Mini Hot air balloon keyring crochet pattern
Level: Beginner
DK Yarn, 2mm crochet hook
This pattern is worked in joined rounds, using the invisible join method. I have linked to the Youtube tutorial and have also included a photo tutorial here.
Invisible Join in the round
sc into the loop from the previous round
remove hook from loop - I usually find it helpful to tug the loop to make it a bit bigger first so that nothing unravels!
Insert hook into the second stitch of the round you just made, through the opposite side (from the outside pointing in).
Insert the hook through the leftover loop from the working end of your yarn and pull the loop through the second stitch. This will create a little band of yarn that you will need to sc from now on.
Q: Why do I need to sc this band of yarn?
If you don’t sc, this will create a notable gap in the work.
Remove hook, insert it back through the loop the right way and chain one.
Sc into the stitch you just used as a join. This will be the first stitch of your new round. You will be skipping this stitch when you join the round.
Q: Why am I skipping this stitch?
Crocheting the little band of yarn adds one more stitch to your round every time, so we need to ensure the stitch count stays the same. For this reason, we join straight into the second stitch and skip the first.
Add how to colour change with this technique.
Balloon
Round 1: 6sc into magic circle (6)
Round 2: Inc around (12)
Round 3: [sc, inc] x 6 (18)
Round 4: [sc, inc, sc] x6 (24)
Round 5: [3sc, inc] x6 (30)
Round 6-8: sc around (30)
Round 9: [3sc, dec] x6 (24)
Round 10: sc around (24)
Round 11: [sc, dec, sc] x6 (18)
Round 12: sc around (18)
Round 13: [2sc, dec, 2sc] x3 (15)
Round 14: [3sc, dec] x3 (12)
Round 15: sc around (12)
Round 16: BLO dec around (6)
Fasten off and pull to close/weave in.
Basket
Round 1: 6sc into magic circle (6)
Round 2: inc around (12)
Round 3: BLO sc around (12)
R4: sc around.
Fasten off.
Attaching the basket
Using stitch markers, mark out 4 stitches on the balloon and basket, three stitches apart.
Attach the brown yarn to the hook using a slip knot, and sc into one of the marked stitches on the basket. (Outside in or vice versa?)
How do I attach to the balloon again?
Weave in the edges on the basket and balloon. Make sure you leave a pretty long tail for the balloon end so you can weave it through the balloon a fair few times to properly secure it.
