Deramores Woodland Creatures Francesca the Fox in Deramores Studio DK - Downloadable PDF

Deramores Woodland Creatures Francesca the Fox – Knitting Pattern Summary

Designed by Amanda Berry, Francesca the Fox is a charming knitted toy fox from the Deramores Woodland Creatures collection. This downloadable PDF knitting pattern guides crafters through creating an adorable stuffed fox standing 25cm tall (including the ears), making it a perfect handmade gift, nursery decoration, or collector's piece for toy enthusiasts.

What Is Being Made

The finished project is a three-dimensional knitted fox toy, Francesca the Fox, worked in separate pieces that are then sewn together to create a fully formed stuffed animal. The fox features characteristic colouring with an orange body, white detailing, and black accents, closely mimicking the natural markings of a real fox. At 25cm in height, she is a substantial and satisfying make. Finishing details include 2 x 6mm domed black buttons used as eyes, adding a lifelike and appealing quality to the finished toy.

Techniques Used

• Knitting in separate pieces: The pattern is constructed by knitting individual components — including the fox head — which are later assembled. The head begins at the back and is shaped through the pattern rows.
• Mattress stitch seaming: All knitted pieces are joined using mattress stitch, a professional invisible seaming technique worked on the right side of the fabric that creates neat, almost seamless joins between panels.
• Colour work: The pattern uses three distinct colours — Burnt Orange, Pearl, and Ebony — to replicate the fox's natural markings. Colour changes are worked at designated rows to create the characteristic facial and body patterning.
• Shaping: The pattern is rated intermediate in difficulty, indicating the use of shaping techniques such as increases and decreases to form the three-dimensional body, head, and ear shapes of the fox.
• Finishing and embellishment: Button attachment is used for the eyes, and a darning or tapestry needle is employed throughout for sewing pieces together and weaving in ends neatly.

Stitches Used

• Stockinette stitch (stocking stitch): The primary stitch used throughout the pattern, worked by alternating knit rows on the right side and purl rows on the wrong side. The tension guide specifies approximately 22 stitches x 28 rows over a 10cm x 10cm square in stockinette stitch.
• Purl stitch: Explicitly referenced in the pattern rows for the fox head, with wrong-side rows worked as purl rows as part of the standard stockinette construction.
• Cast on: The fox head begins with a cast on of 9 stitches in orange, establishing the starting point at the back of the head.

Materials Required

This pattern is designed to be knitted in Deramores Studio DK yarn, a double knitting weight yarn available from Deramores. Three colourways are required:

• Burnt Orange – Deramores Studio DK (1 x 100g skein)
• Pearl – Deramores Studio DK (1 x 100g skein)
• Ebony – Deramores Studio DK (1 x 100g skein)

The pattern calls for a pair of 3.75mm straight knitting needles (US size 5), which work in harmony with the DK weight yarn to achieve the recommended tension. Additional notions include a darning or tapestry needle for seaming and finishing, and two 6mm domed black buttons for the eyes. Toy stuffing would also be required to fill the finished fox, as is standard for knitted toy projects of this type.

Skill Level and Suitability

Rated as intermediate in difficulty, Francesca the Fox is well suited to knitters who are comfortable with basic knitting techniques and are ready to tackle simple shaping, multi-piece construction, and colour changes. The pattern notes that