Increase Ball

I was looking all over the place for a project that would teach my young students how to increase and decrease. The project had to teach increases and decrease, not take a long time to make and it had to be something that kids would enjoy making. After searching I decided that a ball would be a wonderful project. I want the project to teach more than one or two kinds of increases and deceases (which I couldn't find). So, I designed this ball.

Increase / Decrease Ball by Sara Bird

Supplies
YARN: any scraps of yarn. You can use one color/texture or multiple colors/textures that are of the same weight.
NEEDLES: appropriate to the size of the yarn.
ALSO NEEDED: Fiber fill, yarn needle

(In the example, I used medium/worsted weight yarn in blue, purple, pink and grey and size 7 needles)

Decrease Triangle
(Make 2)
Cast on 31 stitches
First row: SSK (slip, slip knit), knit to last 2 sts K2tog (knit 2 together)
2nd row: Purl
Repeat rows 1 and 2 until 3 stitches remain, end with a purl row.
Next row: Slip 1, K2tog, passover, fasten off.

Increase One Triangle
(Make 2)
Cast on 3
First row: purl
2nd row: increase one in first stitch, k (knit) 1, increase one in last stitch
3rd row: purl
4th row: k1, increase one in next stitch, k1, increase one in next stitch, k1
5th row: purl
6th row: k1, increase one in next stitch, knit to last 2 stitches, increase one in next stitch, knit one
Repeat last 2 rows until 31 stitches
Next row: purl
Cast off

Yarn over Increase Triangle
(Make 2)
Cast on 3
First row: purl
2nd row: increase one in first stitch, k1, increase one in last stitch
3rd row: purl
4th row: k1, increase one in next stitch, k1, increase one in next stitch, k1
5th row: purl
6th row: k1, increase one in next stitch, knit to last 2 stitches, increase one in next stitch, k1
7th row: purl
8th row: k4, yo (yarn over), k1, yo, k4
9th row: purl
10th row: k4, yo, knit to last 4 stitches, yo, k4
Repeat the last two rows until 31 stitches
Next row: purl
Cast off

Make 1 Increase Triangle
(Make 2)
Cast on 3
First row: purl
2nd row: k1, M1 (make 1), k1, M1, k1
3rd row: purl
4th row: k1, M1, knit to last stitch, M1, k1
Repeat last 2 rows until 31 stitches
Next row: purl
Cast off

Finishing
Weave in ends. Block each triangle. Sew triangles together and stuff ball.

NOTE: The yarn over increase triangle creates a pattern of holes in the shape of a V. So that you don't see the fiber fill I weaved a double strand of yarn in and out of these holes and tacked it in place. You could also use ribbon.