This sophisticated fellow is made mostly from one piece of roving, with the legs added last. Curve him into a low line, so that he scampers along the ground.
25g rusty red or orange merino roving
2 × size 40 triangular needles, for shaping
1–2 × size 42 triangular needles, for surface finishing
Small amount of white merino roving
2 × 2mm black glass eyes or seed beads
Thick black cotton thread
Finished size: 20–22cm long from nose to tail tip
1 Take a length of rusty red or orange roving measuring 30 × 4cm. Pull some of the left- and right-hand sides of the roving towards the middle, dividing the wool lengthwise. This gives you more bulk for the tummy and enough material for the head and tail. The tail needs more wool than the head.
2 Using two size 40 needles, begin shaping the body. It should be an elegant slim shape, tapering towards the head and tail, with a slight curved hump where the back is. Use your judgement as you work and if you feel that you need more wool in the body, just add a bit more.
3 Shape the tail – it should be quite fat in the middle, so if you haven’t left enough wool, pop on a little extra to get the required shape. Twist the tail slightly to one side as you work. To get a nice fine tip, use one size 40 needle.
4 The neck is a slender, tubular form. Pull the remaining head wool into shape so that you have two ears and a long nose.
5 At first, firm the wool up with two size 40 needles, but go down to one needle to get finer detail and clean lines.
6 As you work, twist the head slightly so that your fox will curve sinuously.
7 The back legs need two short lengths of roving, each measuring 16 × 1cm. The front leg roving lengths are a little shorter and measure 12 × 1cm. Fold each one in half and shape into short curves on your felting mat, leaving the joining ends loose. Then spread the fibres over the join point as you needle each leg to the body.
8 Ensure that the curved legs face in the right direction so that your fox seems to be running.
9 Cover the body in a fine layer of wool, first using two size 42 needles, then just one for a tight finish. Where possible, make sure the covering fibres follow the same direction as the body fibres.
10 Add a white tummy patch, using a scant pinch of wool. Needle it straight onto the body and shape the outline carefully.
11 With one size 42 needle, carefully needle some fine white wisps of wool over the tail tip, dragging the wool into the tail so that it fades delicately.
12 Finally, sew in the eyes using the front-facing method and stitch a foxy little nose with the black thread (see here).