From JOANN

Your dog will can pick a new toy, every week of the month, with these easy fleece dog toys in four different designs.

YOU’LL NEED

1/4 yard of various colors of blizzard fleece

Cutting mat

Rotary cutter

Acrylic ruler

Tennis ball

Craft knife

DIRECTIONS

NOTE:

Cut 2″x 58″ strips of fleece.

Divide strips into groups of 4 by desired color combination.

FOR A BOX KNOT ROPE TOY

1.Knot the 4 strips leaving about 3″ above the knot.

2.To start the box knot, spread the 4 strips into opposite directions with the knot in the center. One strip should be going up, one down, one to the right, and one to the left.

3.Bend the “up” strip down over the knot and the “down” strip up over the knot, forming two loops. Weave the left and right strips over the loop closest to them, and then under the other. Pull the ends of all 4 strips to tighten the knot.

4.Continue making box knots in this manner until you reach the desired length for your toy.

5.Tie a plain knot at the end of the rope and trim the excess strips to about 3”.

FOR A SPIRAL BOX ROPE TOY

1.Begin the toy as you would the regular box knot rope toy, knotting the strips together and making one box knot.

2.For the remaining box knots, loop the up and down strips diagonally corner to corner. This will create the spiral effect as you knot the toy.

3.Continue making box knots in this manner until you reach the desired length for your toy.

4.Tie a plain knot at the end of the rope and trim the excess strips to about 3”.

FOR A TOY WITH A LOOP

1.Start a box knot rope using either the regular box knot, or spiral box knot, and leaving 5″ before the first knot. Once the rope is 12″-14″, un-knot the beginning of the rope.

2.Match the strips from the beginning and end of the rope to their match from the opposite end. Tie the top strips together and the bottom strips together to cleanly join the beginning and end.

3.Continue making your chosen box knot using two the two strips together, until you reach the end of the strips.

4.Tie a plain knot at the end of the rope and trim ends evenly.

FOR A TOY WITH A TENNIS BALL

Make a box knot rope toy following the instructions above, leaving at least 8″ at each end. Do not knot at the end and un-knot the beginning knot.

2.Use the craft knife to cut a hole 3/4″ in diameter on either side of the tennis ball.

3.Feed two strips from each end of the rope through the tennis ball from opposite holes. Tie ends together to secure. Weave three of the ends from each side through the rope, about 2”, and then trim. Wrap the final end around the knot for a clean look. Weave end into the rope 2″ and trim excess.

Find this craft and more holiday fun at joann.com