Quick Stitch Halloween Costumes with Free Patterns!

Remember those horrible plastic Halloween masks of the 80's that attached around the back of your head with an elastic band? Remember they had little holes cut out for your eyes and always looked creepy no matter how cute the character they were based on happened to be? I still have nightmares about the plastic Care Bear mask I wore one year... Thanks goodness we've moved beyond those things. Or at least have the ability to do so. Last month I suggested crocheting up a Futurama brain slug as a quick costume idea. That got me thinking about what other crochet and knitting projects you could whip up for a quick costume.

First up, you can show your love of all things Katamari while keeping your ears warm with Nikol Lohr's Katamari Prince Earmuffs. Just click the link to view the free pattern, courtesy of Shojo Beat magazine.

And of course this wouldn't be Cthulhu Crochet and Cousins without a mask of our favorite Lovecraft monster. This cthulhu mask was crocheted by flickr user djonesgirlz. No formal pattern, but djonesgirlz does give a link to the original ski mask pattern that was modified to make this awesome monstrosity and an explanation of how the tentacles were created.

Craftster user mamaedgar's son really wanted to be Yoda this Halloween so she whipped up this Yoda hat for him in just two days. I'm impressed! That's a lot of stitching in just two days. Click the link to see more photos and the free pattern that mamedgar was gracious enough to share. I really admire the detail on this one, including the bits of fluffy hair around Yoda's ears. Nevermind, Halloween, this hat would be great to wear anytime. Of course, the original pattern was designed to fit a four year old, so some alterations may be in order if you want it in an adult size.

Running short on time, or just a beginner? Here's something a little simpler that could still be part of a pretty awesome costume. Just add a sword to this traditional masquerade mask, created by Priscilla Hewitt and you could be Zorro, or deck it out with some sequins or beads for something a bit more flashy.

Sadly, these last two masks aren't available as free patterns, but I liked them so much I decided to include them anyways. I'm guessing that more experienced stitchers will be savvy enough to figure out how to make these, or at least something pretty similar. First up, start practicing that gravely Christian Bale impersonation so that you proclaim yourself Batman while wearing a crocheted cowl, like this one stitched by Etsy user nmelone13.

And last, but not least, Dr. Zoidberg courtesy of another Etsy user, blackfezstudios. I absolutely love the eyes and the colour of yarn that was chosen for this one. It makes for a very realistic Dr. Zoidberg!

Favourite Fingerless Gloves

I made a pair of these a couple years ago, but they got so dirty I was too embarrassed to post pictures of them. Here now is a picture of my more recent creation, which I only wore once before remembering I should snap a picture. I assure you I made a set, but since I can't think of a way to take a picture of both my hands at once, you'll just have to trust me on that one.

I really like this pattern because you get to work backwards from the fingers down to the wrist. I find it's much easier than trying to divide up the stitches when you get to the top. It also gives more leeway for sizing the glove. Make one finger and if it doesn't fit just pull it apart and add or take away some stitches. Learning to balance the four double pointed knitting needles you need to use can be a bit of a challenge! Someday I want to try adapting the pattern for crochet. I'm thinking it would be easy enough and I'd have less worries about dropped stitches or unravelling fingers.

Like my Dragon Gauntlet gloves these were made with Patons Kroy Socks FX yarn, this time in Cascade. Obviously the amount of yarn you need varies depending on the size of the glove you're making, but I've always been able to get away with making a pair with less then one skein of wool and plenty left over.

Want the Pattern?

This one is a free pattern courtesy of Knitty.com , who also provide wonderful extra instructions and links to helpful tutorials along with the pattern. Every time I make these I also find this video tutorial on how to make a slip, slip knit stitch (ssk) invaluable. In my experience it's hard to find a good visual description of how that stitch is made.

Scarymerry Clay Knitting Accessories! Cute Thing of the Week!

The only knitting stitch markers I own are a set of boring white plastic rings that came with my first "Learn to Knit" kit. They certainly do the trick when you need to mark your place, but if I was ever going to splurge and treat my needles to some fancy markers I think I'd start looking at Scarymerry's Etsy shop.

I really couldn't pick just one set from this store to be the Cute Thing of the Week because everything shop owner Mary makes is amazing. I love when people create food with clay and it looks so delicious it makes my mouth water. Mary has a fine menu of clay food here as well as pop culture characters, novelty items and animals. I'm showing off a few of my favourites, but please take a moment and check out the shop for yourself.

And be warned, items move fast. Last night I was eyeing a set of sushi markers and today they're gone!

Galactica Hat!

When I was at the Serenity charity screening this past weekend one of our Vancouver Browncoat members was sporting this Battlestar Galactica hat knit for her by a fellow member of the group. About a year back our Browncoats spun off a separate meetup for Battlestar Galactica events. It seems only fitting when you consider that Zoic Studios, which originally provided special effects for Firefly, went on to provide them for Galactica and Joss Whedon frequently lists BSG as one of his favorite shows.

The hat is based on the Mandala that Starbuck has been seen painting throughout the series. After seeing it I was wondering if there was a pattern available. Eureka! After a few minutes of searching I found that the hat had been created by QuirkyKnitGirl and the pattern is available on her blog. Unfortunately, the lighting was too poor at the screening to get a picture of the hat there, but I assure you it looked like this one pictured with the pattern.

Even if this didn't have the added bonus of being science fiction related, I'd still be impressed by the design. Very cool!

Want to Roll the Katamari Ball?

If you don't know what a Katamari ball is you're probably just going to think I'm crazy after you hear the explanation, but here goes. The ball comes from the Japanese video game Katamari Damacy that is available for various gaming platforms. It's a very sticky ball that you roll around the screen picking up things in your path. In the beginning your ball starts out small and you can only pick up things like paper clips and tacks. As the game goes on your ball gradually gets bigger and bigger and you can pick up larger objects like dogs, cats, umbrellas, people, and in the final levels even buildings, pieces of land, dinosaurs, and Godzilla-like monsters (remember, it's Japanese.) There's also a whole storyline in the game about how you're the Katamari Prince and you're rolling these katamari balls around to try and impress your father the King of the Cosmos, who is almost never pleased with your efforts no matter how spectacular you think they are.



I know, the more I say the weirder it gets but trust me, it's addictive. The game has a great physics engine and your ball actually rolls differently depending on what you've picked up. For example, stick a pair of chopsticks on one side and it rolls in a lopsided manner. As well, the tiny starter Katamaris actually feel lighter and easier to move than the larger more cumbersome ones you build later. They are harder to push giving them the illusion of being physically heavier. Levels throughout the game come in a wide range of time increments with shorter ones lasting only a minute and larger ones taking up to 25 minutes or more to complete, so you can squeeze in a little Katamari rolling even if you only have a few minutes to spare.



Want the Pattern?

I saw Amy's Magnetic Katamari Ball a year ago (?) on Esty or Craftster or somewhere, but at the time there wasn't a patttern available. I was very excited the other day when I accidently stumbled across the free instructions she's created for the magnetic Katamari. Also pictured here is the Dodecahedron pattern from Berroco. It's worked all as one piece which intrigues me. I think if I smoothed out the ends points a bit it could be quite Katamari-ish. Finally, if you love Katamari and aren't afraid to show it, you can make this Knit Katamari hat using the tutorial advice available on Strangepath (It's there. You may have to scroll down a bit to see it.)