Button lacing toy

Help toddlers practice fine motor skills with this cute and interactive lacing button toy! This beginner-friendly crochet pattern features a soft, button-shaped base, perfect for little hands to thread and play with. Great for sensory development and hand-eye coordination!

Have fun crocheting!

Materials and tools for crocheting

• 4-ply sport weight yarn of any color. I used YarnArt Jeans (55% cotton + 45% acrylic), 174 yards (160m), 1.76 ounces (50 g): beige 07 for the button, light brown 87 for the needle, light beige 05 for the thread. Yarn consumption per button* ~ 12 grams and about 4 grams for the needle with the thread. *Yarn consumption can increase up to 1.5 times when crocheting with yarn over (YO) way.
• Hook size 2 mm (or another suitable for yarn).
• Needle for sewing on details, scissors, stitch markers.
• Polyester stuffing (3-4 grams).

Dimensions of the finished toy: ~ diametr 9 cm (your button may turn out to be larger in diameter).

Abbreviations

• sc — single crochet
• dc — double crochet
• inc — increase — crochet 2 sc in one stitch
• dec — single crochet decrease
• ch — chain stitch
• slst — slip stitch
• st — stitch

All pieces, unless otherwise indicated, are crocheted in turned rows.

Hide yarn ends between stitches as you crochet the button.

Round button chart

Round button pattern

Foundation chain: Using beige, ch12 loosely. 

Row 1: Beginning in 2nd ch from hook, 11 sc, ch3, turn. (11 sc)

Row 2: 1 sc in 2nd ch from hook, 1 sc in next ch, 10 sc, [2 sc, 1 dc] in one next stitch, ch1, turn. (15 st)

Row 3: inc, 13 sc, inc, ch1, turn. (17 sc)

Row 4: inc, 15 sc, inc, ch1, turn. (19 sc)

Row 5: inc, 1 sc, mark the next st with the first st marker, 11 sc, mark the next st with the second st marker, 5 sc, inc (Photo 1), ch1, turn. (21 sc)

First part:

Row 6: inc, 1 sc, dec, ch1, turn. (4 sc)

Row 7: dec, 1 sc, inc, ch1, turn. (4 sc)

Row 8: 4 sc, ch1, turn.

Row 9: 4 sc, ch1, turn.

Row 10: 3 sc, inc. (5 sc)

Fasten off. (Photo 2)

Join the yarn to the 15th stitch of the Row 5 (second stitch marker, photo 3), ch1 and starting from the same stitch, crochet the central part:

Row 6: dec, 5 sc, dec, ch1, turn. (7 sc)

Row 7: dec, 3 sc, dec, ch1, turn. (5 sc) 

Row 8: 5 sc, ch1, turn.

Row 9: 5 sc, ch1, turn.

Row 10: inc, 3 sc, inc. (7 sc)

Fasten off. (Photo 4)

Join the yarn to the 4th stitch of the Row 5 (first stitch marker, photo 5), ch1 and starting from the same stitch, crochet:

Row 6: dec, 1 sc, inc, ch1, turn. (4 sc)

Row 7: inc, 1 sc, dec, ch1, turn. (4 sc)

Row 8: 4 sc, ch1, turn.

Row 9: 4 sc, ch1, turn.

Row 10: inc, 3 sc, ch1, turn. (5 sc)

Row 11: 4 sc, inc, ch2 (Photo 6), continue crocheting on the central part, inc, 5 sc, inc, ch2, continue crocheting on the first part, inc, 4 sc (Photo 7), ch1, turn.

Row 12: 25 sc, ch1, turn.

Row 13: 5 sc, mark the next st with the first st marker, 11 sc, mark the next st with the second st marker, 9 sc, ch1, turn. (25 sc) (Photo 8)

First part:

Row 14: 4 sc, dec, ch1, turn. (5 sc)

Row 15: dec, 3 sc, ch1, turn. (4 sc) 

Row 16: 4 sc, ch1, turn.

Row 17: 4 sc, ch1, turn.

Row 18: dec, 1 sc, inc. (4 sc) 

Fasten off. (Photo 9)

Join the yarn to the 17th stitch of the Row 13 (second stitch marker), ch1 and starting from the same stitch, crochet the central part:

Row 14: dec, 5 sc, dec, ch1, turn. (7 sc). 

