Battle Axe Baby Rattle

Battle Axe Baby Rattle by Lisa Ferrel

Product Overview

The Battle Axe Baby Rattle is a playful crocheted toy designed by independent designer Lisa Ferrel. This intermediate-level crochet project creates a whimsical rattle featuring a distinctive double-blade axe shape, perfect for adding imaginative play value to a nursery. The pattern is available as a downloadable PDF, making it accessible for crafters ready to tackle a moderately challenging project.

What Is Being Made

This pattern produces a baby rattle with a unique battle axe design. The rattle features a double-blade construction, creating an eye-catching silhouette that stands apart from traditional rounded rattle shapes. The piece combines functional rattle elements with creative, thematic design suitable for toy making.

Crochet Techniques Used

The Battle Axe Baby Rattle employs several essential crochet techniques to achieve its distinctive shape:

• Single Crochet (sc): The foundation stitch used throughout the majority of the pattern for building the rattle's structure
• Decreasing (dec): Strategic decreases are worked in a pattern to shape the axe blades and create the tapered, pointed ends characteristic of the design
• Slip Stitch (sl st): Used to join rounds and transition between color changes
• Chain Stitch (ch): Used at the beginning of rounds to establish working height
• Working in the Round: The pattern is constructed circularly, requiring attention to stitch alignment and offset compensation

Stitch Pattern Details

The construction involves a carefully planned decrease sequence that creates the axe's double-blade shape. The pattern accounts for the natural offset that occurs when working single crochet in the round—approximately half a stitch width per round. Rather than disrupting the design, the pattern strategically adds single stitches at the beginning of alternating rounds to maintain proper alignment. The decreases are positioned to line up vertically above one another, particularly at the ends of the axe blades, ensuring a clean, symmetrical finish.

The rattle progresses through multiple rounds with decreasing stitch counts (from 40 stitches down to 20 stitches across the shaping rounds), creating the tapered blade effect. After the initial shaping in gray yarn, the pattern transitions to pewter yarn for the final rounds, which are worked even without further decreasing to complete the rattle form.

Materials Required

Crafters will need yarn in aran and worsted weights to complete this project, with color options including gray and pewter based on the pattern instructions. A crochet hook appropriate for the chosen yarn weight is essential, along with fiberfill stuffing and a rattle insert or noise-maker to bring the toy to life. The downloadable PDF pattern will specify exact yardage requirements and hook size recommendations.

Difficulty Level

This pattern is rated as intermediate, making it suitable for crocheters with foundational skills who are ready to work with shaping techniques and multi-color construction. The primary challenge involves maintaining stitch alignment while working decreases in the round and managing the offset compensation, though the pattern provides clear guidance for these techniques.