Crochet Amish Puzzle Ball Pattern

Let me introduce you to my Crochet Amish Puzzle Ball.  I can hype it up and tell you that your kids will have endless hours of fun playing with this puzzle ball, but the truth is that I have a lot more fun with this puzzle ball than my kids do (although they love it).

The minute someone walks into my house I practically force it on them!  And what fun it is watching people try to assemble it.  Of course it only takes them a little while to figure it out, because it IS pretty simple.

But doesn’t it look cute?  And as a ball it kicks some serious crochet ass!

The chunky design means that it is super easy for little hands to grab hold of.  And the million colour possibilities make it a treat for little eyes and inquisitive minds.

Now before we go any further.  If you are at all concerned about the apparent amount of sewing involved, let me put your mind at ease.     All the segments are crocheted together at the end and the tails of yarn are enclosed INSIDE the ball – if you follow my advice, leaving you with 3 tiny tails of yarn to sew away.  That’s right, ladies!  3 itty bitty bouts of sewing.  I think that’s pretty awesome!

Be warned that this is one of those mind-numbing projects.

You will need to make 12 (x2) of the same thing.  So I would advise resigning this particular project to evening tv time (if you indulge) and car trips.

Thank you, Tannie Esther, for sending me the link to the fabric Amish puzzle ball and starting me on this journey!

Crochet Amish Puzzle Ball Pattern

Dedri Uys ©2011.  All Rights Reserved.

You can find the free PDF version of the pattern here in my Ravelry Store.

 Just keep in mind that I continuously update the pattern below to make it as easy as possible.  The pdf version might not contain the latest updates.

Translations are available in Spanish, Swedish, Danish, Dutch and Russian.  The links can be found below the pattern.

Materials

Update:  I have recently started working with worsted weight yarn and much prefer the denser structure obtained when using worsted weight yarn.  The ball below is made with the materials listed below, but feel free to use worsted weight yarn instead of double knit!

♥  4 mm Crochet hook (US G/6  UK 8)

♥  Double knit yarn (light worsted weight/#3) in contrasting colours –  about 120 m/130 yards for the wedges, 45 m/49 yards for the lids and 30 m/32 yards for crocheting the lids to the wedges. 

♥  A yarn needle for working away your tails of yarn

♥  About twice as much stuffing as you think you will need

Abbreviations

US Terminology used

{You can see a US/UK comparison chart for hooks and terminology here.}  

Additional Notes

The initial ch st’s in each row/round are NOT counted as stitches.    

Instructions

Wedges

(Make 12)

1. Ch 2.  Sc x 3 in 2^nd ch from hook.  Ch 1 and turn. (3)
2. Sc inc in each st.  Ch 1 and turn.  (6)
3. * Sc inc, sc* x 3.  Ch 1 and turn.  (9)
4. * Sc inc, 2 x sc* x 3.  Ch 1 and turn.  (12)
5. * Sc inc, 3 x sc* x 3.  Ch 1 and turn.  (15)
6. * Sc inc, 4 x sc* x 3.  Ch 1 and turn.  (18)
7. * Sc inc, 5 x sc* x 3.  Ch 1 and turn.  (21)
8. * Sc inc, 6 x sc* x 3.  Ch 1 and turn.  (24)
9. * Sc inc, 7 x sc* x 3.  Ch 1 and turn.  (27)
10. * Sc inc, 8 x sc* x 3.  Ch 1. (30)

Fold the half-circle in half and join the open side of the resulting wedge together by making 9 sc’s along this edge.  You will effectively be working one sc through both layers of each row.  When you get to the end, ch 1 and bind off.

Hint:  place the initial tail of yarn INSIDE the wedge before closing it, giving you one less tail of yarn to sew in at the end.  To eliminate the final tail of yarn, insert your hook into one of the stitches at the pointy end of the wedge (from the inside of the wedge to the outside) and pull the final tail of yarn through to the inside of the wedge.  If that doesn’t make sense, the Mini Crochet Amish Puzzle Ball Pattern has some photos of these steps.

If you want to, you  can turn the resulting wedge inside-out so that you don’t end up with a seam.  I personally prefer (and recommend) the seam as it helps the Puzzle Ball to interlock better when assembled.

Alternative way to make the wedges:

If you don’t want a seam at all, work the wedges in a spiral.  To do this, simply skip the ch-1 and turn at the end of each round and make the first st of the next round in the first st of the current one.  I would suggest using a piece of yarn as a running stitch marker to make sure that you know when every new round begins.  When you get to the end of round 10, sl st in the next st and bind off.

Chain of “lids”

(Make 3)

1. Ch 2.  Sc inc in 2^nd ch from hook.  Ch 1 and turn (2)

2. Sc in each st.  Ch 1 and turn.  (2)

3. Sc inc in each st.  Ch 1 and turn.  (4)

4. Sc in each st.  Ch 1 and turn.  (4)

5. Sc inc, 2 x sc, sc inc.  Ch 1 and turn.  (6)

6-9. Sc in each st.  Ch 1 and turn.  (6)

10. Sc2tog, 2 x sc, sc2tog.  Ch 1 and turn.  (4)

11. Sc in each st.  Ch 1 and turn.  (4)

12. Sc2tog x 2.  Ch 1 and turn.  (2)

13. Sc in each st.  Ch 1 and turn.  (2)

14. Sc2tog.

Now repeat rows 1 – 14 THREE more times.  This will give you a chain of 4 “lids”.  On the very last “lid” of the chain, ch 1 and bind off.

