There are 2 ways to knit this pattern.

1. You can use just stranded colorwork: If you want the ship to stand out you will need to do some duplicate stitch after knitting, even if only to outline the ship and sails. Knitted in the round this is an easy pattern if you already know how to knit stranded colorwork and this pattern assumes that you do know how to knit stranded colorwork. If you have not knitted stranded colorwork before then this is an experienced level pattern.

2. You can combine stranded colorwork with intarsia: Intarsia-in-the-round is an experienced level technique, especially when combined with stranded colorwork. There is a photo tutorial included on intarsia-in-the-round if you wish to give it a try.

Instructions are given for head sizes 18” (46 cm), 21” (53 cm), and 23” (58 cm). These correspond to child, small adult and medium-large adult sizes.

Fingering weight yarn. The samples were knitted with Galaxy Fantasy and Knit Picks Hawthorne.
BC: (background color), KC: (kraken color)
For all sizes: ship color: 8.5 yds/m, sails color: 4 yds/m
Size 18” (46 cm), BC 83 yds (76 m), KC 39 yds (36 m)
Size 21” (53 cm), BC 100 yds (91 m), KC 50 yds (46 m)
Size 23” (58 cm), BC 126 yds (115 m), KC 58 yds (53 m)

The kraken is a legendary, giant cephalopod-like sea monster originating from Scandinavian folklore. According to the Norse sagas, the kraken dwells off the coasts of Norway and Greenland and terrorizes nearby sailors. It has been represented as an octopus-like creature but some think that the myth may have originated with sightings of giant squids, which can grow up to 50 ft (15 m) in length.
After 150 years of research into the giant squid that inhabits all the world’s oceans, there is still much debate as to whether they represent a single species or as many as 20. The giant squid’s eyes are the largest in the animal kingdom and are crucial in the dark depths it inhabits (up to 1,100 m deep, perhaps reaching 2,000 m). It is a fast and powerful swimmer, using its tentacles to capture prey, and like some other squid species, has pockets in its muscles containing an ammonium solution that is less dense than sea water. This allows it to float underwater. The presence of unpalatable ammonium in their muscles is also probably the reason that giant squid have not yet been fished to near extinction.