Crochet Pattern 1: Mini Pokeball / Pokeball Shift Knob Cover

About this Pattern: Pokeball Shift Knob Cover
Size: ~2 in. in diameter

Materials: Red, Black, and White 4 ply acrylic yarn; crochet hook and yarn needle

Time: ~1 hr.

Car pictured: 2012 Honda Civic Si

Basic Sphere Pattern: Crochet Spheres (Note: following pattern is based off of 12 Row Sphere but can be adjusted for larger sizes)

This pattern is crocheted in the round. Also I prefer the "wrong-side-out" look for the pokeball, but the pattern can be adjusted for "right-side-out" by changing front loop crochet stitches to back post stitches.

For a mini pokeball, stuff ball as you crochet. Shift Knob Cover requires no stuffing.

Abbreviations:

ch - chain

FL - front loop

inc - 2 single crochet into next stitch

sc - single crochet

sc2tog - single crochet 2 stitches together

sc3tog - single crochet 3 stitches together

st - stitch

Mini Pokeball

Start with Red yarn:

Row 1: Ch 2; 6 sc in second ch from hook. (6)

Row 2: 2 sc in each st around. (12)

Row 3: [1 sc, inc, 2 sc, inc] Repeat. 1 sc, inc. (17)

Row 4: 2 sc, inc, 3 sc, inc, 3 sc, inc, 3 sc, inc, 2 sc. (21)

Row 5: 3 sc, inc, 6 sc, inc, 6 sc, inc, 3 sc. (24)

Row 6: 10 sc, inc, 10 sc. Change to White sc. 1 sc. Change to Black sc. (25)

Row 7: 22 sc into FL of st, Change to White sc into FL of st, 2 sc. (25)

Row 8: 13 sc into FL of st, sc2tog into FL of st, 8 sc into FL of st, 2 sc. (24)

Row 9: 3 sc, sc2tog, 6 sc, sc2tog, 6 sc, sc2tog, 3 sc. (21)

Row 10: 2 sc, sc2tog, [3 sc, sc2tog]x3, 2 sc. (17)

Row 11: [sc2tog, 1 sc, sc2tog, 2 sc] Repeat. sc2tog, 1 sc. (12)

Row 12: [sc3tog]x4. Fasten off. Weave end through each stitch and pull tightly to close.

Using Yarn Needle and black yarn stitch black circle for pokeball opening button.

Shift Knob Cover Variation

Row 1-10 as is.

Row 11: sc in each st around (17)

Fasten off. Weave in loose ends.

Using Yarn Needle and black yarn stitch black circle for pokeball opening button.

Complete pokeball before yarn needle stitching.

Complete pokeball after yarn needle stitching. [but before ends tucked in...]

Crochet 4: Pokeball Shift Knob Cover

Pokeball Shift Knob Cover

Size: ~2 in. in diameter

Materials: Red, Black, and White 4 ply acrylic yarn; crochet hook and yarn needle

Time: ~1 hr.

Car: 2012 Honda Civic Si

Pattern: Mini Pokeball Pattern

Pattern influences: Ideal Crochet Sphere Patterns (by Ms Premise-Conclusion)

                            Ms Premise-Conclusion's info on spheres

About the Project: My brother has recently been making a lot of small improvements to his car, and he came to me with a great idea of a pokeball cover for his shift knob. At work, his car would sit in the sun all day, and thus the knob would burn his hand when he drove home. He saw some ideas of knitted and crocheted knob covers online and instantly took it a notch further and came up with the pokeball knob cover idea.

I was super excited about this project because I love pokemon, and I also love short, quick projects that are useful and make people happy. I modified a basic sphere pattern (see pattern influences) mainly just by leaving the bottom open (so that it fits over a shift knob) and incorporating back loop single crochet stitching to achieve a nice, straight looking black line on the pokeball.

This project was super quick and easy (I made 2 in one 2 hr. car ride), and it has spawned a whole slew of pokemon related ideas that I am dieing to try (one being a pokemon themed Christmas tree with amigurumi pokemon and pokeballs decorating it).

Note: I have a habit of crocheting 3D projects wrong-side out but for this project I did it on purpose so that the black line (where the ball would open) has a better (straighter) effect from stitching into the back half of the stitch. Otherwise I would have had to stitch into the back of the stitch and I did not like that effect as much. Plus I kind of like the wrong side of crochet better than the right side...

Work in Progress:

Finished crochet ball before the black stitching was added. I put a golf ball inside the pokeball to better see the shape and also to test for size for the shift knob in my brother's car.

Finished pokeball with stitching. I just needed to finish off the stitching, tuck all the yarn ends in, and put it on the shift knob in my brother's car. 

Previous pokeball prototype with final. First prototype was slightly bigger than final. Also I tried using crochet slip-stitching for the pokeball button instead of just sew-stitching (running stitch-like) with a yarn needle. For a bigger pokeball I think the slip-stitch method could be really effective and look super cool, but on this small of a pokeball just using a yarn needle looks much better.