My little sister loved to play with balls when she was a child. At first, she played with store-bought balls. While playing, she developed the bad habit of licking the balls. Sometimes the solid balls hurt her. Therefore, my grandmother knitted softballs for her. Not only did she love them more, but she also gave up her bad habit.
Knitters enjoy making new things. However, not every knitter knows how to knit a ball. Without knowing certain techniques, it is difficult to knit a round shape sphere. Knitting is a common hobby among old ladies, who generally make sweaters, mufflers, socks, hats, balls, etc. to show their love for family. In addition, knitting provides a pleasant way to pass the time. Not only old ladies, but also young women, housewives, and men enjoy knitting today. Many people, however, are unaware of the nuances of knitting a ball.
Necessary Items for Knitting
Whether you want to knit a ball or anything else, there are some things you’ll need to use. Such as-
- Double-pointed needles
- Scissors
- Measuring tape
- Stitch marker
- Tapestry needle
- Cotton for stuffing
- Needle cap
All of these should be gathered before you begin.
The procedure of Knitting a Ball
There are several methods of knitting a ball. However, I’ll describe two popular ways for you. One is with two needles and another is with five needles. No matter what method you want to follow you’ll need certain items.
Two Needles Technique
If you’re a beginner then this method will be easy for you. First, you have to make a slipknot on a needle. After that make eight or ten stitches on the same needle. Then start to knit using the other one. When you have a rectangle fabric then you can stop. The longer side of the fabric should be one and a half times longer than the shorter side. Later take the tapestry needle and put yarn in its long eye. Afterward, slip it through a lengthy part of the fabric. Next, pull the yarn and tighten the fabric and you’ll have one side of the ball. Now stitch together the short parts of the fabric then stuff cotton and close the other side of the ball as you did the first one. Subsequently, you’ll have a wool ball made.
Five Needles Technique
At the start of knitting, you’ll always have to make a slipknot. After doing so, make eight or ten stitches. In following this process, always make even-numbered stitches at first. So that you can pass or slip half of the stitches on the other needle. Keep knitting front and back and gradually increase the stitches. After reaching an even number again, split the stitches in half as if four needles have the same number of stitches.
Then continue knitting using the other needle and increase the number of stitches to around twenty. Thereafter you need to decrease the number of stitches. Because of decreasing, the yarn would have a round shape. Following the process when you’ll have three or four stitches left on each needle then stuff the ball. You can stuff it with cotton or anything else of your desire. Then continue stitching and close it.
Common Mistakes in Knitting
In the case of knitting balls, normal yarn is not usable as it wouldn’t be fluffy. Bulky or chunky yarn is best for balls. But don’t pull the yarn too much as you have to keep the stitches not too loose, nor too tight.
At the time of stitching the tail end of the yarn should be left alone. You can’t use it to knit. Three or four inches of tail yarn should be left and can be used at the end to tie knots. You can keep the tail yarns on the inner side of the balls or trim them.
If you take a break from knitting, don’t leave the needles open, instead, put caps on them. Because it can hurt anyone or damage things. Even the yarns can get twisted.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
How do you knit a large ball?
Simple, the more stitches you make, the larger the ball will be. You can use long needles as they can have more stitches. You can make a large ball following both two and five needles techniques. You just need to make more stitches on every step.
How do you knit a colorful ball?
Take your desired colors of yarn and knit them separately in little rectangular shapes. Later join them all together by stitching to make a larger rectangular. Then follow the two-needle technique. You can follow the five needles technique too, by adding other colors to the stitching rows.
How do you knit a stress ball?
The method of knitting a stress ball is no different from normal ones, only the stuffing material differs. For stuffing a woolen stress ball you should use foam polyurethane. Chunky yarns are also a good material for stuffing stress balls.
How do you knit a soccer ball?
Knit 10 hexagons and 6 pentagons of two different colors and then knit them together duly. Start by knitting the hexagons around the pentagons. Before joining the last one don’t forget to stuff. You can change the size according to your choice by following the ratio of 5:3, respectively hexagon and pentagon. Christmas
Conclusion
These balls are not so hard to make, especially following the two-needle technique. Yet you can’t customize them with a subtle design using the two-needle technique. For making balls with a subtle pattern, the five-needle technique is suitable.
If you want to be an expert at knitting, then you should practice the five needles technique as it allows you to make exquisite designs. You can make these balls at your leisure. Children and pets can play with them. Also, they can be used to decorate houses for festivals. Some people use them to relax and reduce stress. Not to mention, obviously, everyone will enjoy receiving them as gifts.
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