Hint:  If you are going to use the “lid” colour (so the same colour) to attach the wedges to the lids, don’t bind off.  Just continue with the assembly instructions below.  It just saves having to work away another tail of yarn.

Assembling the segments

Use the yarn you used for the wedges or a third, different colour if you prefer.  If you are using a new colour, start with a slip knot already on your hook.

You will be attaching 4 wedges to each chain of lids, working up the chain of lids on one side and down the other side, stuffing as you go.

You will be working into each st of the wedge opening and each row of the chain of lids.  See the section below if you are unsure about the placement of the stitches in the rows of the lids.

So, place your first wedge behind the first lid on the left (with the sc seam of the wedge to your right – see photo below) and insert your crochet hook through the first st of the chain of “lids” and the first st of the opening of one of the wedges.  {If you have turned your wedge inside out, or you have worked it in a spiral, start on any st around the top of the wedge.}  Work a sc through both layers.  Continue working through each row and st of both layers in this way until you have worked 15 sc’s.

Join the next wedge to its lid in the same way and continue until you have worked one side of all 4 wedges and lids.

Now you will be “closing” the wedges.  Insert your hook into the same (last) st of the 4th lid and the next st of the 4th wedge and make a sc.  Continue working through each row and st, stuffing (see below) as you go, and making 15 sc’s along the other side of each of the 4 wedges.  When you reach the last st, of the 1^st wedge, join to the first st with a sl st and bind off.  Use the tail to join the tips of the first and last wedges together.

Alternatively you can sl st them together before binding off, which is what I prefer.  To do that, simply sl st in st’s 16 and 15 of the st’s around the top of the 4th wedge (in that order), so the stitches at the pointy end, and then sl st in the first and second st’s of the first wedge.  Bind off and work away your tails.

Repeat this whole procedure for all 3 groups of 4 wedges.

When your segments are all nicely stuffed and neatly finished off, use them to build your puzzle ball!

Having trouble lining up the lids and the wedges?

Although the lids only have 14 rows, there are 15 “holes” along the side of the lid.  This is because the chain st you work the sc inc into in the first row also forms a hole.  So, in essence, you are working into that ch st and then into each of the 14 rows.  I have included a numbered photo below to help explain this.  It is numbered starting from the sc2tog of row 14 ( on the right), where you will start attaching the lid to its wedge, through to the initial ch st of row 1 (on the left), and then back again around the bottom of the lid.  I hope this eliminates a few questions.

A word about Stuffing

This ball EATS stuffing! And I have noticed that people tend to think they have overstuffed the ball because the wedges are quite fat and the segments super snug…But the ball will stretch over time and to get the best results you want to stuff it nice and full! If you use too little stuffing the segments won’t sit together as well and the ball is more likely to become lifeless after a lot of playing.   Just don’t stuff it so much that it becomes “holey”.

Building your Crochet Amish Puzzle Ball

Now, because this is a puzzle, I am not going to explain how you assemble the ball.  But I have included a photo of how the first 2 segments should interlock and a photo of what the ball should look like once assembled.

All you have to do is figure out where the third segment goes.  If you really get stuck, Google it

Crochet Amish Puzzle Ball Video Tutorial

by Elizzza from www.knitaholics.com

This video tutorial should answer any questions you may have.  Please note that Elizzza turns her wedges inside out before attaching them to the lids.  I prefer not to turn them inside out.  Keeping the seam on the outside makes it easier to attach the wedges to the lids AND it helps the wedges interlock slightly better when the ball is assembled.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Thank you, Elizzza.

Translations for the Amish Puzzle Ball Pattern

• Spanish (translated, with permission, by Ana from Hasta el Monyo)
• Swedish (translated, with permission, by Sofia from Fittforcefive)
• Danish (translated, with permission, by Marianne Topping from Tulle Momsemor)
• Dutch (translated, with permission, by Magda Wellens from Aurorashandwerkwereldje)
• Russian (translated, with permission, by Natalia from Toy-Fabric )

Related Crochet Patterns

• Amigurumi Amish Puzzle Animals (Amamani)
• Crochet Flower Puzzle Ball (FREE)
• Olive the Crochet Octopus Puzzle (FREE)
• Pumpkin Segment Ball (FREE)
• Mini Amish Puzzle Ball (FREE)

Questions

Q:  Can you work the wedges in a spiral instead of in rows and thus avoid the seam?

A:  Yes, you can.  But again, the seam helps the wedges interlock slightly better when the ball is assembled.

Q:  How much should I stuff the wedges/ball?

A:  You need to stuff it enough so that the wedges bulge slightly, but not so much that the stitches stretch and become “holey”.  It doesn’t matter if your 3 segments seem quite snug.  In fact, you want them to be quite snug.  After a while the segments will relax and if you haven’t stuffed your ball enough, it will become limp and lifeless.

Q:  Help!  My lids are too small for my wedges!

All yarns are NOT created equal.  So if you are going to use scrap yarn for your ball, or even if you use 2 different types of yarn, there is going to be a variation in your gauge.  When using different types of yarn (even if they appear to be the same thickness), make sure that the yarn you use for your lids is as thick (or thicker – within reason) than the yarn you use for the wedges.  The wedges are more forgiving than the lids.

If you have any other questions, please feel free to contact me and I will try my best to answer them to your satisfaction.

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Happy Hooking!

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