Hello and welcome to the blog. I have a very fun, quick & easy pattern to share with you today!
It's starting to warm up here in Wisconsin and my family loves a good outdoor game and if said game includes water it's a win, win! These balloons are much easier than filling tiny latex balloons, trying to tie them without cutting off the circulation to your fingers & lets not forget the clean up of tiny pieces of balloon all over the yard. The bonus of being able to reuse these balloons is a big deal for me!
It's starting to warm up here in Wisconsin and my family loves a good outdoor game and if said game includes water it's a win, win! These balloons are much easier than filling tiny latex balloons, trying to tie them without cutting off the circulation to your fingers & lets not forget the clean up of tiny pieces of balloon all over the yard. The bonus of being able to reuse these balloons is a big deal for me!
I have been working with Bernat Blanket Yarn a lot lately and was able to use up all my scraps for these balloons, I also gave Bernat's Pipsqueak Yarn a try with this pattern using a double strand and the results were good but I do prefer the blanket yarn. I wanted to make sure my balloons would hold a good amount of water so I made little pom-poms and stuffed one inside of each balloon. I first tried stuffing some extra yarn pieces inside of some balloons and after being used the yarn started popping out through the stitches. Not a big deal, you can just push it back into the balloon but the pom-poms help keep the yarn gathered together inside better.
Thanks so much for stopping by!
-Jenni
This pattern now has a video tutorial! Check it out below or find the By Jenni Designs channel on YouTube!
Skill Level: Easy
Size: Approx. 3"x 4"
Supplies:
12.0 mm Crochet Hook
Bernat Blanket Yarn
-13 yards total for each balloon (including 2 yds. for each pom-pom)
Large Eye Tapestry Needle
Scissors
Abbreviations (US Terms):
Ch - Chain
Hdc - Half Double Crochet
Hdc2tog - Half Double Crochet 2 Together
Notes:
-Gauge is not important for this pattern but if you are a loose crocheter and feel your balloons are turning out too large or have big gaps between the stitches you can try going down a hook size.
-Joins are made with a slip stitch.
-This pattern uses a magic circle, if you don't know how to make one you can learn with this quick video tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64O9WVJucFA
This pattern now has a video tutorial, you can watch below or here on youtube:
Pom-Pom's
First you need to make your pom-pom's that are used for stuffing the balloons. You need one pom per balloon. I've put together easy steps for you to follow below:
Balloons
*For the stripe balloons I worked my 2nd color in row 4.
Row 1: Magic circle, ch 1, 6 hdc in circle. Join. (6)
*Pull circle tight & sew in end.
Row 2: Ch 1, 2 hdc in ea. around. Join. (12)
Row 3: Ch 1, *hdc in 5, 2 hdc in next.* Repeat *to* 1 more time. Join. (14)
Row 4: Ch 1, hdc in ea. around. Join. (14)
Row 5: Ch 1, hdc2tog, *hdc, hdc2tog.* Repeat *to* 3 more times. Join. (9)
*Insert one pom-pom at this time.
Size: Approx. 3"x 4"
Supplies:
12.0 mm Crochet Hook
Bernat Blanket Yarn
-13 yards total for each balloon (including 2 yds. for each pom-pom)
Large Eye Tapestry Needle
Scissors
Abbreviations (US Terms):
Ch - Chain
Hdc - Half Double Crochet
Hdc2tog - Half Double Crochet 2 Together
Notes:
-Gauge is not important for this pattern but if you are a loose crocheter and feel your balloons are turning out too large or have big gaps between the stitches you can try going down a hook size.
-Joins are made with a slip stitch.
-This pattern uses a magic circle, if you don't know how to make one you can learn with this quick video tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64O9WVJucFA
This pattern now has a video tutorial, you can watch below or here on youtube:
First you need to make your pom-pom's that are used for stuffing the balloons. You need one pom per balloon. I've put together easy steps for you to follow below:
Balloons
*For the stripe balloons I worked my 2nd color in row 4.
Row 1: Magic circle, ch 1, 6 hdc in circle. Join. (6)
*Pull circle tight & sew in end.
Row 2: Ch 1, 2 hdc in ea. around. Join. (12)
Row 3: Ch 1, *hdc in 5, 2 hdc in next.* Repeat *to* 1 more time. Join. (14)
Row 4: Ch 1, hdc in ea. around. Join. (14)
Row 5: Ch 1, hdc2tog, *hdc, hdc2tog.* Repeat *to* 3 more times. Join. (9)
*Insert one pom-pom at this time.
Row 6: Ch 1, hdc, *hdc2tog.* Repeat *to* 3 more times. Join. (5)
Row 7: Ch 1, 2 hdc in each. Join. (10)
Fasten off leaving about a 12" end, using your tapestry needle sew the balloon shut between rows 6 & 7. Sew in the remaining end.
Using the Balloons:
Now that you've crocheted up your group of balloons, you're ready to go and get this water balloon fight started! Using your balloons is easy, simply place them in a bucket (a bucket per person is helpful) and fill with water! That's it, let the battle begin! I hope your family enjoys these water balloons as much as mine does, I'd love to see your photos, you can either upload them to Ravelry as a project, share on the By Jenni Designs Facebook page or tag @byjennidesigns on Instagram.
Cleaning the Balloons:
After use you can choose to just rinse your balloons well, squeeze out the excess water and lay in the sun to dry or if they've gotten muddy during play I suggest hand washing in your kitchen sink with laundry soap, rinse, squeeze out excess water and then lay out to dry.
Row 7: Ch 1, 2 hdc in each. Join. (10)
Fasten off leaving about a 12" end, using your tapestry needle sew the balloon shut between rows 6 & 7. Sew in the remaining end.
Using the Balloons:
Now that you've crocheted up your group of balloons, you're ready to go and get this water balloon fight started! Using your balloons is easy, simply place them in a bucket (a bucket per person is helpful) and fill with water! That's it, let the battle begin! I hope your family enjoys these water balloons as much as mine does, I'd love to see your photos, you can either upload them to Ravelry as a project, share on the By Jenni Designs Facebook page or tag @byjennidesigns on Instagram.
Cleaning the Balloons:
After use you can choose to just rinse your balloons well, squeeze out the excess water and lay in the sun to dry or if they've gotten muddy during play I suggest hand washing in your kitchen sink with laundry soap, rinse, squeeze out excess water and then lay out to dry.
