This was a special request for my granddaughter, so I’m giving it a whirl.

Started with Foundation dc rather than a chain, but I needed 151 of them rather than 150 per the pattern. Don’t know why no one else has mentioned this. Maybe it’s just me, but it didn’t work out evenly for me with 150.

Worked the whole thing flat, carrying the colors up the side rather than cutting them, and seamed it up at the end with mattress stitch, leaving the top 30 rows open. Then did one row of single crochet around the opening.

Did 80 rows total, including 12 rows of a gradual decrease, beginning on row 69, as follows (thanks to susansands excellent project notes for this):
Rows 1-3 (69-71): Replace shell with 2dc, ch, 2dc
Rows 4-6 (72-74): Replace shell with 3dc
Rows 7-9 (75-77): Replace shell with dc, ch, dc
Rows 10-12 (78-80): Replace shell with dc

Fin:
I followed an alternate fin pattern by Annoo, which begins at approximately minute 15 of this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A33RmatUb6g. I began with 62 Fhdc, and worked each side down to 20 sts, then seamed them together per her instructions.

Attaching the fin was rather a fudge job! I matched up the center of the fin to the center of the front edge of the bottom of the tail (I had seamed up the side of the tail to close the circle, but hadn’t yet sewn the bottom closed), and then just kind of mattress stitched it, easing in the fin out to each edge. I had to use about 3 or 4 stitches of the fin to each stitch of the tail, but I managed to get it all in. Then I sewed the back edge to the assembly, trying to sandwich the bumpiness of the fin to the inside. Then I ran the yarn back through the whole thing again, trying to gather it a bit more. I’m amazed, but I think it actually worked out pretty well. I was kind of dreading that part!

I really like how this turned out. Very fun idea, and the colors are gorgeous! Sure hope Kaye agrees!