What does the Fox say?

I took inspiration from 'The Flint Fox Cowl' in making this for my niece.

I didn't like TFFC pattern, it had an odd texture and the sizing was way off only the smallest size would have come out right, and her sizing for everything else is very vague, and when I started the toddler size the hood section came out big enough for me to wear it so I scraped it and started over making it up as I went.  (Her gauge said with bulky yarn ((I am using the same yarn she did)) and a L hook 2 1/2 stitchs = inch and my gauge matched that so it wasn't a gauge tension issue) Also her yardage was off by almost 2/3 a skein.

I worked from the bottom up. Here is what I did for a toddler/child size--
I used up 3 full skeins of bulky orange  (318 yd), just under a full skein of dark gray (100 yd), and a very small amount of silver for the front of the ears (less then 10 yds)            
Dark Gray, Chain 60 (+2 to turn)-hdc across (60 st do not count turning chain as a stitch)

Alternating Front Post HDC, Back Post HDC for 2 rounds (=3 finished rounds)

Then I switched to orange, and hdc 7 rounds.  (10 finished rounds) 

Then I worked a shoulder section decrease by *hdc 5, dec*  repeating around (11 finished rounds)
I did an other rounds of shoulder shaping *hdc 4, dec* around. (12  finished rounds)     
            
Here I stopped working in rounds and worked 12 rows back and forth evenly in HDC.         

I flipped the peice inside out and slst the top of the flat pannels together to form the hood, taking extra care at the end, I did a decrease twice so as not to have a sharp point stitcking out when I flipped it back right side out.            

Using the dark gray I worked a round of HDC around the opening of the face, chaining 4 (+2 TC) and worked back across (4 hdc into the chain ) the face section. I worked this back and forth for 4 rows.  To get the collar to lay right I whip stitched the edge of the start of the collar and the bottom of the chain 4 together to make a point right in the middle and pinned it in place by sewing a botton over it.

The ears are 2 peices that are SC together, you just hold them together and work threw both pieces as if it was one.

Mr- sc 2, close the ring.  ch 1 turn, sc 2, ch 1 turn increase across (4 st), Ch 1 turn sc across, ch 1 turn sc inc inc sc (6), ch 1 turn sc all, ch 1 turn inc sc4 inc (8), ch 1 turn sc all (work this for 3 rows)

Make two in dark gray and two in white/silver then SC from the bottom up putting 2 stitchs into the point do not work across the bottom of the ear as you will be sewing it shut as you stitch it onto the hood.

I stitched my ears into place 2 rows from the join of the top of the hood, right where the folded brim/collar of dark gray end's

You can stitch the brim down to hold the fold or just leave it as is so it can be flipped out on particularly windy/rainy days.


When I started this I though I might make one for me, but I bought the yarn based on her yardage and I know I wont have enough so I might make a faux fox scarf instead.



Bonus! Got to hang out with my niece and managed to get a shot of her in the hood!  Little stinker knew what we where up to so getting a good shot was not easy.