Polyhedral Balls is an original crochet pattern by June Gilbank.

Not only fun to roll, stack, throw, and catch, these Polyhedral (’many-faced’) Balls are very special: they are crocheted versions of the five Platonic solids; the only five geometric solid shapes possible where every face is identical and the same number of faces meet at each vertex (corner). Fun and educational!

Make all 5 Platonic solids with this pattern: Tetrahedron (4 sides); Cube (6 sides); Octahedron (8 sides); Dodecahedron (12 sides); Icosahedron (20 sides).

• All 5 finished balls are approximately the same size
• Special construction and edging techniques to keep the sides relatively flat
• A no-sew pattern: 100% crocheted and minimal ends to weave in
• Yarn and stuffing only (no hidden reinforcements) - so it’s completely child-safe

Size: All 5 balls are approx 3.5-4” (9-10cm) in diameter

Difficulty: easy/intermediate

Yarn: worsted weight yarn
A harder, more robust yarn (e.g. normal non-soft acrylics, or cotton) creates stiffer, more rigid balls, that don’t bulge out too much when stuffed. For my samples, I used Lion Brand Vanna’s Choice and Vanna’s Choice Baby yarns.

Hook: E US/3.5mm crochet hook (use the smallest hook you can comfortably manage with the yarn you choose - you may need a smaller hook with a softer/lighter weight yarn)

Pattern Details: This modular pattern is 16 pages long and includes:

• Crochet instructions for the 5 component shapes
• A step-by-step photo tutorial for how to crochet the special edging
• Right- and left-handed step-by-step assembly diagrams, if you’d like to assemble your balls in the same order I did (leaving the minimum number of ends to weave in)
• Tips for speedier assembly and less yarn ends
• A special technique to improve the look of the finished corners
• To save on paper and ink, you can choose to print only the pages with the pieces you need. If all you want to print is the crochet patterns for the 5 component shapes, that’s all included on one page!

Please join us in the PlanetJune crochet designs group - you can get pattern support, join crochet-alongs, show off your FOs, suggest new designs, and chat. All welcome!