Happy October!  In my little corner of the world, the air has grown chilly, darkness comes earlier, and there are Halloween decorations popping up everywhere.  I thought it would be fun to make a few little ‘spooks’ for this month’s Whimsical Loom Knit project.  I hope you have tons of fun with this pattern.  

Mini Monsters!

 If you go out on Halloween night,

You’d better not go alone!

It’s creepy out there on Halloween night,

But spookier still at home!

For every little monster that ever was

Will prank and haunt you tonight, because

This is the night to knit up a scary delight!

Materials

Knitting Loom:  KB Sock Loom 2

Yarn:  Approximately 15-20 yards of a basic worsted weight yarn.  Red Heart Super Saver was used in the samples.

Notions:  Knitting tool, scissors, yarn needle, fiberfill for stuffing

Suggested Embellishments: 

Eyes:  Tiny buttons (6mm), google eyes, fabric paint, yarn, thread, etc.

Mouth:  Yarn, thread, fabric paint, etc.

Hair:  Yarn, felt, etc.

Finished Size:  Approximately 5” in height

Gauge:  Not essential for this project.

Special Techniques

Drawstring Cast-On:  Step 1: Pass the working yarn in front of peg 1.  Pass the working yarn behind peg 2.  Pass the working yarn in front of peg 3.  Pass the working yarn behind peg 4.  Continue weaving the working yarn in front of and behind the pegs until the working yarn reaches peg 1 again.

Step 2:  Lay the working yarn against peg 1, above the wrap from step 1.  Knit the lower wrap over the top wrap.  Pass the working yarn in front of peg 2.  Lay the working yarn against peg 3, above the wrap from step 1.  Knit the lower wrap over the top wrap.  Pass the working yarn in front of peg 4.  Continue working in this manner until the working yarn reaches peg 1 again.  Cast on is now complete.  Continue on as directed in the pattern.

Adding a Gathering Thread:  Cut a 12” length of yarn and thread it on to the yarn needle.  Push the yarn needle up under the stitch on peg 1.  Pull the length of yarn out through the stitch, stopping when an inch or two remains at the bottom of the stitch. Move to the next peg and pull the yarn needle up under the stitch.  Pull the length of yarn until all of the slack is gone between the two pegs.  Continue working in this manner until the gathering line has been pulled up under the last stitch in the round. Remove the yarn needle.  Leave the gathering line in place.  It will be used later to shape the monster’s neck.  Continue on as directed in the pattern.

3 Stitch I-Cord:  Using the double E-wrap cast-on method, cast on 3 stitches.  *Working yarn will be at peg 3.  Take the working yarn behind peg 2 and peg 1.  Bring the working yarn around the front of peg 1 and lay it across pegs 1, 2, and 3.  Knit peg 2, then peg 1, then peg 3.  Repeat from * as directed in pattern, or until I-cord reaches the desired length.  Gently pull on the cord every few inches to help set the stitches.

Bind the I-cord off by moving the stitch on the second peg over to the first peg, placing it above the stitch on the peg.  Knit the bottom stich over the top stitch.  Move the stitch from peg 3 over to peg 1, placing it above the stitch on the peg.  Knit the bottom stitch over the top stitch. With the working yarn, wrap peg 1 and knit it.  Cut the working yarn, leaving a yarn tail measuring about 4”.  Draw the working yarn out through the last stitch remaining on peg 1, and gently pull on the yarn tail to secure the bind off.  Weave in all yarn ends.

Instructions

Head and Body:

Prepare the loom to work over 18 pegs, in the round.  Choose a yarn color for the head.  Using the drawstring cast-on method, cast on 18 stitches.  Work 10 rows using the u-wrap knit stitch.

Add a gathering thread.  (See special techniques)

If desired, switch to a new color for the body.   Work 15 more rows using the u-wrap knit stitch.  Remove from the loom using the gathered bind off method, but do not gather yet.  Set aside.

 Limbs (Make 4, or more):

Using the same color that the body was worked in, cast on 3 pegs.  Work a 3 stitch I-cord for 6 rows.  Switch to chosen head color, if desired.  Work 3 stitch I-cord for 4 more rows.  Bind off and set aside.  Repeat this process for the remaining limbs.

Finishing:

Work with the head and body piece first.  Gather the top of the head closed by pulling on the yarn tail from the drawstring cast-on.  Use the yarn needle to weave the tail in.

Stuff the head section with fiberfill.  Gather the neck area by pulling on the yarn tails of the gathering thread.  Secure the neck shaping by tying a knot in the gathering thread.  Use the yarn needle to weave in the ends of the gathering thread.

Stuff the body section with fiberfill.  Gather the body closed by pulling on the yarn tail from the gathered bind off.  Use the yarn needle to weave the tail in.

Use the yarn needle to sew the limbs to the body.  Attach the arms near the neckline; attach the legs at the bottom of the body.  Weave in any remaining yarn tails.

Now for the best part – embellishing!  Give your monster(s) hair.  Or horns.  Eye(s).  Mouth.  Fangs.  Scars.  Whatever your imagination can scare up.  Only, maybe avoid giving them a laboratory brain marked A B Normal…

Tip:  Each monster is knit as directed in the pattern.  Different looks can be achieved by varying the colors and types of fibers used while knitting, as well as using a variety of embellishments.  Let your creativity run wild!