By Molly Hart
Saturdays and Sundays in Autumn are unbeatable, the sweatshirts and hoodies and the sports gatherings with friends are the best! Are you Super Bowl party decorating? Making a sports nursery? Or just want a soft toy to toss around the living room? The Easy Crochet Football will be the perfect addition!
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The pattern focuses on confident beginners, using simple amigurumi techniques like working in rounds, and doing simple increases and decreases. Since we are using worsted weight yarn and a smaller hook, the yarn remains fabric tight and keeps all the plush stuffing right where it belongs.
Quick Stats:
- Skill Level: Easy
- Finished Size: 7 inches long × 4.5 inches wide
- Yarn: Worsted weight (Category 4) in Brown and White
- Hook: US G/6 (4.0 mm)
At the end of each round, you will find stitch counts, along with a detailed pattern, which is totally free. Keep scrolling!
What You’ll Need
- Yarn: Worsted weight (Category 4) acrylic or cotton yarn.
- Color A (Brown): Approximately 75 yards
- Color B (White): Approximately 20 yards
US G/6 (4.0 mm) Crochet Hook
Notions include the following: Polyester fiberfill stuffing, a yarn needle, a stitch marker, and scissors.
Gauge: 16 single crochet and 18 rounds = 4 inches (10 centimeters). Note: Exact gauge is not very important, stitches should be tight to ensure stuffing doesn’t show through.
Tips Before You Start
- Use a Stitch Marker: Because this pattern is worked in a continuous spiral (without joining at the end of each round), a stitch marker is essential for keeping track of your first stitch.
- The Invisible Decrease: For the neatest finish, use the invisible decrease method. Insert your hook into the front loop only of the next two stitches, yarn over, and pull through both front loops, then finish your single crochet as normal.
- Stuff Firmly: To get that perfect, plump football shape, don’t be shy with the polyfill! Stuff it firmly before the hole gets too small, making sure to push stuffing into the pointed ends.
Pattern Instructions
Special Stitches
Invisible Decrease (dec): To perform this stitch, insert your hook through the front loop only of the next stitch, then insert your hook through the front loop only of the next stitch as well. Now yarn over and pull through both of those front loops. Then yarn over and pull through the remaining 2 loops on your hook.
Notes
Bold numbers are stitch counts for each round. When changing colors, do the last stitch yarn-over of the old color with the new color.
Football Body
Rnd 1: With Brown, create 6 single crochet in magic ring. (6 sts) Rnd 2:
[Sc in next st, inc in next st]
3 times. (9 sts)Rnd 3:
[Sc in next 2 sts, inc in next st]
3 times. (12 sts)Rnd 4:
[Sc in next st, inc in next st]
6 times. (18 sts)Rnd 5:
[Sc in next 2 sts, inc in next st]
6 times. (24 sts)Rnd 6: Sc in each st around. (24 sts)Rnd 7: Change to White.
[Sc in next 3 sts, inc in next st]
Round 8: Single crochet in every stitch in the round. (30 sts)
Round 9: Change color to brown.[Sc in next 4 sts, inc in next st]
6 times. (36 sts)Rnd 10:
[Sc in next 5 sts, inc in next st]
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6 times. (42 sts) Rnds 11 to 15: Sc in each st around. (42 sts) Rnd 16:
[Sc in next 5 sts, dec]
6 times. (36 sts)Rnd 17: Switch to White.
[Sc in next 4 sts, dec]
6 times. (30 sts)Rnd 18: Sc in each st around. (30 sts)Rnd 19: Change to Brown.
[Sc in next 3 sts, dec]
6 times. (24 sts) Rnd 20: Sc in each st around. (24 sts) Rnd 21:
[Sc in next 2 sts, dec]
6 times. (18 sts)Rnd 22:
[Sc in next st, dec]
6 times. (12 sts)
Please take the time to pack the football with polyfill. Be sure to pack the bottom point well first before moving on.
Rnd 23:
[Sc in next 2 sts, dec]
3 times. (9 sts)Rnd 24:
[Sc in next st, dec]
3 times. (6 sts)
Closing and Finishing
Fasten off leaving a 6-inch tail. Thread the tail onto your yarn needle and weave it through the front loops of the last 6 stitches. Pull snug to close the hole (like a drawstring). Weave the end securely into the body of the football.
Embroidering the Laces
- Thread a yarn needle with about 18 inches of White yarn.
- Find the center of the brown section (spanning across Rounds 11 through 15).
- Sew one long horizontal line across these 5 rounds. Go over it twice if you want a thicker line.
- Sew 4 to 5 short vertical lines evenly spaced across your horizontal line to create the classic football laces.
- Tie off your yarn and hide the tails deep inside the stuffed football.
Make It Your Own
- Team Colors: Swap the traditional brown for your favorite team’s primary color, and use their secondary color for the stripes and laces!
- Jumbo Football: Want a giant, huggable version? Swap the worsted-weight yarn for Super Bulky (Category 6) blanket yarn and use an L/11 (8.0 mm) hook. The pattern remains exactly the same!
Frequently Asked Questions
Using a different yarn weight is perfectly fine! When it comes to Amigurumi patterns, they are very forgiving with yarn weights. Just remember to pick a hook that is 1 or 2 sizes smaller than what the yarn label calls for so that your stitches are tight. You should expect that changing the yarn weight will alter the finished size of your football.
Is this safe for babies and toddlers? Yes! The laces are sewn directly onto the fabric and there are no hard pieces like safety eyes or buttons so this is a great soft toy for little ones. Just be sure to weave in all your yarn tails.
Why is my football looking more like a sphere? If your football is too round, make sure you are on track with your stitch counts for the \”even\” rounds (Rounds 11-15). Also the stuffing technique is important! After stuffing, be sure to gently mold and squish the football to promote the desired elongated shape.
I would love to see your finished crochet footballs in time for game day! You can tag me on Instagram or upload a picture in our crochet Facebook group.
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