Amigurumi ball: the sphere behind every crochet toy

Almost every amigurumi shape is a sphere that's been stretched, squashed or joined to another sphere. Make this one and you've learned the whole method: increase to grow, work even for height, decrease to close.

The ball is worked in a continuous spiral. You don't join rounds or chain at the start of each one. Instead, a stitch marker shows where each round begins.

#Materials

• Worsted weight cotton yarn, about 20 yd
• 3.5 mm (E-4) hook, smaller than the label recommends, for a tight fabric
• Polyester fiberfill
• 1 stitch marker
• Yarn needle

#Abbreviations

• MR: magic ring
• sc: single crochet
• inc: 2 sc in the same stitch
• dec: invisible decrease (see below)
• (...) x6: repeat the stitches in brackets 6 times
• (18): number of stitches at the end of the round

#How to do an invisible decrease

A normal sc2tog leaves a small bump. The invisible decrease doesn't:

1. Insert your hook into the front loop only of the next stitch.
2. Without yarning over, insert your hook into the front loop of the following stitch. You now have 3 loops on the hook.
3. Yarn over and pull through the 2 front loops.
4. Yarn over and pull through both remaining loops.

#The pattern

Place your stitch marker in the first stitch of each round and move it up as you go.

Rnd 1: 6 sc in MR. (6)

Rnd 2: Inc in each st around. (12)

Rnd 3: (Sc 1, inc) x6. (18)

Rnd 4: (Sc 2, inc) x6. (24)

Rnd 5: (Sc 3, inc) x6. (30)

Rnds 6–10: Sc in each st around. (30)

Rnd 11: (Sc 3, dec) x6. (24)

Rnd 12: (Sc 2, dec) x6. (18)

Stuff the ball now, firmly. It's much harder once the opening is smaller.

Rnd 13: (Sc 1, dec) x6. (12)

Add a little more stuffing.

Rnd 14: Dec x6. (6)

Fasten off with a 6-inch tail.

#Closing the hole

Thread the tail onto your yarn needle. Weave it through the front loop of each of the last 6 stitches, then pull gently until the hole closes. Push the needle through the centre of the ball and out the other side, pull it slightly tight, and trim the tail close so it disappears inside.

#Make it bigger

Add increase rounds before the even section, keeping the same pattern: round 6 would be (sc 4, inc) x6 for 36 stitches. Then work even for the same number of rounds as your increase rounds, and decrease back down in reverse.