Bewitching Gourds

Every single year, whether we chose to go trick-or-treating or just stay home and watch scary movies, there was always one required activity for Halloween: Pumpkin picking, and inevitably, pumpkin carving. Some of my fondest memories of the holiday involve gooey handfuls of cold pumpkin mush and seeds smeared all the way up my elbows, chunks of pumpkin flesh on the floor, and my dog going wild trying to “clean up.” More often than not, the carvings would end up as crude interpretations of the original sketch since I have never been skilled in carving, sculpture, or anything of the sort, but no matter- On to the front porch they would go, and come Halloween, we would light them up and display their wacky designs all the same. I suppose that this tradition has contributed to my love of all things pumpkin around this time of year, but here at school, the craving is more like an itch that I can’t scratch. Without transportation to the local farms or even supermarkets, there’s just no way to get a nice, round, orange globe, much less carry it back to the dorm and up 3 flights of stairs.

Still, the desire continues to flicker at every opportunity. Soon I found myself with a tiny little baby pumpkin in my basket while shopping for my standard pantry items, and I swear it must have simply jumped in on it’s own. Too small to eat or carve, this was simply a cute little friend to perch upon my desk. But then, out of the blue one day, I was bombarded by a whole pile of medium sized gourds, strewn about on the ground on the campus green, free for the taking. Well, you certainly don’t need to ask me twice, so stooping down to examine these lovely spheres, I scooped up the biggest one I could carry and paraded it right back to my room. And so my collection grew.

Now I have four pumpkins to keep me company; Still too small to carve, but charming decorations all the same. Looking at them all now, crowded onto my small desk top, I can’t help but wonder if these lovely squashes are really as innocent as they appear… Truly, I think that they must have cast a spell on me, because who in their right mind would just start collecting pumpkins, and especially those that can’t even be eaten or turned into jack-o-lanterns? Plus, that first little guy is starting to look a bit suspicious to me… Perhaps he has something to do with this whole obsession…

In case you’re pressed for spirited decorating options like I am, it’s easy to just draw or paint on pumpkins instead and perhaps whip up a cute little hat or two. This particular witch’s hat is a snap to make, and you could even use it to adorn a few bewitching stuffed animals as well!

Using an F hook and black worsted weight yarn…

[For the top cone]
Sc3 sts in a circle
Sc even
Sc2 into each st (6 sts)
Sc even
Sc1, sc2 into next st* around (9 sts)
Sc even
Sc2, sc2 into next st* around (12 sts)
Sc even
Sc3, sc2 into next st* around (15 sts)
Sc even
Break yarn, leaving a long tail to sew with.

[For the bottom]
Sc5 sts in a circle
Sc2 into each st (10 sts)
sc1, sc2 into next st* around (15 sts)
sc2, sc2 into next st* around (20 sts)
sc3, sc2 into next st* around (25 sts)
sc4, sc2 into next st* around (30 sts)
Break yarn, and weave in ends.

To assemble, simply sew the cone onto the circle so that it’s centered, tie off, and weave in ends. Have a hauntingly fun holiday!