Yarn ball made by tying scraps together.

I couldn’t resist trying to sneak in one more snake before the world record deadline. I was going to have another go at making my adder, but I’d built up this yarn ball of odds and ends from making the other eight snakes, and it just seemed like so much more fun to use that.

To be a bit artwanky for a moment, every craft is a dialogue between your intention and the material, and sometimes it’s fun to take a break and say to the stuff you’re using, “Ok, you drive.”*

A little woolly time capsule of care for friends and family.

I knew this could turn out to be a very ugly snake, and/or it could be really fun. But it would give me suprising patterns and colour combinations I wouldn’t usually choose. I got about 6 inches of snake** out of this yarn and then dived into my stash to find other little bits to use.

I unearthed this rather wonderful thing, which comes from my friend Dave‘s Mum’s yarn stash. She kept a very careful record of wool ends for mending jumpers made for friends and family. In the end, I didn’t have the heart to use it, as I had plenty of other short pieces.

Here’s how Scrappy turned out.

Results of stash box diving for scraps.

I gave him a hat to finish him off, but wanted it to also have flashes of colour in it.

Here’s a few different views to see how the colours come and go. Left.

Right.

Above.

Scrappy’s glamour shot.

I posted Scrappy last Friday, so I’m not sure he turned up in time for the record attempt, but hopefully he can still contribute to the ongoing fund-raising.

Also, huge congratulations to everyone at Slither of Snakes, as they broke the world record with 1019 serpents!

Posted by Slither of Snakes on Sunday, 9 April 2017

* I find this so much harder with writing. Because the stuff you’re working with is your imagination and your thoughts. And my thoughts all too often veer off into arguments with my inner critic and demands for Tunnock’s tea cakes.

** Oo-er.