Ruffle Tutu

For the last few years, I have had a love affair with the circus. I know they’re controversial now, with how the animals may or may not be treated. I would like to believe that the trainers love their animals, but I also know this is the real world, and as such, I try to only go to circuses that are known for being good to their animals (they do exist) or that do not have animal acts.

But I do believe that circuses are a dying art, going the way of vaudeville, which is a shame, because there are some really talented performers (animal trainers aside) in the circus. And as tribute to them, this pattern is a Ruffle Tutu, so any little girl who wants to can pretend she’s in the circus, too. It’s made with the new ruffle novelty yarn, which is a wide, gridded tape, so it’s actually a lot faster to make than it looks. I made this one in two days!

Size: One size fits 2T-girls’s 9/10. Honest! It will be looser on younger girls, so you will want to weave ribbon in and out of the stitches along the top edge to be used as a drawstring that can be cinched and tied down (this will make the tutu even more ruffly!). For older girls, you may want to continue working in the round with one more skein of yarn to make it wider.

Materials

• 30yd Red Heart Boutique Sashay Yarn
• Size J-10 (6.0mm) crochet hook
• 1 yard 1/2-inch wide ribbon (optional)

Gauge: 8 sc = 4 inches

Directions

Ch 47.

Rnd 1. Sc in 2nd ch from hook and ea ch across. Join with sl st in first sc to form a ring, taking care not to twist the tutu.

From this point forward, tutu will be worked in rounds without joining or turning between rounds.

Rnd 2. Sc in same sc as joining and ea sc around.

Rnd 3. Sc in ea sc around.

Rep rnd 3 until all yarn is used up. Finish off.

Abbreviations

• ch (chain)
• ea (each)
• mm (millimeter)
• rep (repeat)
• rnd (round)
• sc (single crochet)
• sl st (slip stitch)
• yd (yard)