Bells in the crocheted animal are too quiet

Hi everyone,

I’m relatively new to the crochet world ; ).

I’ve just started working on a crocheted animal that you fill with bells and stuffing. However, the bells are way too quiet—and the stuffing probably muffles the sound even more. Does anyone have another idea for how to make a proper rattle toy where you can actually hear the rattle when you shake the finished toy?

Thanks so much for your answers.

Hi!

How big is the little animal? Would perhaps the inside capsule of a Kinder Surprise egg (those yellow things) fit inside?
You could fill that with a marble, a small stone, or something similar so it rattles nicely. Then place the whole thing in the center of the animal and fill around it with the stuffing.

If it has to be a little bell, those Kinder Surprise things would work too, but you’d have to attach the bell so it hangs freely, so it doesn’t roll around inside the container. Otherwise, you’ll probably just hear it clattering, but no jingling. :) To do this, simply use a nail to poke two holes in the sides of the yellow part (what are they called, anyway?), thread a string through the first hole (from the outside in), then thread the bell onto the string, tie a knot, and finally pull the string back out through the second hole. Tie the ends of the string tightly together, then wedge them between the two halves when you close the yellow thing so the bell stays perfectly centered and nothing can shift. You’ll probably have to experiment a bit until it fits just right...

I hope this helps.
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Best regards
Steph :)

When the baby plays with it vigorously, you’ll be grateful that it’s quiet.

You can also buy ready-made rattle inserts—they’re usually washable, so they’re waterproof :-)
Just type “rattles, squeakers, inserts” into Google.

Best regards, Marion

Thanks for the replies.

The caterpillar would be too small for those Kinder Surprise containers. But I’ll keep that idea in mind. Thanks. I’ll take a look at the rattle insert, too. Thanks for the tip.

I removed those run-of-the-mill little bells from all kinds of cat toys. They really aren’t that big, and well, I don’t want to risk one of the little animals swallowing one of those bells after all—I mean the store-bought ones. One of them once opened up because it was used so much for playing. That’s how I found out. I didn’t want to take the toys away from them because of the bells, so now they’re just without bells. It’s a shame, because they really like the jingling, but there’s nothing you can do. Every time I write “little bells,” I think of Harald Glööckler, and he actually has nothing to do with this topic here at all. Well.

@Dejm
how’s it going for you with the caterpillar and the Kinder Surprise eggs?

Hi

So far, I haven’t tried it yet. But I’ve stocked up on surprise eggs for now ; )

The caterpillar is too small for this project. I’ll have to take on a bigger project.

I used to be absolutely crazy about the chocolate from Kinder Surprise eggs; I was never really interested in the egg itself.
Chocolate from a regular chocolate bar obviously makes more sense :)

It’s a shame that it doesn’t work with the caterpillar and the Kinder Surprise egg. I would have wished for it to work out well for you with the caterpillar too, since it would probably be comparatively easy.