and error, I’m afraid…

I suggest using Stuffing Bombs so that your stuffing won’t poke out even if your tension is a bit relaxed.

Closing the Fourth Pair

(Sl st into the blo of the next st on the wedge closest to you AND into the flo of the next st on the wedge furthest away from you – so both layers) 14 times, stuffing as you go (Photos 17 – 19).  Sl st through both loops of the next st of both wedges.  This stitch will already contain a sl st (Photos 20 and 21).

Closing the Rest of the Pairs

Sl st into the st on the next pair of wedges that already contains a sl st (Photo 22).  (Sl st into the blo of the next st on the wedge closest to you AND into the flo of the next st on the wedge furthest away from you – so both layers) 14 times, stuffing as you go.  Sl st through both loops of the next st of both wedges.  This stitch will already contain a sl st.

I find it easier to close the wedges if I pinch or “sandwich” the 2 layers together (Photo 23).  This becomes slightly tricky once the wedge contains stuffing, though.

When you have closed the last pair (Photo 24), ch 1 and fasten off, leaving a 8″ (20 cm) tail of yarn.  Use this tail of yarn to sew the first wedge to the ch-1 space formed by the (sc, ch 1, sc) on the fourth pair (Photos 25 and 26).

Your segment will be a little bit snug at this point (Photo 27), but with a bit of tugging and squishing, it will flatten out (Photo 28). 

Building the Crochet Star Ball

Once you have completed all 3 segments (or rings), it is time to build your Star Ball.

Slip half of the first segment through the middle of the second segment and straighten them out so that they cross each other.  See the big green and yellow gap below?  That’s where the wedges of the third segment will go.

Slip the third segment over the first 2 so that each wedge of the third segment slots into one of the large gaps around the side of the first 2 segments.

Related Free Patterns

• Crochet Amish Puzzle Ball
• Mini Crochet Amish Puzzle Ball
• Crochet Flower Puzzle Ball

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Happy Hooking!