This is the African Flower soccer ball I made to celebrate the 2010 World Cup in South Africa:
The pattern for the African flower motif was published in Afrikaans the magazine Sarie, and can be found here. Additionally, there is a tutorial available here. As for me, I first became acquainted with the African Flower Hexagon in May of 2010, and I found the motif enchanting and sublime.
Materials:
For this project I used Red Heart Super Saver yarn and a 4.00mm hook.
I wanted the fabric to be fairly firm so that the ball would have greater structural integrity. The combination of a worsted weight yarn and the 4.00 mm hook worked well for me, but if you tend to crochet tightly, you might find that a 4.5 mm hook works better for you.
Hexagons: This tutorial is very helpful, but for the soccer ball, you will only make a 5-round hexagon. You will need to make 20 of them. I used four colors for each 5-round hexagon.
Round 1: color A
Round 2: color B
Round 3: color B
Round 4: color C
Round 5: color D
By using the same color for rounds 2 and 3, the petals of the flower are a more prominent design feature than they are if you change colors every round, but both are attractive.
Pentagons: To make a soccer ball, you will need 12 of these. Each side of the pentagon should be approximately 2.5″ long. To make the pentagon, I worked in one color and did the following:
Using worsted weight yarn and a 4.0mm hook (I used a 5.0mm hook for demonstration purposes so the stitches would be easier to see), chain 5, join with a slip stitch to form a ring.
Round 1: Chain 2 (counts as first hdc), work 1 hdc into ring, *ch1, 2hdc into ring, repeat from * 3 times more, ch 1 and join with sl st to top of first hdc made (10 hdc and 5 ch-1 sp). Slip stitch over to next ch-1 space.
Round 2: Chain 2 (counts as first hdc), work 1 hdc into same ch-1 space, ch 1, work 2 hdc into same ch-1 space, *(2hdc, ch 1, 2hdc) into next ch-1 space, repeat from * 3 times more, join with sl st to first hdc made. Slip stitch over to next ch-1 space.
Round 3: Chain 2 (counts as first hdc), work 6 hdc into same ch-1 space, *work 7 hdc into next ch-1 space, repeat from * 3 times more, join with sl st to first hdc made. (35hdc)
Round 4: Chain 1 (counts as first sc), sc in each of next 6 stitches, work a lsc (long single crochet) by working around the gap in round 2) without skipping any stitches, *sc in the next seven stitches, work lsc around the gap in round 2, repeat from * 3 times more, work lsc in gap in round 2, join with sl st to first ch made. Slip stitch over the next three stitches (you should end up at the single crochet stitch four stitches to the right of a long single crochet stitch of round 4). (40 stitches)
Round 5: Chain 3 (counts as first hdc and chain 1), work 1hdc in same stitch, *work 1 hdc in each of the next 7 stitches, work (hdc, ch 1, hdc) in next stitch, repeat from *3 times more, hdc in each of next 7 stitches, join with sl st. to second chain of chain 3. Fasten off.
Below is a series of how-to photos for the pentagon:
And once you have the twenty crochet hexagons and twelve crochet pentagons you need, here is a tutorial on how to assemble your crochet soccer ball.
Fascinatingly beautiful !!!
Exciting !
How do I put the ball together?
Go to top of page and click on Soccer Ball (in red index).
Click on How to assemble soccer ball
http://www.fabartdiy.com/how-to-make-crochet-african-flower-soccer-ball/There is a diagram on this site showing you how to assemble the pieces. Bit complicated! Hope this is helpful if a little late!!
How many hexagons should I make to do this ball, I made 20 pentagons. Is this enough.
Ok, you didn’t finish on how to assemble the ball. I am sure it is stuffed but how big and how much and how to join? hickerpop@yahoo.com Thankyou
What do you use to stuff the ball with?
I use fiberfill. Lots of it.
Walmart has a product that is excellent; it is firm and it allows the soccer ball to hold it’s shape well.
And just in case you need them, here is a tutorial detailing how I join the pieces:
https://crochetbugdotcom.wpcomstaging.com/how-to-make-an-african-flower-soccer-ball/assembling-the-african-flower-soccer-ball/
Thank you so much for the African crochet ball pattern. It is SO pretty. Yesterday (Mother’s Day), went to see my mom in a home for dementia patients & the plastic ball they have fun with was popped. Can’t wait to bring them this. I think I’m capable of figuring the details out so I believe it will happen & I guarantee they will get so much joy from this. TY TY TY
I loooove this pattern, but I have a question: how do you keep your pentagons flat? Mine turn into a bowl…. will it affect my work when I assemble it?
That will be a problem for you when you go to do your final assembly. The one thing I do wonder is are you making half-double crochet stitches or double crochet stitches?
Here is a video I made a while ago that shows how I make the pentagon: https://youtu.be/H-FmXczk-mc
Thx for this nice pattern. How many motifs is needed for a small ball?
I would like to know how much yarn will I need to make the ball, using 4ply budget wool, as I would like to make the ball for someone, I have made it previously using scrap yarn, but have no idea how much I used, please could you help work it out for me, (my colours would be 1 colour for the outside of all the motifs) say 5 colours for the flower petals and then yellow for the centres of the flowers, the pentagon will be made from a single colour as well the same as the outside of all the motifs.
Hello
I have been at it with this ball for years now (have had 10 finished pieces lying in af bag unfinished since 2016), but now I’m almost done. I am in the middle of the assembly process, which is quite fun: I taped the pieces to af football (I’m european…), so that I better could asses how colors would line up.
Now I have done the three panels and a little bit more and I notice, that maybe my pentagons are bulging a bit. So I study your tutorial and now I’m in doubt: Is the methods essentially the same or do you alternate with dc-stitches for the hexagon and hdc for the pentagon?
Best regards
Tine