Mini Crochet Water Balloons are a smaller version of the classic crochet water balloon pattern. They are so fast to make, and with a little bit of red, white and blue, you can turn them into a patriotic toy for playing with pre-fireworks. Keep reading for the free crochet pattern.
So many of you have given my reusable crochet water balloons a try already, and to be honest I am totally psyched about all the positive feedback that I have had about these! I was truly floored when The Crochet Crowd wrote up a whole post/demo video about them! I have loved hearing your stories, seeing your videos and generally seeing the enjoyment that so many of you have had from this simple crochet project that I dreamed up last year.
These are a water play TOY that are meant to be soaked, tossed and played with.
Crochet Water Balloons are:
- Eco-friendly: no plastic bits on the ground to harm animals
- Reusable/Washable: just pop them in the washer/dryer or let them air dry in the sun between uses!
- Latex-free: No fear of allergies!
- Fast and Simple: this pattern is fast to make and even faster and simpler to use! Just toss the crochet water balloons into a bucket of water. The yarn is absorbent and will give you a nice splash without the trouble of filling a latex water balloon.
These toys are perfect for:
- general outside play
- neighborhood parties
- birthday party favors
- boy/girl scout camping trips
So whether you have tried them or not, I wanted to show you this cute 4th of July twist that you can use to make these an eco-friendly and SIMPLE way to keep the kids entertained this summer.
FAQS:
Will these hurt? I have had questions from some about whether these will hurt upon contact. I bit the bullet and let my husband throw one at me TWICE. I really didn't think that it hurt. I would use the same rules as I would advise with regular water balloons: don't throw at the face/head and don't throw TOO hard. Use these at your own risk and encourage your children to use them carefully 🙂
How do you fill them? You don't! Just soak them in water-they work like a sponge 🙂
Can I sell these? Absolutely! I just ask that you don't reproduce the pattern in any way (in print or electronically) and that you use your own pictures for your sales. Come back and let me know how they sell for you!
Can I used a different yarn? In this instance I am not sure other yarn would work quite as well as the Bernat Blanket yarn. You can use any kind of Bernat Blanket yarn (big ball, stripes, baby blanket, brights) but I can't guarantee that water balloons made with an entirely different yarn would work the same way.
My balloons look much bigger/smaller than yours! No worries! That's just a difference in tension. If your balloons are turning out too large, you can go down in hook size. If your balloons are too small, go up in hook size or loosen up your tension 🙂 The pattern I have written below is slightly different than my original pattern to help make the balloons a bit smaller because some of you were telling my that yours were turning out a bit big.
Patriotic Water Balloons - Free Crochet Pattern
Supplies
- Bernat Blanket Yarn in 'Royal Blue', 'Racecar Red', and 'White' (approx. 25 yards per balloon)
- 9.0 mm crochet hook (I used Clover Amour)
- Yarn needle
- Scissors (I always keep these travel scissors in my hook case)
Abbreviations
- St: stitch
- Sl st: slip stitch
- Ch: chain
- SC: single crochet
- DC: double crochet
- DC2TOG: double crochet two together
Finished Size
Approx. 4 inches long
Pattern Notes:
- Ch st at the beginning of rounds does not count as a stitch
- The written pattern will indicate color changes for the striped balloon
- The written pattern below is a slight variation from what you will see in the video tutorial. I eliminated one round in the written pattern to help make the balloons smaller (I have had some feedback that the original pattern was turning out large for some). Either version of this pattern will work well though!
Video Tutorial:
Instructions:
ch 3
Round 1 (white): 8 DC in 3rd ch from your hook, attach to first st of the round with sl st. (8)
Round 2 (red): Ch 2, 2 DC in each st around, attach to first st of the round with a sl st (16)
Round 3 (white): Ch 2, DC around, attach to first st of the round with a sl st (16)
Round 4 (red): Ch 2, DC2Tog around, attach to first st of the round with a sl st (8)
Round 5 (blue): Ch 2, DC2Tog around, attach to first st of the round with a sl st (4)
Round 6 (blue): Ch 1, 2 SC in each st around, attach to first st of the round with a sl st (8)
Tie off the yarn. Cut a small piece of yarn to tie around the balloon where the knot would be in a real balloon. This makes it look more cinched in. To finish you can either weave in your ends or just push them into the inside of the balloon.
And there you have it! Make a couple of these, and in as much time it would take you to fill up regular water balloons you will be able to have a fun, safe and reusable water balloon fight this 4th of July!
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Now the legal stuff...You may sell items made from this pattern, but please credit me as the original designer. Also, please do not share the written pattern in print or electronically. The photos on this webpage belong to Megan Meyer of Left in Knots and may not be used for product sales/product listings. You may share a link back to my blog if you would like someone else to see or work with this pattern. Thank you for your cooperation and if you have any questions please feel free to contact me!
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