Rattlesnake Draught Excluder in Deramores Studio DK Acrylic - Downloadable PDF

Rattlesnake Draught Excluder Knitting Pattern by Amanda Berry – Deramores Studio DK Acrylic

This charming and functional Rattlesnake Draught Excluder is a knitted homeware project designed by Amanda Berry, a toy and novelty knitting specialist who graduated from the London College of Fashion with First Class Honours in 2014. Published by Deramores and available as a downloadable PDF, this pattern produces a finished snake approximately 96cm long — the ideal length to sit snugly along the bottom of a door and keep draughts at bay. The design is worked in Deramores Studio DK Acrylic yarn and brings together a playful multicolour striped body, a stuffed three-dimensional form, and charming finishing details including button eyes and an optional rattle tail.

What Is Being Made

The finished project is a stuffed, snake-shaped draught excluder measuring approximately 96cm in length. The snake features a sculpted head, a long striped body, and a forked tongue worked as a separate i-cord piece. Two 10mm domed black buttons are sewn on as eyes, and an optional rattle or bell can be inserted into the tail to add a playful rattlesnake detail. The body is filled with toy filling (one 250g bag is recommended) to give it a plump, draught-blocking shape.

Materials Used

The pattern calls for Deramores Studio DK Acrylic yarn in seven colourways, allowing for a richly striped, multicolour snake body:

• Yarn A – Green Tea (1 x 100g ball, approximately 20g used)
• Yarn B – Paprika (1 x 100g ball, approximately 20g used)
• Yarn C – Blue Haze (1 x 100g ball, approximately 20g used)
• Yarn D – Storm Cloud (1 x 100g ball, approximately 20g used)
• Yarn E – Merlot (1 x 100g ball, approximately 20g used)
• Yarn F – Shiraz (1 x 100g ball, approximately 20g used)
• Yarn G – Butterscotch (1 x 100g ball, up to 50g used)

The Butterscotch colourway (Yarn G) is the most heavily used, likely forming the main body or head sections, while each of the remaining six colours contributes approximately 20g to the striped pattern. This makes the project an excellent stash-buster for anyone who has small amounts of DK weight acrylic yarn to hand.

Needles and Tools

• 3.75mm straight knitting needles (US size 5) – used for all flat-knitted pieces
• Two 3.75mm double pointed needles (DPNs, US size 5) – used exclusively for working the i-cord tongue
• A darning or tapestry needle for seaming and finishing
• 2 x 10mm domed black buttons for the eyes
• 1 x 250g bag of toy filling for stuffing the body
• An optional rattle or bell to insert into the tail

Knitting Techniques Used

Although the product listing describes this pattern as beginner level, the PDF itself references it as an advanced knitting project, so knitters should be comfortable with a range of techniques before casting on. All main pieces are worked flat (back and forth) on straight needles, making the construction accessible to those who prefer not to knit in the round on a full circular needle.

• Flat knitting – all body and head pieces are knitted back and forth on straight needles
• I-cord – the forked tongue is worked as an i-cord on two double pointed needles, creating a neat,