I was feeling a tad sexist about all the lacy triangles and fancy socks that I have been making for the daughter, sisters, nieces, and mom. What about the guys? I decided that juggling balls were in order. Using my best indie sock yarns (leftover scraps from the aforementioned lace and sock projects but don’t tell them!) I’ve been turning out these 3-ball juggling sets. It’s fun to experiment with different color combinations--almost as addictive as those lace triangles. And it is a much quicker knit!

Here’s how I made them: I used Eve Clevenger’s Swirl Ball for the basic pattern with the following modifications:

1. I used fingering weight yarn and 2.0mm needles to produce a smaller ball. I knit more tightly than usual.

2. I wrapped the stitches at the end of each short row (to eliminate holes) but did not pick up and knit the wrap. I don’t think it’s necessary.

3. As the pattern suggested as an optional alternative, I added a final full row in the color of the first panel and I cast-off in this color. (This was to make the joinder of the first & sixth panel virtually invisible.)

4. I used my own stuffing technique to create the appropriate heft for juggling: I filled a knee-high nylon sock with 3 oz (85 grams) of poly-pellets (see photo). I weighed each filled stocking to produce equal-sized balls. Then I twisted the open end around and around the ball, consuming virtually the entire stocking. I tried to make the balls fairly taut and the twisted poles as un-bumpy as possible. I whip-stitched the stocking edge to the ball (see last photo.) I inserted the ball into the knit skin and closed it up.

Design notes: I experimented with two-color balls (see the orange & green), and three-color balls. Of course, six-color balls are also a possibility too, but that was beyond my color abilities. I also tried two-colors within a single panel (see the red and blue). To accomplish that effect I alternated 4 rows of each color. However, I thought that the variegated yarn produced interesting patterns just by being knitted straight because of the angled short rows.

• Disclosure: I contemplated calling this project Schweddy Balls after Alex Baldwin’s famous SNL spoof of NPR. (It seemed especially apt since I was knitting these for the fellas in unseasonable Phoenix heat). But in the end, good taste prevailed….