Row 15: dec, 3 sc, dec, ch1, turn. (5 sc). 

Row 16: 5 sc, ch1, turn.

Row 17: 5 sc, ch1, turn.

Row 18: inc, 3 sc, inc. (7 sc)

Fasten off. (Photo 10)

Join the yarn to the 6th stitch of the Row 13 (first stitch marker), ch1 and starting from the same stitch, crochet:

Row 14: dec, 4 sc, ch1, turn. (5 sc). 

Row 15: 3 sc, dec, ch1, turn. (4 sc). 

Row 16: 4 sc, ch1, turn.

Row 17: 4 sc, ch1, turn.

Row 18: inc, 1 sc, dec, ch1, turn. (4 sc) 

Row 19: dec, 1 sc, inc, ch2, continue crocheting on the central part, inc, 5 sc, inc, ch2, continue crocheting on the first part, inc, 1 sc, dec (Photo 11), ch1, turn.

Row 20: dec, 17 sc, dec, ch1, turn. (19 sc)

Row 21: dec, 15 sc, dec, ch1, turn. (17 sc)

Row 22: dec, 13 sc, dec, ch1, turn. (15 sc)

Row 23: dec, 11 sc, dec, ch1, turn. (13 sc)

Row 24: dec, 9 sc, dec. (11 sc)

Fasten off. (Photo 12)

Second piece

Make the second piece the same as the first piece, but do not fasten off after Row 24. Photo 13

Assembly

Align pieces, matching up all sides and holes (Photo 14). Check that the sequence of rows is the same on the outside of the front and back pieces (in mirror image). Join beige to any st on any inner hole (use the yarn from the other end of the skein (or from another skein), ch1, starting from the same st, work 1 sc per st/row through both pieces to join around the inner hole, invisible fasten off. Photo 15. Repeat for all holes.

Video: how to work through both pieces to join around the inner hole:

Then work 1 sc per st/row through both pieces to join around the outside edge (Photo 16). Add some stuffing to the inside as you assemble. Invisible fasten off. Secure yarn ends and hide between two layers. Photo 17-18.

Needdle

Stuff firmly as you crochet.

Using light brown, make a magic ring.

Round 1: 5 sc in ring.

Work in continuous spiral rounds.

Round 2: 5 sc.

Round 3: 2 sc, inc, 2 sc. (6 sc)

Round 4: 6 sc.

Round 5: 5 sc, inc. (7 sc)

Round 6: 7 sc.

Round 7: 3 sc, inc, 3 sc. (8 sc)

Rounds 8-19: 8 sc. (11 rounds)

Cut the yarn, leaving a 15cm end. Tighten loops. Secure and hide yarn ends inside the needle. Photo 19.

Stopper

Piece 1 (make 2)

Using light brown, make a magic ring.

Round 1: 6 sc in ring.

Work in continuous spiral rounds.

Round 2: [Inc] 6 times. (12 sc)

Round 3: [1 sc, inc] 6 times. (18 sc)

Round 4: [inc, 2 sc] 6 times. (24 sc)

Round 5: [3 sc, inc] 6 times. (30 sc)

Invisible fasten off. Photo 20.

Stopper assembling:

Align 2 pieces with wrong sides together. Using the light brown color yarn, work slst through two pieces (see photo 21) until the end of the round. Invisible fasten off. Hide yarn ends inside the pieces (photo 22).

Thread

Join the light beige yarn to the tightened loops of the needle with slst on surface along the diameter of the tightened loops (photo 23), ch65 (photo 24), you can make more or less chain stitches. Note: when stretched, the thread should be shorter than 22cm if the toy is for children under 18 months, or less than 30cm for children from 18 to 36 months.

Join ch to the center of the Stopper with 2 slst on the surface along the diameter of the first round (Photo 25), do not make ch, skip 2 slst, slst in the next 65 ch, slst on surface along the diameter of the tightened loops of the Needle (photo 26) Fasten off. Secure and hide yarn ends inside the needle. Photo 27.

I will be glad to see your work! Please, when you post your finished toys on Instagram, could you tag my profile @zenknit_toys or use the tag #zenknit_toys so that I can see them and maybe repost them to my story? Thank you!

More patterns in my store and in my book.

If you have any problems crocheting, please contact me through the feedback form or leave a comment on the article. Thank you!