Poinsettia Christmas Ball

I'm still working on getting a good stock of Christmas gifts. So I started working on a new Christmas Ball Cover.



These Christmas balls look so pretty on a tree! And I always purchase a whole bunch right after the season for cheap!




Poinsettia Christmas Ball

You'll need a steel hook size 5 and size 10 cotton yarn, like Aunt Lydia's.

To Start: Ch 8, join with sl st to form a ring.
Row 1: Ch 1, 16 sc in ring, join with first sc.
Row 2: Ch 1, sc in same sc and in each remaining sc ending with sc; join to first sc.
Row 3: Ch 3, *sc in next sc, ch 3, repeat from * around ending with ch 3; join with first sc.
Row 4: Sl st in next ch of next ch 3 sp and in same sp, ch 8 *dc in next ch 3 sp, ch 5, repeat from * around ending with ch 5; join with sl st in 3rd ch of beginning ch 8.
Row 5: Sl st in next 2 chs of next ch 5 sp, ch 1, * in next ch 5 sp work 5 dc, ch 3, 5dc; sc in next ch 5 sp; repeat from * around ending with dc; join with sl st in first sc.
Row 6: Sl st to 1st ch 3 sp, ch 10, *sc in middle next ch 3 sp, ch 10, repeat from * around ending with sc; ch 6, tc in base of 1st ch 10 to form last ch 10.
Row 7 & 8: Ch 10 * sc in middle of next ch 10, ch 10; repeat from * around ending with sc; ch 6, tc in first ch of first ch 10 to form last ch 10.
Row 9: Ch 10 * sc in middle of next ch 10, ch 10; repeat from * around, join with sl st in beginning sc.
Row 10: 10 sc in each ch 10 space around; join with sl st in beginning sc.
Row 11: Sl st in next 5 sts, {{{At this point and time slip on a ball, you'll be crocheting around the ball.}}} *Ch 10, sk next ch 10 sp, sc in 5th st in the following ch 10 sp, repeat from * around for a total of 4 ch 10 sps; sl st in beginning ch and bind off.

The crocheting should be tight enough around the ball that you do not need to leave a long tail to gather the loops to pull them around the neck of the ornament.