It’s officially Christmas, and I couldn’t let this season pass without sharing a festive design with you all. This year, I’m so excited to share the free pattern for these vintage-inspired Christmas ornaments. In this blog post, I’ll share the pattern for the crocheted Christmas ball ornament. See my other post for the vintage diamond amigurumi bauble pictured below.
You could also make these ornaments without the eyes and mouth for a more classy and sophisticated version.
Don’t be intimidated by the fancy designs on these ornaments. They are really so simple to make, plus I have some short video tutorials I made to walk you through how to do it. So, without further ado, please enjoy this free crocheted Christmas ball ornament pattern!
It’s Christmastime, and these little ornaments couldn’t be more thrilled! They love nothing more than relaxing from the branches of a beautiful Christmas tree and looking down on all the cheerful happenings around them. These mini ornaments are filled with joy, and hope they can spread that joy to you!
Disclaimer: Some links in this crocheted Christmas ball ornament pattern may be affiliate links. Affiliate links are a way for me to make a small commission on certain products at no extra cost to you!
You can find an ad-free, beautifully formatted, concise version of this crocheted Christmas ball ornament pattern in my shop here. Supporting my website in this way ensures I can release many more free patterns in the future!
MATERIALS YOU NEED
- Light worsted/DK weight yarn (3 ply) in any two colors. For my ornaments, I used a mix of Amigo from Hobbii and Paintbox Yarns Simply DK from LoveCrafts. A note on yarn weight: This pattern calls for DK/light worsted yarn to achieve the sizes stated. If you use regular worsted weight/Aran, your ornaments will turn out significantly larger than mine. Please keep this in mind when selecting your yarn.
- C (2.75 mm) crochet hook
- 7.5 mm black safety eyes
- Fiberfill (or your stuffing of choice)
- Bent tip tapestry needle
- Scissors
- Stitch marker
- Black embroidery floss
- Sharp sewing needle
ABBREVIATION KEY
Abbreviations are in U.S. terms.
- sc – single crochet
- st/sts – stitch(es)
- sl st – slip stitch
- dec – decrease (join the next 2 stitches together)
- inc – increase (2 single crochet in the next stitch)
- R1 – round 1
- rep – repeat
- ** – repeat the group of instructions between the asterisks the number of times indicated.
Note: All rounds are worked continuously (that is, vs. joined rounds.)
The finished size is approximately 2.25 in. (5.5 cm.) tall. (Please be aware that your personal gauge, tension, hook size, and the brand of yarn you decide to use will all impact the finished size.)
The pattern and images in this document are the sole property of Storyland Amis. This written pattern is for personal use only. Please do not share, sell, or redistribute it in whole or part.
You MAY sell the finished product, but please credit Storyland Amis as the designer. If you sell your finished items online, I would appreciate it if you could link them to my blog! You may not mass-produce items made from this pattern. Thank you for your understanding and respect.
IMPORTANT ADDITIONAL INFO
Starting round: When starting my crochet pieces in the round, I always use the “ch 2 method.” That is perfectly fine if you prefer to start your pieces using the magic circle/ring instead. These two methods are interchangeable, and the end result will be the same regardless of your choice. Watch this short video to learn how to make the “ch 2 method”.
Right vs. wrong side: When working in the round, I always crochet with the “right” side of the stitches facing out. Watch my short video to see the difference between the “right” and “wrong” side of crochet stitches.
Yarn under vs. yarn over: I always yarn under (YU) instead of yarn over (YO) for all my amigurumi. Doing YO might make your amigurumi slightly larger than mine, so keep that in mind if you prefer YO. Watch my video on the differences between yarn under and yarn over.
Sewing pieces together: I sew all my pieces together using the whipstitch unless otherwise specified.
Stuffing: Check out my short video on how to stuff pieces properly here.
Color changes: Insert hook into last st of round or section with old color, yarn over & pull hook through st. Take your new color of yarn, yarn over & pull hook through remaining 2 loops on hook. Now you’re ready to start the new round or section. Check out my video on color changes here.
