Spielbälle in Schachenmayr Egypto Cotton - 4853 - Downloadable PDF

Spielbälle in Schachenmayr Egypto Cotton – Four Knitted Play Balls in Three Sizes (Pattern 4853)

This free downloadable PDF pattern from Schachenmayr guides knitters through creating four colorful play balls in three different sizes. The set includes two small balls with a diameter of approximately 6 cm, one medium ball of approximately 8 cm, and one large ball of approximately 9 cm. These charming knitted toys make wonderful sensory playthings for young children and are an excellent stash-busting project, as the pattern is designed to use small amounts or leftover yarn.

What Is Being Made

The pattern produces a set of four stuffed knitted balls — two small, one medium, and one large — each worked in bold, cheerful stripes of six different colors. The finished balls are firmly stuffed with toy filling, making them soft, squeezable, and safe for play. Their compact size and rounded shape also make them ideal as decorative nursery accessories or handmade gifts.

Construction Technique

Each ball is knitted flat in rows rather than in the round, making this an accessible project for knitters who are not yet comfortable with circular or double-pointed needle techniques. The rectangular knitted panel is then seamed and shaped into a ball using a clever finishing method. The stitches of the final row are sewn to the cast-on edge using mattress stitch or a similar joining technique. A double strand of yarn is then threaded through each side edge using small running stitches, and one side is drawn tightly together and secured. After the ball is firmly stuffed with toy filling (Füllwatte), the remaining open edge is gathered and closed in the same way. This straightforward shaping technique means no complex short-row or increase-and-decrease shaping is required.

Stitch Pattern

• Garter stitch (Kraus rechts) — every row is knitted on the right side, producing a dense, textured fabric with good elasticity and body, which is ideal for holding the stuffed ball shape firmly.

Stripe Sequence and Colors

Each ball is worked in six colors, with the number of rows per color stripe varying by size. The two small balls use 8 rows per stripe, the medium ball uses 12 rows per stripe, and the large ball uses 14 rows per stripe. The six colors used are all from the Schachenmayr original Egypto Cotton range:

• Fb 215 Royal — a rich, deep blue
• Fb 237 Sky — a soft, lighter blue
• Fb 170 Lime Green — a vivid, fresh green
• Fb 629 Vanilla — a warm, creamy yellow
• Fb 124 Lachs — a soft salmon pink
• Fb 134 Strawberry — a bright, bold red-pink

Cast-On and Row Counts

The stitch counts and row counts are presented in a three-part format separated by slashes, corresponding to the two small balls, the medium ball, and the large ball respectively:

• Small balls: cast on 16 stitches, work 8 rows in each of the six colors
• Medium ball: cast on 22 stitches, work 12 rows in each color
• Large ball: cast on 26 stitches, work 14 rows in each color

Materials

• Yarn: Schachenmayr original Egypto Cotton — a 4-ply weight cotton yarn, available in 50 g balls. The pattern calls for one 50 g ball of each color, or yarn remnants can be used, making this a great project for using up leftover cotton yarn.
• Needles: Knitting needles size 3–4 mm
• Notions: Toy stuffing (Füllwatte) for