The Three Amigurumi

Halloween is almost here, and we have a shortage of decorations. Over the years, pieces have been broken or lost. It’s time for a refresh!

I looked in a few stores, but none of the decorations spoke to me. Then I realized I was going about it all wrong — why buy decorations when I can make them?!

That’s how I found myself going down the rabbit hole of Halloween project ideas on Ravelry. Oh, so many ideas!

I started with two amigurumi patterns by Josephine Wu: Baby Ghost Ornaments for Halloween and Halloween Candy Corn Creatures.

First up was the Baby Ghost pattern on a 3.75 mm (F) hook with Red Heart Super Saver white yarn. Even though I used an Aran weight yarn instead of worsted, the stitches are more open on the lower half of the ghost due to the nature of the crochet decreases. With white yarn on white stuffing, it’s not very noticeable — and if a little fluff pokes out, it gives the ghost a wispy look. But if I make this again, I’ll probably go down a hook size.

The ghost’s pink cheeks are from a touch of eye shadow rather than fabric paint. We’ll see how well it holds up.

Next, I crocheted a candy corn with the Candy Corn pattern and a 3.75 mm (F) hook. For the yellow and orange, I used DK weight acrylic Lion Brand Bonbons from the colorway Crayons. I have some white Caron yarn in my stash that’s the same weight, so I used that instead of the Red Heart for consistency. Each of the yarns was held double.

Finally, I used the same pattern to make a Frankenstein’s monster. Appropriate to the subject, this piece is made from an assortment of scraps. The green at the bottom is from the same Bonbons pack as the candy corn colors. However, I used a single strand of the yarn this time, which led me to choose a 3.5 mm (E) hook.

The dark green is an Aran weight yarn, leftover from a needlepoint project. For the top of the monster, I held a strand of black yarn with a strand of black and green eyelash yarn. I started with Aran weight black, leftover from the same needlepoint project, and when that ran out I used a DK weight black.

I added black stitches to one side of the monster’s forehead, but forgot to add bolts to the sides of his head. The more I look at him, the more I like him without the bolts.

I had so much fun making these little projects, each between 2.5 and 3.5 inches (6 to 9 cm) tall. I was briefly stymied by a lack of safety eyes; otherwise, they were all quick and easy. I want to make more! At the same time, I want to try some of the other patterns that I found.

Good thing there are almost two weeks left until Halloween!