# Yarn tails: A few questions



## GEARScience (Oct 25, 2012)

I've been in the fandom for awhile, and now want to do something to support the group without going to something as big as a fursuit. I've seen "yarn tails" and looked over a few tutorials and it looked like a fun project to do myself. However, I still have some questions that I haven't seen answered (Yes, I did a forum search before I posted this). 

1.) I saw this tutorial here: http://fursuit.livejournal.com/3968329.html and it took three pages of crocheting. I have no supplies for crocheting and no experience in the matter. Is there another method for the base? I've seen braiding the yarn as an option too (http://www.furaffinity.net/full/7457188/), but I don't know how flexible this makes it or how much materials it would take. What is the best way to go about making the base on a budget?

2.) I just want to make a fox tail, so I was wondering about what size should I make it? I'm 5'10" and *don't* want a huge tail that goes down to my legs. I just want something to wear around casually. Would a foot and a half to two feet be a good compromise of size?

3.) At that, how much material should I buy, and what kind? I know acrylic is supposed to be the best, but are there any preferred brands? Is one skein of each color (white, orange, and maybe brown to mix the colors) enough? 

4.) What is the best way to attach the tufts once they are made? I'm not experienced with sewing, but I'd be willing to learn for that. I at least have the supplies. If there is another way that keeps it on, I'd love to know.

What is the best way for me personally to go about tail making? I'd appreciate any advice you can give me.


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## Dokid (Oct 25, 2012)

Listen. Just search it and you'll find a huge thread on how to make yarn tails the way bir does it....

But since your somewhat new I'll do it for you just this once.

http://forums.furaffinity.net/threads/80350-Tail-help

Also I made a small tutorial a while ago 

http://kweeuu.deviantart.com/gallery/?catpath=scraps#/d4cqb0w

The X50 means take the length and keep going back and forth till you reach 50.


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## GEARScience (Oct 26, 2012)

Thanks for the help, but it didn't quite answer all my questions. I did find this thread and a few others, but I had some questions still. I still don't know how much to buy, what brands, and preferred techniques.


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## Dokid (Oct 26, 2012)

GEARScience said:


> Thanks for the help, but it didn't quite answer all my questions. I did find this thread and a few others, but I had some questions still. I still don't know how much to buy, what brands, and preferred techniques.



well bir will say natural fibers and some will say acrylic. Just experiment! I mean yarn is fairly cheap.  And I just showed you the preferred technique. :/


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## GEARScience (Oct 27, 2012)

I guess I'll just buy one of each color and if I need more, I'll get more. Thanks for the help though! I think I may have everything answered:
1.) Make 50 lengths of yarn and braid them
2.) Make tail 2 feet and experiment with length
3.) Use one skein of each color for now, buy more when needed. Acrylic, but natural fibers may also be used, any brand.
4.) I need to learn sewing, I guess.

Sorry if I created a useless thread in this case. Thank you for being polite about it, and helping me learn what I need. I'm going to try and get started this weekend, and this turned out to be very useful.


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## IppikiKuroNeko (Oct 27, 2012)

If sewing isnt your forte, you can always find another way to do it. When I made my yarn tail I didnt sew anything at all. After you wrap the yarn around your hand and cut and tie it,before you brush it out,take one of the stands from both sides of the knot and do not brush them. That way you can use them to tie into the braid. It worked really well for me.


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## Dokid (Oct 27, 2012)

IppikiKuroNeko said:


> If sewing isnt your forte, you can always find another way to do it. When I made my yarn tail I didnt sew anything at all. After you wrap the yarn around your hand and cut and tie it,before you brush it out,take one of the stands from both sides of the knot and do not brush them. That way you can use them to tie into the braid. It worked really well for me.



Yeah but sewing ensures that it's going to be a really tight fit and that it won't come out. Plus less work cause you're using the whole bundle. Also don't mix and match fibers of a different kind. It won't look continuous. So stick to natural or stick to acrylic.


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## Tignatious (Oct 30, 2012)

Stay away from Red Heart Super Saver in my opinion. It's cheap, and feels cheap even after being brushed out and straight ironed.

Also with a flat iron, be careful with 100% acrylics (what I use) to only use a low temperature. Too high and you'll melt the fibers. Mine is adjustable and I keep it in the 60 to 70 degree range.

My natural fox tails are in the foot to a foot and a half range. So unless you're going to proportionate to you, that's what I would use. I personally am making my fox tail to my knees, which is closer to two feet.

My tails also have a braided nylon rope core. Three strands braided together and I'm sewing my tufts onto them. You don't have to be a skilled seamstress to sew the tufts to the core. I found for my 1" diameter rope braid, it took a skein of yarn at 6" length tufts to cover about 8 inches, roughly. There's no exact science as how many tufts per row varies based on thickness of core, etc, per tail. My current wolf tail averages 7 to 10 tufts to go one full round.


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## GEARScience (Oct 30, 2012)

Thank you all for your help! I started Sunday and almost finished my first one this week (came about 6 fluffs short of finishing it. X/ ). It's coming out pretty nice so far. I ended up using "Lion Brand" yarn, which worked I think. Next time I may go with a thicker, fluffier yarn, experiment with color blends, and remember to make a tighter braid. The tail is about 1.5 feet long, which ended up being a reasonable length. 

I loved this project, and hope to do it again in the future. Once again, thank you for the help and advice!


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