Hacky Sack - Striped DC Ball

This was another pattern I created myself, so once again, I'll be showing you in two posts. In the mean time, here are my creations.

First up, Cole's hackysack. He said he liked blue, so here it is. This one was completed in September.

Ravelry Project: Cole

October brought us Randall's hackysack. He likes orange and green, so this was a perfect fit.

Ravelry Project: Randall

Another October creation, Aunt Kathy's was done with scraps, and slightly adapted since the yarn was thicker, so all Double-crochets are half-double crochets instead.

Ravelry Project: Kathy

Finally, we have the one I made for Adi, completed in November. I never got color requests from him, so I just went with red and brown.

Ravelry Project: Adi

Hacky Sack - Christmas Ball

These hacky-sacks were made following the Christmas Ball pattern from ATERGCrochet on Etsy.

I made a modification in round 9 - instead of doing separately and then seaming together, I simply treated it like the join, working single-crochets through both pieces of fabric.

These took only an hour or two to work up, which was a great relief after some of the longer projects!

Kristine

First, I made Kristine's from Brava scraps. She said she liked fall colors, so this is the one I made for her. It was completed in August.

Ravelry Project: Kristine

Whitsun

Whitsun's was next, and he said he liked Black and White, as well as red, so this was a perfect decision for him. I finished it in September.

Ravelry Project: Whitsun

Heidi

Heidi's was created in September, when she said she liked blue and white.

Ravelry Project: Heidi

Extra7

This extra one was finished in September, using Brava scraps.

Ravelry Project: E7

Granny Square Hacky Sack - Pattern

As I mentioned in my previous post, this set of hackysacks was made using a pattern of my own creation, and as promised, here it is.

Materials

• Yarn, in desired colors. If you choose to follow the schemes above, you'll need 3-4 colors.
• size F crochet hook
• scissors, darning needle, and stuffing material (pantyhose and rice or batting)

Directions:

Squares: Make 6

• Round 1: With color A, create a magic ring. In the magic ring, make one standing DC, and then 2 normal DC. (Chain 1, make 3 DC) three times. Chain 1, and slip-stitch to the top of the standing DC. Cut and bind-off.
• Round 2: With color B, make one standing DC in any of the ch-1 spaces, and then make 2 more DC in the same space. (Ch-1, make 3 DC) in the same space, then (3 DC, ch-1, 3 DC) in the next ch-1 space three times. Slip-stitch to standing DC, cut and bind-off.
• Round 3: With color C, make one standing DC in any of the ch-1 spaces, and then make 5 more DC in the same space. (3 DC in the stretch between the sides of DC in the previous round, 6 DC in the next ch-1 space) three times. 3 DC in last stretch, and slip-stitch to standing DC, snip and bind off.

Finishing:

• Once you have all six sides done, begin binding them together. SC two corners together, and sc across, ending in the next corner stitch. Then, hold another piece up, and stitch in the new set of corner stitches (yes, you will be making two stitches in one of the corners), and follow that side down. Continue in this manner until your ball is all stitched up, except for one side, which is only attached at one side.
• Fill the bottom of an old pair of stockings with rice, beans, or stuffing, depending on how heavy you want your ball to be. Tie a knot in the stockings, cut above the knot, and stuff it into your ball. 
• Seam across the rest of your edges, and use a darning needle to weave in all the ends.

If you want to make each side different, you can follow this color schema, making one of each.

• A, B, C
• A, C, B
• B, A, C
• B, C, A
• C, A, B
• C, B, A

If you want to keep the centers the same, and use only three colors, follow this color schema:

• make 2: A, B, C
• make 4: A, C, B

You can, of course, use any color schema you would like!

Hacky Sack - Granny Square

This is a pattern that I made myself, and so I'll write this one in two posts. First up, lets showcase the hackysacks! I'm classing them granny square hacky sacks, and they were one of my favorites.

Garrett's was first, completed in August, and made from Brava scraps. He requested blue and gray, so this one worked out for him. I chose to do one side in each color combination, so each side is different.

Ravelry Project: Garrett

Second, I made Aunt Becky's, and she liked "Eggplant purple, cobalt blue, lime green, and bold colors." Instead of making each side different, I chose to do all six sides with a green center, so four of them have burgundy followed by eggplant, and two have eggplant followed by burgundy. This one was done in September.
Ravelry Project: Becky

Next up is Sami, who said she liked red and green, and so hers, completed in September, came out fairly Christmas-y. Again, I chose to keep all the centers red to match with the binding, but this time, I decided to make all the squares the same.
Ravelry Project: Sami

Finally, I made an extra with this pattern, and used a fire-schema. Each side is different, following the same pattern as Garrett's, and bound in gray. This one was completed in November.

Ravelry Project: E6

Hacky Sack - Garter Rib

These balls came from the Amusing Knitted Balls pattern, written by Martha Marques. I played around with needles sizes and pattern sizes, finding that in general, I knit them up smaller than the pattern said, but I really loved the pattern, and it was a quick knit.

Keith's was made first, and was completed in July. He liked "Matte black, blood red, and British racing green."
Ravelry Project: Keith

Next up, we have one for Grace, who liked Purple, bold red, and winter colors. Hers came together nicely, I think, as a nice complement to Keith's, and was also completed in July.
Ravelry Project: Grace

Aunt Leigh is third, and she liked "Plum, Black, Charcoal, Red, Royal Blue, Teal, Coke Bottle Green, Taupe, and Burgundy," and so for this one I went with a burgundy outside and closest I could find to coke bottle green accent inside a white backdrop. I finished it in September.
Ravelry Project: Leigh

Finally, we have another extra, knit up with some pink scraps, and finished in November.

Ravelry Project: E2

Hacky Sack - Polyhedral Balls

Next up we have the Polyhedral Balls, which were taken from a Planet June Pattern, Polyhedral Balls. I chose to do three different versions of the pattern, and I decreased the hook size to make them a bit smaller.

First up, an Octohedral Ball made for Carrie which was completed in June. I used Red Heart pink scraps, and Brava gray scraps. Since she liked Pink and Silver, this seemed like a good match.

Ravelry Project: Carrie

Second, we have a Dodechahedral, which was made for Uncle Andy P, who liked bold blues. I used a variety of blue scraps, and added in a binding red for contrast, and completed it in October.

Ravelry Project: AKP

Finally, a Tetrahedron ball was made for Alex, who said he liked all colors. I finished this in October, after choosing a primary color palette with accents of white and black.

Ravelry Project: Alex