Halloween without a Costume

If you want to knit an accessory that will give you a bit of a Halloween feel without a full-on costume, there are a lot of great options out there.

I love my bright orange, fun fun Halloween boa as a really great addition to any outfit this time of year. You can even wear it to work and be in the holiday spirit without being in costume.

While it’s shown on a kid, the Scaredy Cat Scarf from Lion Brand Yarn would be a great one for anyone, just make the striped portion longer. The tail and the cat face make this super cute and on theme without being scary or fussy.

If you want to go a little bolder, try Lion Brand’s Jolly Roger Poncho. It’s a simple poncho pattern with a scull and crossbones added for some frightful fun. Also great for Talk Like a Pirate Day. Argh!

Do you have ideas for dressing up without a costume? I’d love to hear them!

Looking for more things to Knit for Halloween? Check out these Halloween Knitting patterns we found on Etsy.

Getting ready for back to school makes me think about pencil crafts, so let’s take a look at some pencil themed knitting patterns!

I recently made a pencil on a circular knitting machine, and it was a fun, quick, easy project that uses little bits of leftover yarn (and if you don’t have yellow you can make it a colored pencil using whatever color’s your favorite). And if you want to make a bigger version check out this pattern from Orange Olive Road on Etsy.

If you want to knit a pencil pillow by hand, check out Sketchy, available on Ravelry from Shana S. Cohen. This one uses worsted weight yarn and has two size options and the choice to make a pencil with an eraser or a colored pencil.

Pencil scarves seem to be the most popular kind of pencil knitting pattern, and there are lot of cute ones. This one from Cosy Craft UK mostly uses garter stitch, with some welts to add texture and what looks like an I-cord edging. It calls for DK weight yarn.

If you want to go all garter stitch try this version from Emsley Co Creations, which uses five colors of DK weight yarn and just a little shaping to make the point of the pencil.

There’s also this fun, mostly stockinette so it looks like it curls a bit, pencil pattern that looks like it’s worked in chunky yarn from Little Knits Studio. This one uses just a little garter stitch and easy shaping for the point.

If you don’t want a pencil scarf, how about some pencil socks? The No. 2 Pencil Socks from The Yarn Enabler are available from Ravelry and use five colors of sock yarn. They feature wide ribs to mimic the texture of a pencil and have options to be worked from the top down or the toe up.

Needs Sharpening by Alexander Walker is a free pattern on Ravelry that uses five colors of sock yarn to make a sort of shortie sock. The little bit of black at the tips of the toes inspired the name. These, too, can be worked in either direction and are available in three sizes.

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