Little Crochet Apple Pattern

Continuing in the theme of learning crochet by winging it....

In the middle of my Floppy Crochet Hat project, my daughter's birthday comes up. In two days I have to provide twenty small "goodie bag" style gifts for her birthday celebration at school. Great. It's a mundane public school in a posh neighborhood. Some of the goodie bags that have come home from other kids bdays have me a bit scared. Scared of the influx of random, soulless toys entering my house unfiltered. Scared of the money I'd have to spend to mimic what the other kids give out. 

Shall I compromise my values just to fit in? Nah. 

Morally firm, but with some trepidation, I embark on making handcrafted toys to give out to her classmates. With us doing (or at least attempting to do) the natural living, Waldorf-inspired, eco-responsible thing... I cringe at what the other kids, accustomed as they are to disposable plastic imports of little value but much cost, will think of our handmade treasures. 

I must have a positive attitude. I will be spending probably 20 hours this weekend making them. I WILL be optimistic about how they will be received. 

Now, what to make? Something I can make fast and with materials I already have on hand. Which Craft to choose?

I'm a wiz with needle felting wool... but even a being good at it, I don't have enough time to make 20 small animals or gnomes or fairies. Not with the baby on one hip, the girls running rampant, the cooking and cleaning I still need to keep on top of, and the other craft work I should be doing. It's especially hard for me to needle felt when the baby is awake and wanting my attention. (Sharp felting needles and babies don't mix!)

My other "go to" gift idea is my Waldorf dolls, but even the little pocket bunting babies would take too long and cost too much.

My daughter vetoes the idea of giving out camellia blossoms like we did at her Waldorf kindergarten last year. Been there, done that. (No matter that these are completely different kids! Sigh.)

How about crochet? I just made my first successful crochet flower in my Crochet Wrist Cuff / Hand Flower project. The flower only took twenty minutes or so to crochet. I could whip out a bunch of those in two days. 

Tragedy averted! Or almost. 

I am informed by my daughter that the boys will "freak out" if they get flowers as their gifts. Okaaaaay. Flowers are just flowers, they don't have gender connotations in my book. Whatever. Moving on. 

"Okay dear, then what kind of thing do the boys at school like?"

"Guns," she says.

Oh my Lord and Lady. I just can't wait for another few years when she'll be dating these boys. Not. 

"Well dear, I'm not going to be able to crochet a gun, it would turn out all floppy." She nods sagely and considers the problem. "What else do they like? Besides guns." I ask. 

"Balls," she says. 

THAT, I can do. 

I think.

I assume you can crochet a ball. If you can do hats, which are just half a ball, after all, why not a full ball? I'm game to try it. 

Now for the pattern. I use a worsted weight wool yarn in red. You'll be working "in the round."

Foundation - Row 1

Make a magic ring. Work 11 single crochets onto the magic ring. Work the last one into the V of the first stitch. You now have a circle of stitches with loops covering the magic ring. Pull the magic ring tight, leaving a small hole. 

Build the Ball - Rows 2, 3 & 4

To start the second row, make three slip stitches. You will now be making a row of double crochets. Increase every other stitch. (That is, make one double crochet onto one stitch, then make two double crochets onto the next stitch, then one, then two, and so on.) When you've finished the row, connect your last stitch to the top of the first stitch of the row with a slip stitch. It should now look like a cup or very small beanie. 

Third row, make three slip stitches, then work in double crochets, one stitch into each V, no increasing. Again, join the last stitch to the first stitch with a slip stitch. 

Fourth row. This gets a bit tricky if you've never done decreases before (as I hadn't at the time). Make three slip stitches, then work a row of double crochet stitches, alternating between normal and decrease stitches. Adjust how many normal double crochet stitches you do, to form the ball shape, leaving some out along the way in favor of more double crochet decrease stitches. Remember... wing it! Just do what looks right. When that row is complete, join it with a slip stitch as with the others. 

Close the Ball - Row 5

For the fifth and last row, make single crochet decrease stitches, as many as will fit. Then pause and dig some wool batting or roving out of your supply closet. Natural colored is fine. Pull the beginning tail to the inside of the ball and tie it off. Stuff the ball, not too full, just enough to give it form. Cut the ending yarn, leaving a six inch tail. Work a few slip stitches to draw the hole together. Set aside your hook and thread the tail onto a yarn needle. Thread the needle through the tops of the last row of crochets and pull the ball all the way closed. Finish off. 

Done.... Or So I Thought

A ball! It worked! It's great! It's done! It's..... just a ball. Hmmm. You know what? It looks like a tomato. If I add a few leaves and stem in green, it will look like a piece of fruit, not just a random ball. Less like a baby toy, more like a big kid toy. Yes, better. 

I use a light green organic cotton yarn because that's what I have on hand.

First Leaf

Leaves can't be any harder than flower petals, right? Let's use the same technique. Cast a slip knot onto your hook. Make six slip stitches. Work a single crochet stitch into the back loop of the 4th stitch on the chain. Work a double crochet stitch into the back loop of the 3rd stitch of the chain. Make another single crochet stitch into the back loop of the 2nd stitch of the chain. Work a slip stitch into the back loop of the 1st stitch of the chain.

Second Leaf

Make three slip stitches. Repeat the procedure as for the first leaf. 

Stem

Work a slip stitch into any of the loops at the center top of where the two leaves meet. Now make three slip stitches. Turn and make slip stitches into the back of the chain. Work one more slip stitch onto any loop at the base of the leaves. 

Finishing

Set aside your hook. Cut the green yarn leaving a 6 inch tail. Thread the tail onto a yarn needle. Thread the needle through the last loop, then sew the leaves and stem onto the "top" (end point) of the ball. Finish off.

"bottom""top"

Well, not a tomato. It looks just like an apple! Even better. All kids like apples, right?

That whole procedure took me an hour and a half. Although that does include the looking up in my crochet book how to do decreases, fetching wool and yarn from the craft room, nursing the baby and making a snack (and stopping to watch the climax scene of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix). 

Working from a now established pattern and without interruption, it would take maybe 30 minutes. Twenty of these little apples in two days? That, I think, is doable. 

(Oh, and I did actually get tired of making apples. So I made some flowers, butterflies, acorns, snakes and other fruit also.)