Making toys for your doggy friends

   Does your husband have old shirts he no longer wants or needs? If your answer is yes then you can use that to make a dog toy. I will teach you an easy start for your first time and as you get better you can step it up for fun.
 
Find your weapon (What you need)
Old T-shirts, scissors...that's it! (Sweet tip: If possible, use different colored shirts and keep them plain. No printed shirts)
Get started!
Cut the hem of the shirt up to sleeve (or if the shirt has no side hem, then cut sides), then cut straight up to the other sleeve. Cut from the start of the sleeve to the other side. The finished product should be 2 fabric squares.

Get cutting
Fold the shirt in half. This ensures that both sides are even when you cut the strips. Cut all strips the same size. For extra precaution, cut along the unfolded side up to the folded side but not all the way through. Keep doing this until it looks like a hula skirt.  Unfold the shirt and cut the spine across.

Pull and braid!
Pull the strips so that it will be longer and OK for dogs to pull. The fun part is the braid! The braid I used was the square knot or the royal crown sinnet knot. You can look it up on Youtube. It takes time to learn but patience and persistence is key.

Braid directions
The following are the steps to the square knot. I found them from a google search. If the instructions don't help, there is tutorials on square knots on Youtube.

1. 
   • 1
     Separate four cords, using a different color for each cord. Although you can use the same color cords, different colors allow you to keep track of the knotting process as you master the skill. If you are making the crown sinnet knot, double the length of the cord. The weaving process shortens the original cord length.
   • 2
     Tie the four cords together.
   • 3
     Position the binded cords horizontally. Separate the four cords into an "X" pattern. For instance, gently pull the top cord to your upper right and the bottom cord to your lower left. Open the two remaining cords to your upper left and lower left, forming an "X".
   • 4
     Form a loop by taking the lower right cord and looping it over the upper right cord. It appears like a reverse number "four." It is important to loop the remaining cords loosely to weave the knot.
   • 5
     Loop the upper right cord and loop it over the upper left cord. An over and under pattern weave begins to emerge as you form the loops.
   • 6
     Loop the upper left cord and loop it over the lower left cord. The base of the knot appears.
   • 7
     Pull the cords to tighten until a center knot emerges. Pull the remaining cord tails back into the "X" pattern as in Step 3.
   • 8
     Reverse the weaving direction by taking the upper right cord and loop it over the lower right cord. This process becomes a bit tricky because the upper right cord will sit looped below the original lower left cord. The weaving patterns appears as if you are looping over two cords at a time.
   • 9
     Loop the lower right cord over the lower left cord.
   • 10
     Loop the lower left cord over the upper left cord.
   • 11
     Take the upper left cord and loop it over the upper right. This step changes the direction of the knot to form the second weaved pattern.
   • 12
     Repeat Step 7 by pulling the cords until the second weaved knot sits next to the first weaved knot.
   • 13
     Continue to knot the sinnet in an alternating pattern by repeating Steps 4 through 7 and then reversing the weave by repeating Steps 8 through 12. You will continue to alternate the weave until you reach your desired length.

     All done!  It's hard to explain it without really seeing it in front of you but I hope it helped. Now the picture was late at night so my dog was lazy modeling the toy. In the day she is always playing with it and loves it. It wont cost you cash and it's a fun way to pass the time reuse material. 

     Have a Sweet day!