Monday, January 12, 2009

Crochet Pattern - LOOP Baby Toy

Now that my littlest is almost four months old, I've been working on some fun, grabby baby toys. This is a cute one that I'm calling "loop". I've sold a handful in the shop. They are super-easy to make, so I've decided to post a little tutorial so you can make them for the little one's in your life. Enjoy!
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"LOOP" - A Baby Rattle Grab Toy
by Amy Herbst

MATERIALS NEEDED:
-3.25 mm crochet hook
-Worsted weight yarn of your choice (here I've used Patons Classic Wool)
-1 or 2 small jingle bells (they just need to be small enough to fit in the large tube)
-Stuffing material

INSTRUCTIONS:
- Starting with the first small outer ring, chain 6.
- Slip stitch in the first chain you made to form a ring.
Stuff the tube lightly as you work
- Make 1 single crochet in each single crochet around until you have a little tube measuring 6 inches long.



-Bring the two ends of your 6" tube together to form a ring, stitch closed.
Repeat above instructions to make a total of two small rings.

For the large inner ring:
- Chain 12 (or 14, depending on your tension)--you want it to be nice and tight
- Slip stitch in the first chain you made to form a ring.
Stuff the tube firmly as you work, adding in a small jingle bell or two
- Make 1 single crochet in each single crochet (changing colors as desired) until you have a tube measuring 10.5 inches long.


- Slide the two small rings onto the large tube.
- Bring the ends of the large tube together to form a ring and stitch closed.


TA-DA! Easy-peasy. You just made a "Loop" baby toy!

56 comments:

Anonymous said...

i'm so glad you posted the pattern - if only i crocheted :)

Anonymous said...

This is the cutest crocheted thing ever! Thanks for sharing. -Nicole C

Rachel@oneprettything.com said...

This is really cool! I just came over from Craft and I really love this project! I'll be linking.

Kari said...

It's too bad it's not on Ravelry yet... I love it, and would totally add it to my queue! Ever since my first niece was born, I find myself looking for more and more quick and easy baby projects!

Thanks for the pattern, I think I might even add a bell or two in one of the smaller rings! Thanks again for sharing!

Sofie said...

not only is it a great toy, it is also a beautiful piece to look at! thanks for the tutorial!
greetings from vasa, finland
sofie

Anonymous said...

Soooooo cute! Thanks for sharing the pattern!

Reese Dixon said...

I'm always looking for great non-plastic baby toys. Great pattern!

Bee said...

This is so cute! Thanks for sharing this pattern. Glad to see you back:)

Anonymous said...

Thank you so much for sharing this pattern!
I'm pregnant with boy/girl twins due in may and I just don't have it in me to knit clothes for them since I already have two small children and no time for myself! I've been looking for interesting toys to knit for them and this is by far the best that I've found. I LOVE IT!!!!
Thanks again~!!!!!

Unknown said...

So cute!!

Anonymous said...

I am going to start one tonight! Iwas looking for a simple but nice toy to make for my #5 :) thanks
- Melly in Mass.

Anonymous said...

this is really neat. with all the baby toys in the store made in china, i'm really glad you came up with something you can make yourself and not have to worry about the baby putting in their mouth. again thanks

Anonymous said...

Such a cute and great idea. Have so many little scraps of yarn and I HATE to throw anything away!!Just been invited to a baby shower so here's a nice decoration for the package. Also do lots of baby charity things so again a place for my scraps of yarn. Thanks so much for sharing and for my Craft page that sent me over. Gloria

Made by Melissa said...

what cute idea! I'm going to remember that when I get my next baby shower invite.

Spongebob Toys said...

Wow! it is really wonderful for the child.We can do it easily.Thanks to provide this wonderful idea.

EC said...

I enjoyed this pattern -made it for my niece..thanks for sharing, will be posting it tomm on my blog

Anonymous said...

Wow, New Idea for Baby Toys!
I like to share source of Sensational Beginnings Coupons where I often buy toys like that.

Brittany said...

Thank you so much! Recently put on bed-rest during my first pregnancy and wanted to be able to do something productive for the baby while I sit around. Making some of these will surely busy me for a day or so!

Anonymous said...

Thank you so much for posting the pattern! I'm teaching myself how to crochet, so easy projects like this are right up my alley. Thanks again for the fabulous idea! (Oh, and I've been putting a little cellophane in my ringsto make a little bit of that crinkly noise my baby loves.)

emosback said...

Thanks for the great pattern!

Would you be willing to allow me to sell the completed toys from your pattern on my etsy? If not, please let me know!
I will not list anything without your express permission under your terms :)

Sondra said...

Getting ready to make three of these~two for friend's with new babies and one for my own 5mo. *THANKS SOOO VERY MUCH!* for the pattern~LOVE IT! (((((HUGS))))) sandi

Unknown said...

My friend is having a new baby in July and this is exactly the type of thing I'd love to make her baby. Thank you so much for kindly posting the tutorial. x

LisBethLys... said...

Hi from Denmark! What a nice blog you've got here! I was looking for some crochet baby toys on Google, and then I saw your LOOP Baby Toy. Thank you for sharing! I will go to my bench in the garden right away and start the good work! Have a nice day!
-LisBeth.

Unknown said...

Love this, so going into my Ravelry queue!

Cora

Unknown said...

What a lovely babytoy!!! :)

Anonymous said...

I love this pattern! I just made one and put jingle bells in it, however, the sound was all muffled because of the batting. Does anybody have an idea how to get the bells to jingle or how to incorporate another noise-maker?

