Jack 'O Lantern Fun Part II: Pumpkin Patterns

The first step of the pumpkin carving process is really to pick out what pattern you want first, and then select a pumpkin that is an appropriate shape and size to match your pattern. There are lots of free pattern websites online where you can browse possible options and these are usually rated by skill level. As a general rule, the higher the skill rating the longer it will take you to carve the pumpkin.



2012 Carving- Witch and Black Cat

If you're looking for some awesome websites to find pumpkin patterns, I would suggest trying these three sites out. I've used them all before and they offer a range of skill levels. You can also use the premise of how the patterns are made to create your own pattern too if you're feeling adventurous!

 

Top 3 Pattern Websites:

Zombie Pumpkins: This website groups their patterns by category. They have a (very) small selection of free patterns and an extensive list of patterns you can buy. I would recommend getting the "Whole Harvest" package which allows you access to ALL of their regular patterns...which at the moment is 305. I have bought this package in the past and then printed off every single one that I think I might ever carve so that I have a stash of them ready to go. You have 9 months to access the patterns, so you don't need to print them all right away. If you're feeling generous and have the extra money, consider the "Monster Harvest" package and contribute to the charity of the year--this year it's the National Brain Tumour Society.

 

 

2010 Carving- The Tooth Fairy

 

Pumpkin Masters: They have a few free patterns to download, but they also have some that you can buy and then print as well. Pumpkin Masters is also very well known for their paper pattern books that you can buy at most department and drug stores. These pattern books come with the carving tools depicted above! You can also pay to download some of their patterns to print from the website as well.

Carving 2012- Bone Xylophone

 

 

Stoneykins Pumpkin Carving: They have 100 free patterns to get you started, but you won't want to stop there! This site has both fully carved-out patterns, as well as the shaded patterns (where you only cut part way through in places). Similar to Zombie Pumpkins they have various sized packages that you can purchase depending on how many patterns you want. You then simply download and print your patterns.

 

2009 Carving- Where the Wild Things Are

 

 

TIP: When ever you use a stencil to carve your pumpkin, either from a book or one that you've downloaded, always make extra copies!! This way you have a clean one for reference after you've transferred it to your pumpkin, and you have an extra copy for future years if someone else wants to use it. (And then make copies of it again etc. so you always have a copy of it!)

Knitters Unite!

I'm not ashamed to admit that although I LOVE knitting, I'm incapable of following patterns because they just don't make sense to me! So I like to go freestyle and just make up my own patterns as I go!

My most recent project that I've completed is a hat for my darling boy-o. It's not really all that recent though, since it was made long before he was born, and before we knew he would be a boy-o for that matter! It's a very simple row pattern that decreased in stiches as I got closer to the top. It's also just straight knit and then sewn up the seam after, because I have no idea how to 'knit in the round!'

It has a rainbow trim on the bottom which serves the dual purpose of adding a little bit of colour while also adding a few inches that can be flipped back down if needed to make sure your little one's ears are covered.

Rather than decreasing the rows at the top so much that the hat ended up pointed, I stopped decreasing much sooner so the top of the hat is a bit more flat. This means that the top of the hat sits closer to boy-o's head rather than lifting up and off his head pulling the rest of the hat with it!

 

 

My son has a rather large head though... so the hat fits him quite well right now, and I'm hoping it'll last long enough to actually wear this winter! Otherwise I guess I'll be making him a new one.

 

Since I made the hat freestyle I don't have a pattern to share with you for it, but I would like to share some links to my favourite pattern sites. I like to flip through the patterns and imagine being able to actually make them one day! I haven't done any knitting in a while, and I'd really like to get back into it. Maybe this post will serve as some inspiration for myself to get the needles back out and get to it!

Bernat Patterns: I love this website because they offer several searchable functions. You can search patterns by knit or crochet, by skill level, by gender and age, project type, as well as pattern language! And the best part about this website is that every pattern has a picture and they have a huge selection of free paterns! They also allow you to create a free account so you can 'bookmark' your favourite patterns for easy reference.

Ravelry: This is also a great website for searching out free patterns for both knitting and crocheting. This website is a little different because it offers a community space and not just patterns. It's easy to get lost on there for hours! You can browse patterns by free or cost, by project type and you can also see which patterns are the most popular at any given time. The other neat thing about this site is that the patterns are user contributed and there are forums you can visit for help with projects and to get some ideas.

Canadian Living Magazine: Although the list of patterns here is quite small in comparison to the other two sites, I like their knitting section because it's very helpful for the beginner. Not only do they offer patterns, they also provide some basic tutorials and tips and tricks to help you get started. They also encourage you to upload photos of your projects for other to see which I definitely like.

Do you have a favourite website for looking up knitting patterns? Please share if you do! The more awesome patterns I see, the more I want to figure out how to read them. This chilly weather we've been having is the perfect excuse to dig out the needles from their (reverse) hibernation and put them into action again. Stay tuned for the results of my next project!