Halloween

HALLOWEEN IS COMING!!

I just love Halloween! It is bigger than Christmas around our house! We go all out with decorations and turn our garage into a haunted tunnel of creepiness! There are witches and bats, spiders and clowns, and all manner of spooky things. 

So I am sure it comes as no surprise that I love Halloween crochet patterns! This year there were so many good ones that came out! But I decided I really wanted to make 2 specifically for a Halloween blog post; the Rustic Doily Pumpkin by Meg Made With Love and the Halloween Sampler Headband by Snappy Tots! Both ended up being really great patterns! 

So first I made the Rustic Doily Pumpkin 

Materials needed for this pumpkin are

1. Worsted Weight Yarn 
2. Size I hook
3. Polyfil stuffing

For the Doily

1. Size 9 (1.4mm) hook Meg links to a great beginner set on her blog
2. Cotton Crochet Thread (size 10) I used black sock yarn (fingering weight) because I couldn't find my black size 10 crochet thread, the stash monster must have ate it)

To complete the project

1. Yarn needle
2. Stick or other "Stem" 
3. Hot glue gun
4. Any other decor you want to add (Raffia, Burlap, Ribbon...etc)
5. Sewing pins

So I started right in on the pumpkin....(Yes I know Meg, the pattern said to do the doily first) I felt like I could just finish the pumpkin really quick then tackle the doily....until I got to round 10....where it says to attach the doily before completing the pumpkin!! So then I set the pumpkin aside and started the doily! 

DOILY it can be a scary word for a crocheter, thoughts of intricate pineapples or rosette patterns that take hours and hours...DON'T PANIC!! Meg did an amazing job of writing up a beautiful yet simple doily for this pumpkin! I didn't find it to be difficult at all, every round uses very basic stitches and it actually made up very quickly. I finished mine in just a few hours and I think it would have taken less time if it weren't for my fibromyalgia making my hands hurt worse in the evenings. 

I did mess up in one spot on the doily but by the time I noticed there was NO way I was frogging 6 rows to fix it. I decided it was for me (not an ordered product) so it didn't have to be perfect. I know I can spot the error in pictures of the doily but after I attached it to the pumpkin and did the shaping it is well hidden. 

The pumpkin itself is super easy! Its worked with 2 strands of worsted and turned out really nice! I love how Meg did the shaping and it really is a stand out decor piece now! I hope to make the rest of her rustic pumpkins to create a center piece for my Thanksgiving dinner table. 

HALLOWEEN SAMPLER HEADBAND

I love this pattern! It was so easy! Snappy Tots is one of my favorite designers and always my go to when I need something fun! 

Materials for this project are definitely easy

1. Worsted weight yarn in a variety of colors
2. Size I Hook
3. 6 Tiny black buttons (I got some black sew on gems from Joann Fabric and I think they look great)
4.  Yarn needle
5. Sewing needle and thread ( to attach buttons) 

This headband was so fast and easy it took about 30 minutes to hook up the base headband, and I could probably do a single colored one in 20 minutes easy! If you need a quick basic headband this pattern is great!! The colors and features that take this from headband to 100% Halloween are so fun!! I loved doing the Bride of Frankenstein's Monster, her hair is just fabulous! I was very concerned when sewing it on that it would feel bulky or lumpy on that side with how it folds over the top, but It really isn't noticeable at all! 

The hardest part to do on this headband was with out a doubt the embroidery of the mouths and spider legs. Embroidery is not a strong skill of mine, that said these elements were simple enough that I think they turned out really nice! 

The buttons were tricky, not to sew on but to find. My local Joann's didn't have any regular buttons small enough, but I really like the sew on gems from Friendly Findings that I ended up getting. 

 Overall this is a very easy pattern. I think it would be a great first character project for a beginning crocheter. It's not overly involved with little pieces to attach, but it really ends up looking adorable!

I hope you enjoyed my little Halloween post! And I hope you'll go visit Meg Made With Love and Snappy Tots and give their patterns a try! I know I will be making Meg's Homebody Sweater and Heidi's Halloween Sampler Scarf Next!!