red fox and arctic fox patterns
Remember my Red Fox from last week? I decided to make him a cousin in a white brushed yarn, to be an Arctic Fox, and now I’ve completed both patterns. Two different foxes with very different appearances – which is your favourite?
Arctic Fox is a great project to try if you’re intrigued by the idea of brushed crochet. Brushing the finished crocheted pieces gives a realistic fur effect, and because it’s all done in one colour, that’s one less thing to worry about 🙂 Full instructions are given in the pattern – all you need is a wire pet brush or a mohair brush, and you’re guaranteed to get a cute fluffy result! And the pattern also works with regular yarn, if you don’t want to try the brushing technique.
Red Fox has a totally different appeal, combining 3 colours with that distinctive shape to make a realistic amigurumi fox with a cunning glint in his eye!
It’s amazing that you can achieve such different effects with just a crochet hook, some yarn and the single crochet stitch! I really do love crochet…
The patterns are for sale in the shop for $4.50 each. If you’d like to try both types of fox, I’ve made a fox multipack including both patterns for only $7.
Happy crocheting!
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Sonya said
Well, after studying both of them long and hard, I have concluded that I can’t pick a favorite, lol! They are both so cute in their own way. The red one looks more sly and cunning, while the white one looks adventurous and sweet. Soooo, it’s a tie in my book.
Thanks for giving us instructions on brushing the yarn. I knew about brushing the yarn, but I always thought you had to use wool for it to look right so I’ve never even tried it. Although I remember reading in another post of yours that you’re allergic to wool, yet I’ve seen other ‘fuzzy’ ami creations of yours, so I should have put 2 and 2 together. Now I’ve got to try it!
Great job as always, June!
chanel said
I LOVE the arctic fox.
June said
Thank you all!
Jana, I just measured and my super-sized Arctic Fox is about 10″ nose to bum – he’d be about 18″ nose to tail if posed like the Red Fox. The hook, yarn and eye sizes I used are included in the pattern if you want to make an exact duplicate, but Patons Divine is fuzzy to begin with and so isn’t as easy to crochet with as regular yarns. If you’re going to brush it anyway there’s no point in making your life unneccessarily difficult!
You could use a bulky weight yarn and an approx 4.5mm hook to get a similarly super-sized fox – and that advice also applies to all my ww patterns if you want to make them bigger.
Jana said
WOW! You want me to pick a FAVORITE? Impossible! They are BOTH adorable! How big WAS the Arctic Fox? I kind of like the idea of a bigger one!
Melissa Jenkins said
Oh my goodness how brilliant. ^^ Who would have known that scratchy wool yarn could look so fluffy if you brushed it? I would LOVE to make some of these animals some day! Oooooh I might go pick up some yarn this weekend. 🙂 I just love this idea.
Mack said
I looooove the foxes!! They’re so cute and realistic! Thanks for posting them and the pattern! 🙂 I love them 🙂
June said
Thank you, Erin! Craft Passion, thank you so much for the award 😀
Melissa, I did an experiment on which yarns work well for brushed crochet. Turns out, although natural fibres e.g. wool and mohair, give more realistic fluff, and more of it, you can have success with pretty much any yarn! You can see my full blog post here: www.planetjune.com/blog/brushed-crochet-experiments/
If you’re not allergic to wool (I am, so I couldn’t do this myself!) I’d recommend a yarn with a high percentage of wool – I’m sure WalMart would sell Lion Brand Wool-Ease or something similar. Otherwise, as my experiment showed, you CAN successfully brush 100% acrylic yarn, although it will look a bit less realistic. (See the pic of the grey ball in my blog post linked above.)
(FYI, I used Patons Divine yarn because I wanted a mohair/wool yarn and it’s the only one my hands can tolerate. It’s a lot bulkier than the worsted weight I recommend for the pattern, so I had to use a larger hook and massive 15mm eyes – I ended up with a giant fox! Use worsted weight yarn instead – much easier!)
Craft Passion said
Ohhhh…. the foxes look so adorable and cute!!! I wish that I could hug them 🙂
I have nominated an award to you, please come to my blog and claim it 🙂
Btw, I will become your fan in facebook 🙂 Your works are truly awesome !!!!
Erin @ Living and Loving In L.A. said
These little guys are so cute! Great job. I love them!
Melissa Jenkins said
I LOVE the arctic fox. I had never thought of brushing the yarn! What an awesome idea. What kind of yarn is used for the arctic fox…or what kind would you recommend? I only have access to local stores like Walmart for yarn, so I’m wondering if a bernat soft yarn would work.