As part of a project I’m working on for a SwapBot swap, I designed a knitted serpent:

For my purpose, I needed a very small serpent, so I used a fingering weight yarn and size 0 needles.

Knit this serpent with fine gauge yarn and use it for a bookmark or an embellishment for a hat or a sweater.  A bulky weight yarn and larger needles would make it thick enough for a skinny scarf.  Use your imagination and modify the pattern to meet your needs.

Skill Level
Beginner

Materials
One skein yarn of your choice (you will use much less)
2 Double pointed needles in the smallest size recommended for your yarn
1 Tapestry needle
1 Embroidery needle
Embroidery thread in colors of your choice (I used red and black)
Crochet hook in size appropriate to yarn

Stitch Patterns
Stockinette stitch: Knit one row, turn work, purl one row
K: Knit
M1L (Make 1 Left):  From the front, lift yarn between stitches onto left needle.  Knit into the back of the resulting loop.  Results in a right slanting increase.
M1R (Make 1 Right):  From the back, lift yarn between stitches onto left needle.  Knit into the front of the resulting loop.  Results in a left slanting increase.
I-cord: Using double pointed needles, knit one row.  Without turning your work, slide loops to the front of the needle.  Knit another row.  Continue in this pattern until your cord is of the desired length.
SSK:  Slip one stitch knitwise.  Slip the next stitch knitwise.  Insert your left needle into the front of the slipped loops and knit together (through the back of the loops).  Results in left slanting decrease.
K2Tog:  Knit two stitches together as if they were one stitch.  Results in right slanting decrease.

To Knit:

Head
With your double pointed needles, c/o 5 using double cast-on
Row 1 – Purl
Row 2 – k1, M1R, k3, M1L, k1 (7 stitches remain)
Row 3 – Purl
Row 4 – k1, M1R, k5, M1L, k1 (9 stitches remain)
Row 5 – Purl
Row 6 – k1, SSK, k3, k2tog, k1 (7 stitches remain)
Row 7 – Purl
Row 8 – k1, SSK, k1, k2tog, k1 (5 stitches remain)
Row 9 – Purl

Body
Switch to i-cord.  Knit to desired length

Tail
Row 1 – k1, SSK, k2tog (3 stitches remain)
Row 2 – Purl
Row 3 – Knit
Row 4 – Purl
Row 5 – k2tog, k1 (2 stitches remain)
Row 6 – Purl
Row 7 – Knit
Row 8 – b/o 2

Finishing
Weave in ends.  Block head into “diamond” shape.  Block body and tail so that the tail tapers evenly.

Eyes – Using the satin stitch, embroider the serpent’s eyes in the color of your choice.
Tongue – Fold your embroidery thread in half.  Using your crochet hook, draw the loop of thread through the front edge of the serpent’s head.  Draw the loose ends of the thread through the loop and pull tightly to form a knot.  To fork the end of the tongue, make a second knot a bit further down and trim the ends of the thread to desired length.  Note:  Depending upon the weight of the yarn you use in this project, you might want to substitute the embroidery thread for a yarn in the appropriate thickness.