Halloween Toys to Knit

I love knitting pumpkins and other fall and Halloween decor, but one thing that’s extra fun to knit this time of year, especially if you have little kids, is Halloween dolls and toys. These are fun to tuck into Halloween goodie bags or countdown calendars and can be used as decor when the kids don’t play with them anymore.

This sweet pumpkin bear from Hobbi is a great option for beginners because it’s knit flat in pieces and seamed together. It also uses super bulky yarn so you can stitch it up in no time.

If you’re looking to go the opposite direction in terms of size, the mini pumpkin spirit from MLindDolls might be the thing for you. Worked in superfine yarn, it looks a bit like a mandrake with a pumpkin head. You can find the pattern on Ravelry.

Knit up some wee ghosties in whatever weight of white yarn you have handy with this pattern that’s a free download on Ravelry from Theresa Dixon Kappus. They’re worked in the round from the bottom up so you can make them as tall as you like, too.

This pumpkin doll decoration from Etsy seller Claire Fariall Designs would be super cute sitting on a bookshelf or mantle. The pumpkin parts are worked flat and seamed, and you can use DK or worsted weight yarn. The arms and legs are made with I-cord and finished off with little garter stitch leaves. (I also love her little baby designs — a pumpkin, witch and skeleton — which would be great to make for little ones to play with or carry around.)

A creepy cute collection of knitting patterns for keychains would make great gifts for your trick or treaters with allergies. In this collection from Fluff and Fuzz on Etsy you’ll find a black cat, witch hat, bat, spider, Frankenstein’s monster, vampire, ghost and pumpkin. They’re all worked flat and use DK weight yarn, so they’re a great way to use any leftovers you have on hand.

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If you’re looking for a fun project to play with brioche knitting, check out the My Buddy knitting pattern/recipe from Casuarinagirl on Ravelry.

This project doesn’t include a brioche tutorial, so it’s good to know the basics, including how to increase and decrease, but you can always practice on a swatch before you start the project if you want.

The design is meant to be flexible for the yarn you have and what size and shape of project you want to make, from a skinny neck scarf to a asymmetrical triangle or a more classic triangular shape.

The shape you end up with will depend on how often you increase (and then decrease on the other side). The pattern mentions increasing every fourth, fifth or six row (and the one shown increases and decreases every sixth row) but you can do it even more or less often depending on the shape you’re looking for an how much yarn you want to use.

You can work to whatever depth you would like, or use almost half of the yarn you have set aside for the project and begin decreasing.

When it comes to yarn, she used three strands of yarn held together to make a super fluffy shawl, but you can work it with whatever yarn and needles you like to make a wrap that’s all your own.

If you are new to brioche (or to increasing and decreasing in brioche) it might be a good idea to make a little scarf or head wrap first before diving in to the bigger pattern, just so you’re more comfortable with the technique. Or just give it a go; nothing about brioche knitting is that difficult. (But you might want to use a lifeline because I find brioche hard to rip out or fix mistakes in properly.)

You can grab the free pattern for the Buddy Wrap on Ravelry.

[Photo: Casuarinagirl]

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