Some Halloween Crocheting

I was not as inspired by the House Cup projects this month as I usually am. They aren't bad assignments at all. It's just that none of them are jumping out at me. This has led me to be more creative in finding projects to apply to the different classes. I figured that I can combine DADA and Transfiguration this month to make a nifty Halloween wreath for my front door. I'm not double-dipping on projects, because that's against the rules. I'm making two separate projects, which I will turn in for the classes. Later, I will combine them to make an amazingly impressive decoration (I hope). See? Creative.

First up is Transfiguration. We had to transform something from real life into a yarn version. I crocheted some purple yarn roses.

Pattern: Centifolia Rose and Irish Leaf from 100 Flowers to Knit & Crochet

Yarn: Vanna's Choice in Eggplant and Caron Simply Soft in Dark Sage
Mods: I used worsted weight and a J hook for both patterns

The roses were very easy to crochet. You make a long strip of stitches and then roll it up, sewing it closed as you go. The rolling part took a little getting used to. By the second rose I had it pretty much down. They key is to keep the back of the rose completely flat and not concave or convex.

The leaves were a piece of cake. It only took one day to make all of them. The pattern was well written and it yielded a perfect leaf, just like I wanted. They look very nice up against the roses.

These are meant to go around the wreath. The middle of the wreath will showcase my next project - a skeleton bride and groom.

Pattern: Skeleton Bride and Groom by Needlenoodles
Yarn: Red Heart Super Saver in White and Vanna's Choice in Black.
Mods: I used 12 mm safety eyes instead of making the clay eyes that the pattern suggests

I am SO FREAKING HAPPY with these. That's right, my joy has transcended my ability to type in lowercase. This is the first pattern I have tried out of my Creepy Cute Crochet book. It was easy to follow and turned out such an adorable final project. I can definitely see myself making a lot more of the little guys from this book.

Let's talk about the bride first. The toughest part of the construction on her was definitely the tulle veil. I may be able to crochet with the greatest of ease, but a master seamstress I am not! I attached it once, decided it sucked, did it over and decided I could live with the look of the second try. It's not perfect, but it's good enough for a wreath where people won't be seeing her backside.

Now the groom. He was easy-peasy. The only tough thing I ran into with him was trying to crochet at a tight gauge with black yarn. I felt like I was going blind. In the instructions for attaching his hat, the book instructs you to "attach at a jaunty angle." What do you think, jaunty enough? That made me laugh.

My project for the rest of today is to assemble the wreath. I'll update when I have it finished. Once thing's for sure - it's going to kick ass.