A Fox For A Friend!

   My college friend, Maggie Schanz, has helped me a lot this fall.  She's been stopping regularly to pick up hats and mittens, and sweaters to take to the shop AND to bring me big bags of yarn that she finds at the thrift shop.  She is really keeping me going!  Maggie had mentioned how much one of her granddaughters like foxes so when I saw this helmet I decided to make it for her.  It was really a challenge.
   

I found the pattern in a book called "Animal Hats" by Vanessa Mooncie, that  was in the Midyork Library system.  It is knit in 100% acrylic bulky weight yarn on US 10 1/2's and 11's.   The ears are done in 2 pieces with the outer ear knit with a lighter weight yarn (I used worsted) and sewed together and sewed onto  the head.  The nose is knit in the same yarn as the outer ear.  The eyes are flat wiggly eyes super glued on to a flat button that was first sewed into place.  (I even used a black Sharpie and outline the wiggly eye on the button.  That made it stand out more!)   When the helmet was all together I lined it with cotton flannel.  The pattern called for using fleece...or even knitting a lining...but I thought the flannel was nice and soft and didn't add too much weight to the helmet.  (The helmet unlined was heavy enough!) And since I know there are 2 Singer sewing machines in this house but couldn't tell you where, I realized flannel would be easier to sew by hand.
   I had to enlarge the lining pattern.  The pattern was drawn on a grid of 3/8" and the directions said to enlarge it to fit or use a copier and enlarge it 200%.  I just drew a grid of 1" and drew on the pattern.  Then I held my breath and cut out the pieces from the flannel. (I wasn't sure what I was doing so I had bought 1/2 yard and the clerk at Walmart didn't like the way the last clerk had cut the flannel so she gave me a nice 'healthy' 1/2 yd.  When I got the lining laying flat to the curved inside of the helmet I stitched it around the cast-on edge.  That took a couple of times (stitch it around, rip it out, re-pin, restitch) to get it right!  Then I had to cut and sew the linings for the ear flaps.  In the end it was all nice and flat and snug to the helmet.  
   The pattern called for an 8" twisted cord at the end of each ear flap but I decided to make I-cords

instead.  I picked up 3 stitches from the cast on stitches in each ear flap and worked my I-cord from there.  (That way the I-cord was part of the ear flap and wouldn't have to be sewed on.)  The white pompom sewed on the other end of the I-cord represents the white tip of the fox's tail. I hope the pompoms hold...mine tend to explode!
   Maggie stopped over this morning after her husband's PT at LF hospital and I gave her a bag of hats for the shop and this hat.  She was surprised and pleased!  She gave me a bag of yarn! 
   (It looks like a Fox Helmet will be going to the shop next week...and maybe a Rabbit and a Beagle.  The Fox got a great reception on FB and gave me the encouragement to make another...and it's friends!  Too bad they'll miss Halloween but they'd make great Christmas gifts!)  10/29/19