Homemade Holiday Gift Idea: Make Fido A Dog Toy

Written by

Ashley Poskin
Ashley Poskin
Ashley traded the quiet life of a small town in a big house for the hustle and bustle of the Windy City. On any given day you might find her working on a freelance photo or blogging gig, wrangling her little darling, or walking Chuck the boxer.
updated Apr 14, 2019
We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing.
Post Image
(Image credit: Ashley Poskin)

If you’re like most pet people, your special little furry friend gets a stocking of his own for the holidays, right alongside everyone else. They’re always fun to fill with treats and chew toys, so this year, why not make your own? Sure, he might not get the warm fuzzies when you tell him it’s handmade — but you can be proud of the fact that you made it out of 100% recycled materials!

<< All of 2015 Handmade Holiday Gift Ideas >>

(Image credit: Ashley Poskin)

What You Need

Materials

  • 12 strips of t-shirt yarn (apx 36″ long)
  • Scissors

Instructions

1. Cut 12 strips of t-shirt yarn in 24″-36″ lengths. If you can’t find t-shirt yarn, you can recycle an old t-shirt: cut strips up and over the shoulder in 1-2″ widths.

(Image credit: Ashley Poskin)

2. Tie all 12 pieces together in a large knot at the end of the strips.

(Image credit: Ashley Poskin)

3. Separate the strips into 4 piles containing 3 strips each.

(Image credit: Ashley Poskin)

4. Lay each of the four piles out in a cross shape like demonstrated in the photo below.

(Image credit: Ashley Poskin)

5. Begin your braid by folding the top vertical (white) group of strips down, and the bottom vertical group of strips (black) up, so that the top and bottom sections of the cross switch places with one another.

(Image credit: Ashley Poskin)

6. Like you did in step 5, fold the group of horizontal strips on the left side (black) over to the right side, and the right horizontal group of strips (white) over to the left side so the horizontal sections of the cross switch places with one another.

(Image credit: Ashley Poskin)

7. Repeat steps 5 and 6 until the braid has a tail of 5″-7″. End the braid by twisting all 12 strips into a knot. Pull the knot as tight as you can and trim off any excess longer than 3″.

(Image credit: Ashley Poskin)

<< All of 2015 Handmade Holiday Gift Ideas >>

Have a really great DIY project or tutorial that you want to share with others? Let us know! We love checking out what you’re making these days, and learning from our readers. When you’re ready, click here to submit your project and photos.