Snakes & Adders

Snakes and Adders it is! Thanks for all the name ideas and feedback! There's a new competition coming and details about the last one.

This pattern came about when I needed some little extras to pop into some birthday pressies. We've got lot of birthdays on at the moment and all the presents I've purchased felt like they needed something a little more personal.

These are easy and quick to make as well as a good way to use lovely remnants that you just don't know what to do with - variegated look great with little stripes as do semi solid and plain colours. I actually haven't checked their useage, but I'd say about 5gms? (I'd be interested in any feedback including that)

(click to enlarge)

Requirements
Approx 3.25mm needle to magic loop with (DPN’s the same size would be handy later on if you have them) – gauge isn’t particularly important
DK or worsted weight yarn (4 ply can be used double stranded)
Pipecleaner
Darning needle
Buttons, felt, embroidery thread – whatever you’d like to use to decorate and embellish

Method

• Cast on 8 stitches, split 4 onto each end of the needle and join to knit in the round – no need to worry about stitch markers

• Knit approximately 5 rounds.

This is when I add my eyes so I can hide the ends in the inside of my snake. I have been using duplicate stitch in either yarn or embroidery thread – though buttons or googly eyes would also be great if you could ensure they were safe for the recipient.

If you used a long tail cast-on, you could pull your cast on tail through the little circle/hole from the initial cast on row using a crochet hook. This will be used to sew up the little hole later.

•  You are now going to reduce the 8 stitches to 6 for the snakes body, so on the next round knit 2, k2tog, k2, k2tog

• Then knit your 6 stitches in the round for the length of your pipecleaner (mine were 15cms long)

If you have DPN’s the right size, you could do this as an i-cord

Bend up a teeny bit of both ends of the pipecleaner so that no sharp edges poke out. This makes it easier to feed into your snake, as well as safer for the recipient.

• Feed pipecleaner into the centre tube of your snake

• You have 6 stitches that you've been working - you're going to reduce them so that you get a tapered snake tail by k1, k2tog, k1, k2tog

• Next round K2tog, k2tog

• Cast off
  

Finishing off
Add a little tongue – you could insert a little felt one into the circular hole at the head
Or
Using some embroidery thread on a needle, sew in and out of the snake at a position where the mouth would be and then knot together a couple of times, cut to the right length for a forked tongue. Sew up the little circular hole at the head with the cast on tail

Sew in the tail end

(click to enlarge)