Amy Herbst said...

Hi, I personally don't mind the sound that the muffled jingle bells make. BUT you could definitely play around with different noise makers. One idea for a rattle insert is to take two plastic bottle caps and place beads, rice, etc inside to get the sound you want. Then tape the caps together. Have fun!!

Anonymous said...

Here's a silly tip that I use when I crochet the rings (and other things). I leave the tail of the yarn cut to the length that I want the unrolled ring to be (6 or 10.5 inches) that way i dont have to keep looking for a ruler.

Gina said...

Thanks for the free pattern! I made one here... http://dannyandginapalmer.blogspot.com/2010/09/for-baby.html for my daughter. I stuffed it with plastic bags so it would slightly crinkle when grabbed.

Anonymous said...

Do you have copyright information on this pattern? Would it be possible for me to make these and sell them on etsy or through a facebook account?

Jenna Z said...

Thanks so much for the pattern! This turned out so cool! I finished on up recently and blogged it here:
http://destashbabycache.blogspot.com/2011/01/jingle-rings-toy.html

Amy Herbst said...

@Anonymous who asked about the copyright. I am fine if you want to make and sell the finished product of the LOOP baby toy. I ask that you PLEASE credit "Herbst Handmade" for the creation of the pattern. Thanks!

Yarntangler said...

Hi Amy,

Not only was it super cool to find this pattern exactly 20 minutes after deciding to make my grandson a rattle but to see you give permission to another crafter to sell it on Etsy (where you sell them) how generous is that? Maybe I'll make up a few for my craft sales too and of course you get the credit! It's a very clever idea.

Our Seven Dwarfs said...

This is super cute! I definitely plan to make this. I shared this with our followers on Facebook!

Jill of oursevendwarfs.com

RINGS said...

This is such a cute post! i love it! hope u r doing well!
Its really a great.

Anonymous said...

this is just what i was looking for!! thanks for a gorgeous quick pattern!! i love to crochet and am driving my family crazy with making our soon to be born bubba boy all these different things! lol.. will be definatley making a heaps of these!! thanks heaps honey!! xoxoxo

Kshitij said...

Lovely idea! Thank you for the pattern. What did you use for stuffing? I could use some suggestions on the stuffing part please. Thank you!

Amy Herbst said...

@Kshitij, I used poly-fill fiber for the stuffing. Although you could use wool or scraps of yarn. The trick is to crochet with a tight tension and stuff the toy firmly so it has structure. Good luck!

noelani said...

Thanks for sharing your idea. I am starting one for my 6 MO grandson, who absolutely loves toys! Also wanted to say that I love your name! For those who don't know, it means "Autumn" in German.

Shea said...

Thank you so much for sharing. My youngest is a little more than 4 months and showing a huge interest in chewing on things. This is on my project list for next week.

Fan said...

Art toys! Excelent work!

Miranda @ Life in the Motherhood said...

What a cute little toy! You make it look so easy! Just wanted to let you know that I'm going to be featuring this in a handmade gift series tomorrow (11/14). Come by and check it out!

Unknown said...

that would be a cute gift!

I linked to your tutorial on my blog - thanks for sharing!

doro K.

Anonymous said...

Hi! What is this stitch called? I'm trying to do a similar project and wondering what the stitch is called. Thanks!

Unknown said...

The crochet toys are just too cute! I pinned a pic on my board so more people would find your pattern.

http://pinterest.com/nurseryideas/baby-crochet/

If you would rather I didn't, just contact me via the addy posted on the footer of my website and I'll take it right down.

Jan
Unique Baby Nursery Ideas

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the super cute & easy pattern!! I linked you on my post here http://loveandstories.wordpress.com/2012/04/30/diy-crochet-baby-rings/

kals said...

thanks for the proj my nephew chews on it, not much though, mine came out a link b/c the baby yarn is so soft, did anyone else have the same thing

Jen said...

What kind of tube do you use? Is it something you buy at the craft store?

Love this! Thanks!

Amy Herbst said...

Hi Jen, Thanks for your comment! Sorry for the confusion.. the "large tube" I'm talking about in the pattern is actually just the part you crochet. You don't buy a tube. I hope that makes sense! :-)

Jamie M. said...

LOVE THIS! It's exactly what I was looking for. My 7 month old loves to chew and shake rattles so this is perfect. Thanks for sharing the tutorial!

Unknown said...

Love this! Just finished my first one for my future baby cousin! It was so easy, i was able to do it in about an hour, while watching tv, with a 2 year old running around. Thank you for the fun pattern. I'm going to make another one tomorrow for my little one! Ü

Littlest Sarah said...

Great! May I ask you what material you put into the rings? Thanks for the pattern, it made me follow your posts from now on :)

Tamara said...

I love love love the colors and style of this. Any baby who gets one of these is so lucky! I linked to it on my blog this morning, at http://www.mooglyblog.com/free-crochet-toys-for-babies-patterns/ :)
Thanks for sharing your pattern!

Mamameeshe said...

such a cute pattern. I know you've sold it in your shop before. I love crocheting and crafting myself but I am not talented to ever come up with my own original pattern. Can i sell the finish product using your pattern ?

Amy Herbst said...

@Mamameeshe, I'm glad you like the pattern! I have intended this pattern for personal use only. Thanks for asking!

Unknown said...

Thank you for sharing this delightful little toy. I have lots of little ones in my life right not who are going to love these. BTW My Mom's maiden name was Amy Louise Herbst.