Hello crafters!
With spring finally starting to peek out I am getting so excited for outdoor activities! I spend the majority of my outdoor time either gardening or fishing but every now and then it’s nice to just relax in the yard with the BBQ and some fun yard games.
This tutorial will walk you through the process of making your own crochet hackysack! This tutorial is pretty easy and you will probably end up making a few of these for every kid (or adult!) that you know.
To make these hackysacks you will need to know the half double crochet stitch. Half double crochet is the same as double crochet but once you have yarned over and have three loops on your hook you will yarn over and pull through ALL three loops on the hook. (In double crochet you would pull through two loops and then yarn over again and do the other two loops)
Let’s get to it!
Supplies you will need to make your crochet hackysack
- Bernat handicrafter cotton yarn
- Size 4.25mm crochet hook
- Yarn needle
- Filler (I used soy beans, see the ‘filler’ section below for more information)
Hackysack filler
There are a variety of options for filling your hackysack. Dried beans are an excellent choice. I have heard of rice being used but I wouldn’t recommend it with these hackysacks as the rice will most like fall out of the small spaces between stitches. I used both navy beans and soy beans with great results!
A hackysack should weigh somewhere between 40 and 65 grams so you can weigh out 50g of filler and the weight of the yarn will account for the rest. This pattern uses about 10g of yarn.
Crochet hackysack pattern
*Each round is completed with a slip stitch to the top of the beginning chain
*The chain 1 at the beginning of each round does not count as a stitch
Make a magic ring.
- 7 hdc into magic ring. Close ring. Slip stitch to top of first hdc stitch.
- Chain 1. Work 2hdc in each stitch around. (14 stitches)
- Chain 1. [1hdc, 2hdc in next stitch] repeat around. (21 stitches)
- Chain 1. [hdc in each of the next two stitches. 2hdc in next stitch] repeat around. (28 stitches)
- Chain 1. hdc in each stitch around. Tie off.
You have now completed the first half of your hackysack! Repeat this pattern to make the second half. When tying off the second half leave a 6 inch tail that you will use to weave the two halves together.
Assembling your hackysack
At this point you should have two halves of a hackysack (one with a 6-in tail) and a 50g portion of filler.
Attach your yarn needle to the long tail. Hold the two edges of your hackysack pieces together. You will be weaving them together using the outside loops only.
Using mattress stitch into the outside loops only sew up the seam of your hackysack until you have only 6 stitches left to join.
Now pour your filler into your hackysack; using a funnel might be helpful. I just cut the top off a water bottle to funnel the beans in.
Now continue your mattress stitch to close up the rest of the seam. Tie off your yarn end with a double knot, trim the end and pull the remainder of it through to the inside of the hackysack to keep it hidden.
I hope you enjoyed this tutorial! If you are looking for your next fun summer project you might want to check out my Crochet Pocket Frisbee post 🙂
Happy Crafting!
