Kids Play Ball – Free Knitting Pattern Review

There is something wonderfully old-school about a handmade knitted play ball, isn’t there? This sweet little Kids Play Ball pattern from CraftBits is a simple free knitting project for making soft striped toy balls, perfect for babies, toddlers, playrooms, or using up those bright leftover bits of yarn hiding in the bottom of the basket.

The pattern uses Aran/12 ply wool and 6mm needles, so it works up fairly quickly and has that lovely chunky handmade look. The instructions are very straightforward, increasing out from 8 stitches, working the body of the ball, then decreasing back down before sewing, stuffing, and gathering the ends closed. It is one of those quick knitting patterns that feels wonderfully satisfying because you end up with something useful and giftable, not just another half-finished square sitting in the “I’ll get back to that” pile.

I especially like this project as a beginner-friendly knitted toy pattern, though new knitters may want to take a little care when shaping and stuffing so the ball stays nicely rounded rather than pear-shaped — because yes, we have all made a “ball” that looked suspiciously like a vegetable at some point.

This would be a lovely handmade baby shower gift, a soft indoor play toy, or a stash-busting project for bright yarn scraps. Use washable yarn if it is going to be loved by little hands, and a bag of toy stuffing from Amazon or your local craft store will make several balls, so it is a nice budget-friendly make too.

You can find the free pattern over on CraftBits here: Kids Play Ball. The project page describes it as a free knitting pattern for a striped ball and includes the basic materials and shaping instructions.

I don’t share a lot of kids knitting patterns, and that’s a shame because there is a lot of cute stuff out there to knit for kids. If you’re worried about spending tons of time on a knitting project for a child only for them to outgrow it, knitting hats is a great option because heads tend to change size slowly. Check out these cute hat knitting patterns for kids and cast one on for a kiddo in your life or for charity knitting.

If you want to keep it basic, you can’t go wrong with this adorable super bulky earflap hat from Love Fibres. This one comes in six sizes, from baby to adult, and all of them are pretty quick to knit thanks to the thick yarn and easy stitches. It also has options for knitting flat or in the round, so it’s a great project for beginners, too.

Another easy option is the seed stitch beret from Ebruk. This one also has a variety of sizes for toddlers, bigger kids and adults. Based on the needle size I think it calls for worsted weight yarn. It doesn’t indicate if it’s worked flat or in the round.

The Harmony Cloche from The Velvet Acorn is yet another fun shape, and you can knit this one for toddlers, kids and adults as well. The traveling stitches are fun and easy to knit, and this one calls for worsted weight yarn.

How about cables? Gina Michele Patterns has a basic cable knit hat that’s worked flat and seamed. This pattern comes in a single size for grade school aged kids.

You can also add a little colorwork, like these sweet sheep from Yankee Knitter Designs. Worked in worsted weight yarn (it’s show in four colors, but you could use more or fewer as you like) it’s sized for babies, kids and adults .

And because I found a hat with puffins, I have to share the hat with puffins. This one is from Begak Art Bureau and comes in two sizes for kids and adults. It’s worked in the round and uses five colors, but you’ll need just a tiny bit of orange and not much black, either.

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