Enormous stripey knitted snake

This is a fairly easy project that mostly requires knitting in the round with no increases or decreases. 

We made it (or rather him) to live in my little brother's playgroup, so it is rather enormous being around 240cm long, which works well with several kids playing in different places along the snake, but probably it should be scaled down for home use.

The idea came from my brother after I played Rikki-Tikki-Tavi with a rope and lots of kids in there.

The thing has to withhold the wildness 4-6 year-olds, so the yarn has to be as strong as possible.
We used yarn that is 50% cotton and 50% acrylic (Lana Gatto Summer), but acrylic should also work.

We used 50 grams (1 ball) of 2633, 2620, 2635,2629, 2675, 2630,2631 each - yellow, light blue, navy, black, ruby, purple and violet (I don't remember which is which), but any bright colours do. We also used 100 grams (2 balls)of green (2624), and lots of polyester toy stuffing. 

Step 1: Head

Knitting the head is probably the most complicated part of the project, but actually its quite easy...
I will use some common knitting abbreviations, they are easy to find in the internet, or here http://www.knittinghelp.com/videos/knitting-glossary(they even have a video of how to do it!) 
So...
CO 8 stitches and distribute them evenly between 4 dpns (double-pointed needles, the ones you knit socks with) and join the knitting to start the round.
Row 1: needle 1 - kfb, k1; needle 2-k1, kfb; needle 3 - kfb, k1; needle 4 - k1, kfb.
Row 2: k all.
Row 3: needle 1 - kfb, k2; needle 2-k2, kfb; needle 3 - kfb, k2; needle 4 - k2, kfb.
Row 4: k all.
Continue until you have 48 sts (12 on each needle).
Knit (k) 12 rows.
Decreasing
Row 1: needle 1 - k1, k2tog, k to end; needle 2 - k to last 3 sts, ssk, k1;
 needle 3 - k1, k2tog, k to end; needle 4 - k to last 3 sts, ssk, k1.
Row 2: k all/
Row 3: as Row 1.
Continue until you have 40sts.
Sew on two buttons for eyes, or embroider them.
Stuff.

Comments

[unigamer]

my girlfriend (with help from her gran) made me one and I got it as an early Christmas present! I'm 22... but that doesn't stop me sitting with it round my neck as a scarf at my computer desk :)

Lovely instructable and thanks very much, without it I wouldn't have my very own giant snake!!

[unigamer]

photo didn't get attached properly

[flyingpuppy]

This could double as an adorable door draft stopper.

[angelabchua]

Love this! Would also be a cute way to minimize drafts at doorways or with windows

[gruffalo child]

Great idea, but you have to make it about two times smaller than mine, I suppose, and stuff it with something a bit heavier. I once made a tiny snake out of mum's quiting leftovers and filled it with cherry pits, I think a large one could work as a draft excluder or even a door stopper, but would you be able to eat such a lot of cherries?

[thinkiam]

Using a bag of dried beans or even (uncooked) rice gives you enough weight for a draft catcher. Awesome instructable, thank you!

[abunda]

and the kid does play with it?

[gruffalo child]

Quite a lot, as Rikki-Tikki-Tavi is a recent hit. I play for the snake, waggling it around and "attacking" him, and he is Rikki, bravely and wildly fighting it. Tomorrow its going to the playgroup for good, so we'll see...

[anniekate76]

That's really cute. :)

[canida]

This is awesome!!!

[gruffalo child]

Thanks!!!

[Penolopy Bulnick]

That is so cute and seems so easy to make! Awesome!

[gruffalo child]

Thanks a lot!

[scoochmaroo]

I love this and will definitely be making this. It would be lots of fun with self-striping yarn too - no need to tie off ends!

[gruffalo child]

Self-striping yarn usually is too thin for that sort of thing, I think... Actually, I had an unforgetable feeling when I had hundreds of ends I don't have to hide, because they are all inside=)