Important note about color changes: We will be changing colors frequently in this pattern. To simplify things, we won’t cut the yarn and tie it off each time we change colors. Instead, we will leave whichever color of yarn we are not using hanging and pick it up when it’s called for. Check out my video on frequent color changes here.
Crocheted Christmas Ball Ornament (starting in red yarn)
R1: ch 2, starting in the 2nd ch from hook, sc 6 (6 sts) (you can use the magic circle if you prefer as it won’t make a difference in the end. In that case you will make a magic circle and make 6 sc in the magic circle. Watch this short video to learn how to make the “ch 2 method”.)
R2: *inc* rep 6 times (12 sts)
R3: *sc 1, inc* rep 6 times (18 sts)
R4: sc 1, inc, *sc 2, inc* rep 5 times, sc 1 (24 sts)
R5: *sc 3, inc* rep 6 times (30 sts)
R6: sc 1, inc, *sc 4, inc* rep 5 times, sc 3 (36 sts)
R7: sc in all 36 sts (36 sts)
Switch to cream yarn (see “Important note about color changes” under the “Important Additional Info” section of this pattern.)
R8: sc in all 36 sts (36 sts)
Switch to red yarn
R9-10: sc in all 36 sts (2 rounds total at 36 sts each)
Switch to cream yarn. For help with R11, watch this video HERE
R11: *sc 2, now insert your hook in between the 2 sc sts 2 rounds below the round we’re currently on and make a sc* rep 12 times (36 sts)
R12: sc in all 36 sts (36 sts)
Switch to red yarn
R13-15: sc in all 36 sts (3 rounds total at 36 sts each)
R16: *in red sc 4, in white sc 2* rep 6 times (36 sts)
Switch to red yarn
R17: *sc 4, dec* rep 6 times (30 sts)
Switch to white yarn
R18: *sc 3, dec* rep 6 times (24 sts)
Adding the Face
Insert your 7.5 mm safety eyes between R14 & 15 of the head spaced 7 sts apart (Hint: Insert the 1st eye. Count 7 sts from the hole where you inserted the 1st eye and insert the 2nd eye. There should be 5 visible sts between the two eyes.)
Using your black embroidery floss and sharp needle, embroider a smile centered between the eyes over R14 of the head. The smile should be about 3 sc sts wide. Watch this short video to see how I embroider a simple smile.
Switch to red yarn
R19: *sc 2, dec* rep 6 times (18 sts)
R20: sc in all 18 sts (18 sts)
Finish off leaving a short tail. Finish stuffing the ornament firmly and set aside until you make the ornament top.
Ornament top (using gold yarn)
R1: ch 2, starting in the 2nd ch from hook, sc 6 (6 sts)
R2: *inc* rep 6 times (12 sts)
R3: *sc 1, inc* rep 6 times (18 sts)
R4: in BLO sc in all 18 sts (18 sts) (This is the only round we will crochet in the BLO.)
R5: sc in all 18 sts (18 sts)
Finish off and leave a long tail for sewing. Since both the last round of the ornament and the last round of the top have 18 sts, the two pieces will line up perfectly.
Using the whipstitch, sew the two pieces together. Add a little stuffing to the top when you are about three-fourths of the way around. When finished, knot the finishing tail from the ornament we left to the remaining sewing tail of the top to secure the sewing and weave the tails into the body to finish.
Adding the Loop for Hanging
Now, we will add the loop on the top of the ornament to hang it on the tree. To do this, take a length of gold yarn and thread it through your tapestry needle. Now, pull the yarn about halfway through the center round on the top of the ornament. Knot the two ends together and then cut the excess tails off. Now hide the knot in the inside of the ornament top by pushing it through the center round of the top. Watch this short video to see how to add a loop to an amigurumi Christmas ornament.
Congratulations—you’re done! I hope you enjoyed making this crocheted Christmas ball ornament. I would love to see pictures of your finished project!
If you make this crocheted Christmas ball ornament, share your creations with me via social media or email me directly! You can find me on Instagram (@storyland_amis) and Facebook (Storyland Amis).
Thanks for stopping by! Until next time, then – stay crafty!
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