Recently a friend posted on FaceBook that she was looking for someone to make her a set of crocheted water balloons. This was the first time I heard that such a thing existed. She runs a daycare out of her home, and one of the children she keeps has a latex allergy.
My crochet skills are still in their infancy, so I dug around and found a free pattern for a knit version. Each balloon knitted up very quickly. The bulky blanket yarn I used created a soft texture.
In my research, I did discover several people on Etsy selling this type of product. I hate to say it, but I think you would be better off going to the dollar store and getting a package of sponges. The sponges can be cut to fit a child’s hand and are cheaper. A $1 sponge can easily be cut into 3 pieces, so twelve sponges for $4 versus $25 on Etsy.
UPDATE: Between the time I created these and the writing of this blog post, the pattern is no longer free. It can be found on Ravelry here.
