Balloon Bunting Free Knitting Pattern

Free pattern for plain balloon bunting



If you get up at five a.m. during the balloon fiesta in Bristol you are in for a treat. Hundreds of 
multicoloured balloons floating up into the sky all around you during the early morning 
light. This balloon bunting attempts to capture the magic of this moment.

Using this pattern you can create as many plain balloons as you want. Crochet a chain to 
join them to a strip of bunting.

Finished dimensions:

Each balloon measures 7.5 cm wide x 11 cm high

Gauge: 24 sts x 48 rows measure 10 x 10 cm (4 x 4 inches) in garter stitch using 3.5 mm (US 4) needles. Gauge is not crucial for this project.

Tools:

3.5 mm (US 4) knitting needles.

Tapestry needle.

3.5 mm (US E-4) crochet hook.

Materials:

Yarn used is Rico Creative Cotton (50g/115 m equivalent 126 yards)

1 ball each of 018 Brown and 06 Cream for the balloon baskets

For the balloon motifs you could use a variety of leftover cotton DK yarns of the same weight as they do not use much yarn. Use pale blue to join the balloons to make them into bunting.

Difficulty: Beginner.

Skills required: Garter stitch, kfb, k2tog, ssk, knitting stripes.

Abbreviations:

k knit

kfb knit into the front and back of the next stitch

ssk slip one stitch knitwise, slip another stitch knitwise, knit both together through the back loops

k2tog knit two stitches together as if they were one stitch

st(s) stitch(es)

To join the balloons:

Using a 3.5 mm (US E-4) crochet hook and pale blue. Make a slip knot and make 50 chains. 

Slip stitch into the top of the first balloon and slip stitch along the top 5 or 6 times. Chain 30, 

then slip stitch into the next balloon. Repeat until you have joined all the balloons together. 

Chain 50, turn and double crochet (US single crochet) into the second chain and each chain 

to the end. Cut and end the chain.  


How to knit a plain coloured balloon:

The baskets are knitted in garter stitch for ten rows, alternating brown and cream coloured 

two row stripes. Using the main balloon colour, knit two rows, then increase into the second 

and second to last stitch of the next row by knitting into the front and back of the stitch (two 

stitches increased). Increase again every fourth row twice and every other row three times 

until there are 19 stitches on the needles. Continue to knit ten rows in garter stitch as before 

without shaping. 

Decrease in the next row by working a ssk at the beginning of the row and a k2tog at 

the end of the row. Knit three rows and then decrease two stitches in the same way in the 

next row and every other row until there are seven stitches left. (51 rows). 

End the balloon after row 51 by casting off. Weave in ends with a tapestry needle. 

You could work the balloons in a variety of striped and slip stitch patterns. 

For a full pattern detailing how to work the patterned bunting shown above (with 

slip stitch patterns etc.  please click here.