Nativity Shaggy Donkey

Donkeys are another animal with shaggy fur. When your project will be an ornament, as this folk art-inspired figure will be, you can make shaggy fur easily with just one thread. Fuzzy Stuff from Rainbow Gallery comes in a wide range of colors and naturally creates fur in textures from shaggy to plush.

The thread has hairs of transparent Mylar in it, which gives it a bit of sparkle. Because of this, I prefer it for stuffed animals and birds over mammals. The sparkle makes both birds and stuffed animals look more realistic, but detracts from the realism of mammals.

In the low light of a Christmas tree, however, some sparkle will enhance the design and make it show up better.

Stitch the donkey’s fur in Tent but always stitch from a dirty hole to a clean one. This brings more pile to the front. Once stitching is complete, rub your finger over the area gently. This roughs up the pile and makes it more uniform. If your design needs a denser plush, brush it with a wire brush.

Donkeys and horses have manes that also use specialized techniques. To stitch the mane you’ll need two wool threads, dark and medium-dark of the mane color. Stitch the mane using the darker color first. it should be Gobelin Stitches, going the length of the mane in one stitch. These stitches should follow the mane, but some should be at slightly different angles. This color should mostly cover the mane.

The slightly lighter color is used to add highlights and should be individual stitches.

This technique works beautifully on manes that lay flat against the neck. It the mane has hair that sticks up, like a giraffe’s, use a single row of cut Turkeywork.