People have always treated snakes with a healthy respect. In the jungle, snakes advertise their dangerous talents - such as fangs and poison - by displaying fabulous colours and patterns on their skins. These warn enemies not to try attacking. They move slowly through the trees and undergrowth, winding themselves around branches and tasting the air with their sensitive tongues to search out the small rodents and frogs that are their favourite food.

With its wobbly tongue and soft woolly body, this snake is no squeezer or biter! It’s perfectly safe to wind around your neck or take it to bed with you. Or even to use it as a scarf!

The pattern for the snake is from the book Kath Dalmeny’s World of Knitted Toys, and the full list of over 50 projects is shown below.

Materials
The pattern requires 20g DK in dark pink; 20g DK in white; 40g DK in black. Scraps of green and black felt are used for the eyes, but toy safety eyes, buttons or stitches work well too.

KATH DALMENY’S WORLD OF KNITTED TOYS patterns list

The book contains over 50 patterns for making adorable knitted toys – people and animals from all over the world. Each chapter covers a different habitat, the animals that make their homes there, and one of the people who live there, with accessories to represent their lives or work. The knitting patterns are listed under three categories – Easy; Straightforward; and Challenging, to help knitters choose the project that is right for you. The projects are as follows:

BASIC PERSON PATTERN
(which is then adapted for the people patterns below)

IN THE JUNGLE

• South American Indian
• Spider monkey – mother and baby
• Snake
• Tiger cub
• Gorilla
• Orang utan
• Parrot
• Banana

AUSTRALIAN OUTBACK

• Australian sheep farmer (complete with corks hanging from his hat!)
• Merino sheep
• Koala bear
• Duck-billed platypus
• Wombat
• Kangaroo and Joey

DOWN ON THE FARM

• Farmer
• Highland bull
• Pigs and piglets
• Cat
• Mallard duck
• Chicken, cockerel and chicks

THE DEEP BLUE SEA

• Pearl fisherman
• Dolphin
• Shark
• Killer whale
• Turtle
• Octopus
• Clownfish

FOREST FRIENDS

• Canadian Mountie
• Horse
• Grizzly bear
• Beaver
• Raccoon
• Chipmunk
• Moose

ON SAFARI

• African Park Ranger
• Zebra
• Lion family – lion, lioness and lion cub
• Rhinoceros
• Elephant
• Warthog

THE SNOWY REGIONS

• Eskimo
• Husky dog
• Fish
• Penguins – Emperor penguins and Adelie penguins – parents and chicks
• Seal
• Walrus
• Polar bear

PATTERN VARIATIONS

• Sea lion
• Panda bear