Crochet Christmas Baubles: Easy Patterns, How to Cover Baubles and Amigurumi Spheres

Crochet Christmas baubles are the decoration that changes the look of the tree the most: soft, colourful, each one different, and each one costs only a few metres of yarn. There are three ways to make them. By covering a plastic or styrofoam ball with a mesh of chains. By working a sphere in the round like an amigurumi, then stuffing it. Or with the balloon method, for openwork, starched balls that look like lace. In this guide you will find the easy pattern for the sphere explained round by round, the tutorials by our makers in crochet and knitting, and the yarns and bases to use.

For an overview of all the decorations, start with our guide to Christmas crochet decorations. Here we focus on baubles, from the simplest to the shabby chic one with lace and pearls.

Easy crochet Christmas baubles: three ideas to start with

Easy crochet Christmas baubles are the ones that need no counting: a fluffy ball worked in the round with a fur yarn, mini transparent baubles filled with lurex thread and tied with a bow, and the "granny" bauble with a circle of double crochets in lurex and a little silver edge. These are the three projects in Cristiana Rossi's tutorial, and you finish them in one evening.

Crochet Christmas bauble pattern: the amigurumi sphere

This is the crochet bauble pattern to keep at hand: a sphere worked in a spiral in single crochet, with regular increases up to the middle and mirrored decreases towards the closure. With an amigurumi cotton and a 2.5 mm hook the diameter is about 6 cm; with a 50 g acrylic and a 3.5 mm hook you get 8 cm. Abbreviations (US terms): sc = single crochet, inc = 2 sc in the same stitch, dec = 2 sc worked together.

For a bigger bauble, add one round of increases (36 stitches) and one extra round in the central band, then mirror the same steps in the decreases. The technique is the same as for Christmas amigurumi: if it is your first time working in a spiral, a stitch marker on the first stitch of each round keeps you from losing count.

How to cover plastic or styrofoam balls with crochet

The most elegant method is to cover a ready-made ball: a transparent plastic sphere, which stays visible between the stitches, or a styrofoam sphere, which gives a firm, light base. Start with a small circle (magic ring with 6-8 sc, then one round of increases) and continue with a mesh of chain arches: *ch 3, 1 sc in the next arch* round after round, widening the mesh at the top with arches of 4-5 chains and tightening it at the bottom with arches of 2-3. Slip the ball in halfway through, when the mesh covers the upper half, and close the bottom with a final round of sc pulled tight. Alternatively, work the mesh flat like a flower with rays and sew it around the sphere: that is the shabby chic version, with lace, pearls and a bow on the loop.

Balloon Christmas baubles: openwork and starched

Baubles that look like lace, hollow and feather-light, are made with the balloon method. Work a loose mesh in a fine cotton (no. 12), or a circle of arches to sew in two halves. Blow up a small balloon to the size you want, slip the mesh over it and close it, then soak everything in PVA glue diluted with an equal amount of water, or spray starch. Hang the balloon from a thread and let it dry for 24 hours. When the bauble is hard, pop the balloon with a pin and pull it out through the top hole: you are left with a rigid, see-through sphere to finish with a little ribbon. The method also works for stars and bells, and you will find it in our guide to the crochet Christmas star.

Knitted Christmas baubles: the needle version

Knitters are not left out: a knitted Christmas bauble is built in the round on double-pointed needles or a short circular, increasing and decreasing as in the crochet sphere, and stuffed with fibrefill before closing. In red acrylic with a band of white fur yarn it becomes a "Santa hat" bauble that children love.

Yarns and bases for crochet Christmas baubles

The amigurumi sphere needs a yarn that holds its shape: a cotton from the yarns for amigurumi category or a full-bodied yarn from the top quality acrylic range, plus fibrefill for stuffing. For covering and for sparkly baubles, go for the shiny and lurex yarns; for the balloon method, a fine cotton lisle. Bases are in the styrofoam shapes and the shapes and decorations to fill. Here are the four materials we use most often:

Bravissimo acrylic 50 g

The small ball for the amigurumi sphere and the knitted bauble: full-bodied, holds its shape, loads of colours. €1.00

Discover Bravissimo →

KingLux lurex ribbon

The sparkly ribbon yarn of the shabby chic and granny baubles: one cone is enough for the whole tree. €10.90

Discover KingLux →

Openable transparent ball

The base for mesh-covered baubles and for mini baubles filled with lurex: it opens in half and already has a hanger. €1.60

Discover the ball →

Styrofoam ball 7 cm

Light and firm: the base to cover with single crochet or with the arch mesh, no stuffing needed. €1.00

Discover the base →

To complete the kit: amigurumi stuffing, Happy Cotton in 20 g mini balls for small spheres, Dylan lurex chenille for velvety baubles and Dion fur yarn for the snow effect.

How to use the baubles: tree, wreaths, place cards and small gifts

On the tree, crochet baubles look great mixed with glass ones: alternate them by colour and size, and keep the lightest ones at the tips of the branches. On a cord they become a garland for the mantelpiece; threaded in threes on a ribbon they decorate the door wreath. On the table they make place cards with a little tag tied to the loop. And they are the perfect small gift: a bauble in a clear box, with a name embroidered on it, costs less than two euros and lasts for years. To complete the look, alternate the baubles with the crochet Christmas star on top and the mini Christmas trees for gift wrapping.

Frequently asked questions about crochet Christmas baubles

Want to complete the tree? Next to the baubles, the crochet Christmas star for the top and the mini trees for gifts look wonderful. All the other ideas are in our guide to Christmas crochet decorations.