This post and photos may contain Amazon or other affiliate links. If you purchase something through any link I may receive a small commission at no extra charge to you.
I love my pets and I love crafting and when I bring the two together, it’s so darn satisfying! My Aggie love, love, loves to eat. Just behind that she loves to play!
And because I’m one of those people, she has a toy box. Yes, my dog (or my cats for that matter) can dig through their toy box and play with whatever suits their fancy at that exact moment. Aggie has her favorites, the stuffed lion that is missing a leg, the witch hedgehog from last Halloween that makes the most annoying squeak you’ve ever heard and the super hero chipmunk with a stretchy thing under the chin that sends it flying across the room!
In that list used to be any number of tugger toys. But as Aggie’s teeth become older and older, she’s less interested in those toys. I find the whole thing sad because it was always her favorite way to play. So I dug up some poly rope and used the round lanyard stitch to make a tugger toy that is sturdy, but also has some give. So far, she loves this thing!
For this project you will need:
- poly rope in two colors OR paracord for much smaller dogs
- scissors
- lighter (along with a healthy dose of extreme caution)
Take your rope or cord and make an plus sign with them. The horizontal (gray) piece needs to be UNDER the other piece.
Place your finger over where the ropes intersect.
Working with the horizontal (gray) piece take the side to the right and wrap it over your finger to the left.
Take the other end and wrap it over your finger below the first just like in the picture above.
Now we’re going to work with the vertical (pink) cord. We’re going to make the cords switch directions so that the one pointing down will be pointing up.
First take the bottom pink cord and pass it over the bottom gray cord but under the second one while staying on the right side of your finger.
Now take the cord from the top and run it over the top gray cord but under the bottom gray cord while staying on the left side of your finger.
Carefully remove your finger and begin tightening the cords up.
When nice and tight, the cords will form a square shaped knot.
Take and turn your knot clockwise 45°. Begin the process again, placing your finger on the knot, bringing the horizontal strands over your finger, and the vertical strands through the loops on either sides of your finger. Pull the cords taut to finish the knot.
The further you go, the easier the process will become. While we started by pushing our knot work onto a surface, it is easier to continue when it gets some length by holding.
When you’ve gotten the length you want it’s time to finish this sucker up…
Make one last stitch but don’t tighten the cords all of the way. The shape will still loosely resemble a square. Take the cord pointing toward the bottom and run it under the cord immediately to the right (will be the other color). Then run the cord up through the loop of the same color on the right side. Pull it up but don’t tighten.
Continue by turning 45° and stringing the cord up and through for the last 3 pieces.
When complete, the cords should all be coming out of the center of the braid.
If they’re not, go ahead and loosen your work and try again.
Take each cord and pull it nice and tight. Go around each cord twice to make sure it’s as tight as it’s going to get. (because if you don’t we could have problems in the next step!)
Cut the rope as flush as you can with sharp scissors.
Using flame from a lighter, seal the end. The rope will melt onto itself. Give it a good several seconds to really heat up and get nice and stuck. Always practice caution when working with a flame!
You don’t have to make rope dog toys, you can also make key chains or get creative with your braids! What will you make?
