I’m excited to share a very special treat with you. This popular dessert drink comes all the way from Taiwan, where my roots are from. Traditional Milk Tea consists of sweetened black tea mixed with milk and chewy tapioca balls, or what we call pearls.

Nowadays, the flavors and toppings you can find are endless! From taro, to fruity flavors, to even salted cheese (okay don’t hate unless you’ve actually tried it), this sweet treat is perfect for every occasion.

 So! The real question… are you team Boba or team Bubble Tea? Whatever you choose, I’ve got the perfect project for you!

 

*If you prefer an ad-free, printable PDF version of this pattern, click HERE. Thank you for supporting my designs! 

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Note: Please do not copy/redistribute any part of this pattern as your own. Feel free to sell your finished products in small quantities - I only ask that you give credit to help support my work :). I would also love for you to share photos of your cute creations made with my pattern by tagging me on Instagram #curiouspapaya. Thank you!

*We will be working in a spiral.

 

MATERIALS: 

-Check out the list of my FAVORITE CROCHET TOOLS!

-Any #4 medium worsted yarn

-Size 3.25 mm hook

-Yarn needle, scissors, stitch markers, fabric glue

-Fiber fill stuffing

-Natural Wool Roving in brown

-Clover Felting Pen

-Two 3 x 3 in. squares of scrap cardboard for each boba

-Hot glue gun

-Pipe cleaners for the straws

-Dark brown embroidery thread (can substitute with safety eyes)

-(optional if making for small children) Rattle insert

 

TERMS:

-BLO: back loops only

-DEC: decrease

-FLO:  front loops only

-INC: increase

-SC: single crochet

-SLST: slip stitch

-ST(s): stitch(es)

-RND(s): round(s)

-WS: wrong side

-(...) x #: repeat directions in the parentheses # of times

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BOBA CUP (in any  "flavor" or pastel colored yarn):  

RND 1: Make a magic circle and (SC) x 6 [6]

RND 2: (INC) x 6 [12]

RND 3: (SC, INC) x 6 [18]

RND 4: (2 SC, INC) x 6 [24]

RND 5: (3 SC, INC) x 5, 4 SC, SLST into the same stitch. *Since we are working in a spiral, doing this will alleviate the jog that RND 6 will create. [30]

RND 6: BLO - SC all around [30]

RND 7: (9 SC, INC) x 3 [33]

RND 8-10: SC all around (3 RNDs total) [33]

RND 11: (10 SC, INC) x 3 [36]

RND 12-18: SC all around (7 RNDs total) [36]

 

Time to slap some personality onto these babies! 

 

FACIAL EXPRESSIONS:

Using dark brown embroidery thread and your needle, make whatever expressions your heart desires. I recommend leaving about 6 RNDs on the bottom of the cup for the needle felted boba pearls. 

 

To make my smug faced boba, follow the steps below. 

 

STEP 1: Cut off about 15 inches of embroidery thread. Start from the inside of the eyebrow and create a diagonal line one ST above and two ST over.

 

 

STEP 2: Come back out where we initially went in with the needle at the start of the eyebrow.

 

STEP 3: Loop around one ST below where you came out in step 2 several times to create the eye. 

 

 

STEP 4: Create a straight line for the mouth one ST below the eyes and 3 ST wide.

 

 

STEP 5: Flip your piece to the WS out (you will be able to tell because the tail of the magic circle will be visible) and tie the embroidery thread tails together to secure them in place. 

 

 

Trace the base of the cup on cardboard and cut two circles out. Use hot glue to secure one of them onto the WS of the cup. Stuff it and add a rattle insert last. We don’t want to put it in first because it will get in the way of needle felting! We’ll save the other circle for the lid.

 

LID (in any color):

RND 1 : Make a magic circle and (SC) x6 [6]

RND 2: (INC) x 6 [12]

RND 3: (SC, INC) x 6 [18]

RND 4: (2 SC, INC) x 6 [24]

RND 5: (3 SC, INC) x 6 [30]

RND 6: (4 SC, INC) x 6 [36]

RND 7: flo - (5 SC, INC) x 5, 5 SC, SC into the next, SLST into the same stitch. *Since we are working in a spiral, doing this will alleviate the jog that RND 6 will create. [42]

 

Fasten off, leaving a 15 inch tail. We will sew the lid to the cup using the back loops that were created. 

 

STRAW (in any color): 

RND 1 : Make a magic circle and (SC) x6 [6]

RND 2-6: SC all around (5 RNDs total) [6]

 

Fasten off, leaving a 6 inch tail. 

 

Cut approx. 4 inches of pipe cleaner and fold it in half. Insert it into the straw. Sew the straw onto the center of the lid. Tie the tails in a knot on the WS to secure it in place. Secure the other cardboard circle onto the WS using hot glue. 

 

 

 

 

Sew the lid onto the boba cup, going through the BLO we created and both loops on the cup.

 

 

PEARLS (in brown roving wool): 

(Alternatively, you can use dark brown felt instead of wool - but that's less fun!)

 

STEP 1: Take your wool and pull them apart with your fingers to make the texture more uniform. 

 

STEP 2: Cut your long strands into 2 inch chunks. Roll them up with your fingers into little balls. 

 

 

STEP 3: Position your pearls where you want them and gently begin to poke them in place with your needle felting pen. I like to poke about 5 times in one area before moving onto the next, rotating frequently for uniformity. 

 

STEP 4: Your pearls may look a little hairy. Thankfully, we’ve got a quick fix for that! Take your scissors and carefully graze over the loose strands to trim them off. It’ll be like you’re giving your boba a nice haircut. 

 

*Be careful to not cut your yarn! 

 

Repeat the process making your way around the entire boba cup, alternating heights for your boba pearls. 

 

 

Your boba is now complete! Hope you enjoyed and I hope to see your creations if you tag me on Instagram. All this boba talk has gotten me craving some… I’m off to get my favorite drink! Until next time… stay safe!