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Knitspiration
π 5 Spooky Knitting Patterns for Halloween
Halloween is just around the corner.
And while it's not known as a big holiday for knitters, it might be the most fun one to knit for.
Pumpkins, ghosts, bats, spiders...there's no shortage of spooky things to put on your needles.
So today we've rounded up a few of our favorite Halloween patterns.
But before we get to the picks, let's take a quick look at where all of this came from.
A traditional Irish turnip jack-o'-lantern from the early 1900s, Museum of Country Life, Ireland (via Wikimedia Commons)
A brief history of Halloween
The name Halloween is short for All Hallows' Eve, the night before All Saints' Day on November 1st.
But many of its traditions are thought to be much older.
They're believed to come from Samhain, a Gaelic festival that marked the end of the harvest and the start of the darker half of the year.
It was a night when the line between our world and the spirit world was thought to be at its thinnest.
In Ireland and Scotland people hollowed out turnips and carved faces into them to make lanterns.
Some say the faces were meant to scare off evil spirits. Others tie them to the legend of Stingy Jack.
He tricked the Devil and was left to wander the Earth with nothing but a hollowed out turnip to light his way.
When Irish and Scottish immigrants brought the tradition to North America, they found the pumpkin.
It was bigger and a whole lot easier to carve.
Can you imagine trying to carve a turnip? π±
π» Our favorite Halloween knitting patterns
These projects are a mix of things to wear and things to decorate with.
Some are quick weekend knits, and a couple are even free!
So without further ado here are our spooky pattern picks.
Pumpkins, skulls and candy on itty bitty sweaters. Each one takes just a few hours, so they're a fun way to practice colorwork without committing to a full sweater.
Free | Aran | Adult S and L, about 80 m of each color
A ring of ghosts floats around this simple stranded hat. The designer warns her sample is missing part of a ghost's butt, but the chart in the pattern is correct. π»
Conclusion
So there you have it, a few patterns to get you in the spooky spirit.
But what do you think?
Are you knitting anything for Halloween this year? Which of these would you cast on first?
Hit reply and let us know!
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Deal of the Day
The Nightmare Before Christmas Knitting Guide (64% Off)
Tanis Gray's official guide has more than 25 patterns inspired by Jack, Sally, Zero, Oogie Boogie and the rest of the gang. Some even use glow-in-the-dark yarn. It's a great way to knit your way from Halloween right through to Christmas.
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