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.

If you want to feel personally attacked by a collection of knitting and crochet patterns as I was, check out the “90s Mod Inspired” pattern lookbook from Yarnspirations.

It’s actually a great collection of patterns for folks who want to stitch up that Y2K look again (or for the first time). There’s an oversized, striped grandpa cardigan! A (crocheted) plaid messenger bag! A boxy argyle vest, and a rolled hem sweater the likes of which I bought in a store in the ’90s and knit a replica of later.

There’s also a section of “Prep School” patterns (think “Clueless,” they’re even called things like “As if” and “Betty”) including a granny square tie and crocheted wrap skirt, and a knit cabled pullover, beret and cardigan with blocky stripes. Other sections include casual collegiate, punk and mod, and academia.

Some of the patterns repeat among the sections but there’s a nice selection for people who want a little throwback for their back to school and fall wardrobes.

Since I had this sweater, we’ll take a closer look at the Caron Cropped Stripy Sweater. The one I knit from a pattern of my own devising in the mid ’00s was tonal blues, but this one calls for two colorways of Colorama Haze, a fuzzy self-striping worsted weight yarn.

The pattern comes in six sizes, with chest measurements ranging from 39 to 60 inches (that’s 99 to 152.5 cm). Clearly that’s a lot of ease at the lower sizes, since the smallest size is meant to fit an actual chest measurement from 28-34 inches, or 71-86.5 cm.

The sweater is a modified drop shoulder worked flat in pieces and seamed. That means the stripes probably won’t match around the body but it’s still a classic look. This one does have ribbing at the neckline, where the original sweater I owned and my re-creation had rolled hems throughout, but you can do it either way depending on your preference.

Do any of these projects remind you of clothes you might have worn or knit in the past? I’d love to hear about it!

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