Nice. It's like a lion tail
But really, after seeing the picture and putting a few things together, I think I might have some pointers for the next rendition if you so choose to make one.
The reason the crochet version works is because crocheting is like making organized, loose knots. Or really, one giant one. The way the yarn twists together, you get a network of yarn that can be pulled in any direction without splitting. A braid, while also an organized twisting of yarn, doesn't provide the same stability for the underlying structure. Basically, if you tie the 'fur' pieces on, they can actually slide down the length of the braid because there is no real structure in place to stop it from being able to slide.
(I hope this is making sense...)
In short, you need some sort form of stops in the spine of it, in order for the fur to not pull down like that. Be that in the form of a few periodic knots after a few twists of the braid, or possibly making the whole spine out of a series of (a lot) of knots.
I'll stop typing now. I feel like this is coming out as utter nonsense. I'll see if I can find some yarn laying around here this weekend and play around with some of the ideas I have and see if any of them work. Then I could show pictures that should explain what I'm talking about much better than this disorganized pile of words I've thrown at you.
