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Would you recommend shortening this fox scarf?


Mothergooseberry

Question

I just purchased this pattern and absolutely LOVE the design...can't wait to get started on it. But I noticed the overall length of it as written on the pattern is 73" (over six feet long!) Does that seem a bit long to you? It's going to be a gift for my daughter, who is about 5'3" tall and wonder if a scarf longer than she is would need to be shortened. In the photo is looks like it is wrapped around the "neck" piece several times.

 

https://www.etsy.com/listing/77751751/digital-pdf-crochet-pattern-for-fox?ref=shop_home_active_1

 

Plus....I could save a little on the yarn if I shortened it. I'm thinking maybe shortening it about a foot in the middle part? What would you all suggest???

 

 

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That is a really cool scarf and I know your daughter will just love it. I like that you did the tail all in the new color instead of midway. After all, they have different shades to them too.  LOL.

 

Thanks for sharing the finished Mr. Foxy.

 

Roe

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Mr. Foxy is done! After a year of thinking and planning and even misinterpreting the pattern, he's done! His tail is just a weeeeee shade lighter as I had to buy another skein of yarn and it didn't match, so I thought if I ended the body completely and then used the lighter for the whole tail it would make a little more sense than starting in the middle of his body. Anyway, glad I shortened it by about 10", he still wraps around my neck twice with plenty left to hang over both shoulders. Thanks for all your advice and help, can't wait to give it to my daughter for Christmas!

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This is going to be a learning project from "head to tail." I do believe it's going to turn out ok, but boy, I've sure learned a lot along the way. I think if I made a second one, it would go MUCH faster! I'm at a standstill right now because I do think I'm going to have to go ahead and buy another skein whether I make it the full 73" in long or not because I'm not even close to the "13 inches shorter than the pattern" (to get to 60") and that second ball of yarn is starting to dwindle pretty fast! And finding another skein to match is HARD! The original company I bought from is being very helpful, and I'm sending them a snippet to get a close match. We'll see.

 

My 'learning experience' is this: the pattern said when you get to the end, the body will be "closed." Well, I read that as when you get to the end, you will close the body. So I had it flat, thinking that at some point it would say, Now, close it and show you how. NOT....and the more I kept reading and thinking about it, I realized it meant the part you are working on as the body is closed. Isn't it funny how one person can read something one way, and another person reads it entirely differently? So after much agonizing, I decided to whip stitch it down the center back and from that point on, I crocheted it in a "closed" body. Honestly, I don't think anyone would ever even be able to notice it, but it just frustrated the stuffing out of me that I got that far before I knew what that meant. Yeah, I could have ripped it all back out. But I had already done that twice and my poor yarn was starting to grow a beard. My NEXT fox will be much faster and won't have a surgery scar from his navel to his nose. LOL.

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Granny square, yes, I am working on the legs. I'm on the first leg of my journey. Lol.

 

I have now completed 10 rounds, and stopped to take a photo to get your opinion on whether I am doing it correctly. This is the underside of the leg, and I stuck my finger inside it to show a clearer pic of the stitches. Is this the "opening" you were talking about, Granny square? Or was I supposed to do the slip stitch join one stitch earlier to eliminate the opening? I did contact the author of the pattern who confirmed that yes, I was supposed to be doing 9 stitches per round, until a round specified a new number of stitches.

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It sounds like you are working on the legs.  They should look like a closed tube.

 

Are you adding a stitch in each round?  Sometimes when you join a round with a slip stitch and chain up, there is a spot that looks like you should be stitching into, but really shouldn't.  Take a look the next time you count the next round, and learn to recognize that spot and ignore it.  (it might be hard to see with black yarn, as you said)

 

Here is a pic of what I'm talking about, the loop with the red arrow pointing to it is not a stitch-top, but looks like it should be.  It might be a good idea to put a stitch marker into it each round (I like to use bobby pins, they are cheap and lightweight) so you remember not to use it.

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Did you get the 9 sc each rnd or more or less? If you have 9 sc each rnd and get 9 dc including the ch 3 you are right so far.

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Round 1 (RS): With the black yarn, 6 sc into a yarn ring (follow instructions above for

Working Round 1 Into a Yarn Ring). Work a slip stitch into the turning-ch-1 to join.

(6 sts) Ch 1, turn (turning-ch-1 does not count as a stitch).

 

Round 2 – Increase Round (WS): 1 sc in first sc, sc inc in next sc, [1 sc, sc inc in next sc]

twice. (9 sts) Work a slip stitch into the turning-ch-1. Ch 1, turn.

 

Round 3: Sc in each sc around. Work a slip stitch into the turning-ch-1. Ch 1, turn.

 

Rounds 4 – 6: Repeat Round 3. End Round 6 with ch 3, turn.

 

Round 7 (RS): Skipping first sc, dc in each sc around. The turning-ch-3 counts as a dc

(9 sts including turning-ch-3). Work a slip stitch into the turning-ch-3. Ch 3, turn.

-----------------------

 

I have made it this far numerous times and end up ripping it out because I'm just not sure I'm doing it right. You see in Round 2 where it counts 9 sts, and then again in Round 7 counts 9 sts? Am I interpreting it right when I assume that Rounds 3 through 6 would then ALSO have 9 sts, but just going back and forth different directions at the end of each of those rounds? Also, if I have broken any rules by typing in this pattern code, please let me know and I'll zap it immediately! I think part of my problem is that I'm working with black yarn and man, stitches are SO hard to see when using black!

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Well, I did go ahead and get all my stuff to make this and started learning that "magic circle" trick last weekend. Step one of this pattern. Finally think I got that figured out, but am having a bit of trouble reading farther on the pattern. I am a newbie, and last year was my first time crocheting anything beyond a granny square, and all the patterns I used included counting stitches. This pattern doesn't really count stitches so I am uncomfortable forging ahead without some advice from pros. If I typed in a couple of rows and tell you what I THINK it means, would it be ok to ask if I'm interpreting it right?

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I'm going to throw you for a loop.   I'd make it as short as possible to mimic a real old-timey fox stole.  Somewhere, I've seen a fox stole pattern that used a claw-style hair clip for the 'teeth' so the fox could bite it's tail like a real fox stole, I'm not sure that would work with your pattern.

 

edit, found it - this is a knit pattern, but just for the hair clip idea

http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEfall02/PATTveganfox.html

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I had heard that a rule to use is a scarf as long as the person it is for is tall.  At least I read that somewhere for kids!    That puts it into proportion for their height.  With the fox on the ends maybe a bit longer?

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I tend to agree that it could be shortened. I tend to make my scarves for the gals about 60 inches or a little longer for a guy. I also make shorter ones (and some patterns can't really be shortened) since I do a lot for charity and they go to different people.

 

LI Roe

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It might depend on how she prefers to wear scarves/how she would most likely wear that one. Some people like really long scarves and others prefer shorter ones. I like a variety, depending on how I'll be wearing them. I think in this case it might be best to spoil the surprise though. Scarves seem like such a simple thing to make and give as gifts but people can be very picky about them! 

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I may have to do that, #1crochetfan. It was going to be a gift so kind of hoping to surprise her with it. But I would rather spoil the surprise and make sure she would wear it. Since RoseRed shared her FIL experience, pretty sure that I am going to shorten it...now just a matter of how much.

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