It’s that time of the year again – days are getting shorter, leaves are turning yellow, and Halloween is just round the corner. If you want to be ready for the 1st November celebrations, then you’d better start knitting now.
In this blog post, I list twenty cool Halloween toys that you can knit yourself for free. These patterns range from spooky zombies to adorable ghosts and bats. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced knitter, there’s something for everyone on this list.
Six Plucky Knitted Halloween Witches
Who wants to be a princess when you can be a witch? Witches are awesome – they can fly on broomsticks, cast spells, and create potions and look stylish in black pointy hats.
Below you will find six cute witch toys to knit for the little magic person in your family.
The Bewitching Ms Witch
This lovely pattern is designed by Bonny Bonafilla from the Just Saying blog. The little witch is knitted in Worsted yarn (Bony used Sublime Extra Fine Merino Worsted) and is knitted bottom-up, starting from the feet upwards. You knit the two legs separately and join them to knit the body.
She comes with a lovely flared skirt and a black pointy hat.
You can find the free pattern for this toy here.
Joanne and Wanda – Knitted Halloween Witches from Let’s Knit
There are two Halloween Witches toys on the Let’s Knit website. You can download the patterns for free but you do need to have a paid membership on the site. You can choose to pay monthly (£7.99. per month) and you get to explore the website for £1 only for the first month – perfect if you just want to look around or download a couple of patterns you’ve got an eye for. Or you can get a better deal by paying an annual subscription, billed at £59.99, which works out at £4.99 per month.
Download the pattern for Joanne here.
But back to the witches. Joanne is smaller of the two, measuring 24.5cm (including the hat), while Wanda is a bit bigger, at 35cm excluding the hat. Both are suitable for beginners. You will need to know how to knit and purl confidently and the shaping is achieved by using knit-two-together (k2tog) and knit-front-and-back (kfb) stitches which are easily mastered. There are tutorials available on the website.
Super-easy Halloween Witch from CraftBits
This little witch from CraftBits is very easy to knit and therefore suitable for beginners. The toy is knitted in stocking stitch (knit one side, purl the other) and seed stitch (alternating knits and purls).
All of the shaping is achieved using knit-two-together (k2tog) and knit-front-and-back (kfb) stitches.
Little Witch Finger Puppet
This project is a little different. This tiny witch doubles as a finger puppet. It’s relatively easy, using just stocking stitch and basic shaping (see above) but because the toy is very small and knit in a round, it probably is not the best choice for an absolute beginner.
Bewitching Halloween Wreath
Here is another great pattern from Let’s Knit. It works as an effective decoration for Halloween but all of the elements attached to the wreath could work individually as toys or adornments. And the undisputed star of this project is the witch. With her green hair, pointy hat, and stripy stockings she is ready for some serious trick-or-treating.
This project is a little more demanding than those listed above. I would set the level of difficulty at intermediate.
Here are the measurements and sizes of all of the elements:
- Wreath: 35cm diameter
- Witch: 33cm tall
- Mummy: 19cm tall
- Skull: 7cm tall
- Ghost: 8cm tall
- Eyeball: 5cm diameter
- Spider: 4cm tall x 6cm wide
- Bat: 11cm tall x 13cm wide
- Cat: 9.5cm tall
- Pumpkin: 4cm tall x 7cm diameter
You can download this pattern here (subscription required)
Bats and Vampires
What would Halloween celebrations be without vampires? And as we all know, vampires can turn into bats, so bats and vampires are the perfect pairing for a festive decoration.
Here is a selection of free patterns to connect with your inner Dracula.
Tiny Dracula
This dapper little fellow comes from Justjen Knit & Stitches blog. He is relatively easy to make. The body, the cape, and the hands are knitted separately and sewn together at the end. The toy is knitted in DK yarn on 2.5mm – 3mm needles.
Vampire Chocolate Orange Cover
If you’re anything like me around chocolate orange, you probably need a scary vampire to guard it. It’s just that this particular vampire doesn’t look scary at all. He looks like a softie and is really friendly when you get to know him.
It’s another example of an easy-to-knit toy. Garter and stocking stitch are used along with standard increasing and decreasing methods (kfb, k2tog). The body is knitted in one piece and clothes are knitted separately.
Download this pattern here. (subscription to Let’s Knit required)
Bat Decorations
I have found two patterns for bats on Raverly – both for small toys that can be used to decorate your house for Halloween.
The first pattern is for knitted bats that can be hung both the right way up and up side down. Rather than stuffing you will need a tennis ball or a similar sized ball to give the shape to their heads.
The downloadable pattern includes also other Halloween decorations: Spider Toy, Spider Candle Holder, Cat Candle Holder, Bat Toy and Bat Candle Holder.
These little fellows are quick and very easy to knit with the bodies knitted and the wings cut out of black felt and glued to the toy afterwards. Named “Hogwart Mascot House Bats” they are the perfect present for the Harry Potter fan in your family.
Friendly Ghosts
Ghosts are another staple of Halloween decorations. By their nature not very intricate, ghost toys are very easy to make and a perfect way to use up those white yarn scraps. Here are five simple patterns for little ghost knits.
Gus and Augustus
Here are two friendly ghosts that will bring a touch of Halloween charm to your tabletop, mantle, or workspace. Meet Gus and Augustus – they can create a spooky and fun atmosphere on their own or as part of a group of ghosts.
Each ghost takes only about 2 hours to make, making them a quick and enjoyable project.
Plus, you’ll love the fact that since they are stuffed, you can simply pull the yarn tails through the stuffing instead of weaving in ends.
The pattern is written for double-point needles, although it can easily be adapted for magic loop knitting. Because of that, it probably is not the best project for absolute beginners
To make each ghost, you’ll need less than 50 yards (46 meters) of worsted-weight yarn. The pattern includes both English and metric sizing instructions.
Download your pattern from Ravelry here.
Quick-knit ghost
This little ghost project is a quick knit, although (again) it is worked in the round using double pointed needles or the Magic Loop technique, making it a little too difficult for absolute beginners.
The project is knitted using double knitting wool and size 4mm circular needles.
A loop can also be added to the top of the ghost’s head so that it can hang from something or be part of a mobile.
Jean Greenhowe’s Halloween Ghosties
If you’ve been discouraged about the previous projects not being suitable for beginners, you will love these little cuties. They are knitted in garter stitch with no increases or decreases, and can stand up by themselves with a special stitch. The smallest size only requires 12 stitches and 19 rows, and they are all worked on 4mm knitting needles.
Even the arms are simple, just one cast on/cast off piece threaded through the body.
Instructions are provided for five sizes ranging from 4.5cm to 7.5cm in height.
Easy Plush Ghost from Gena Michelle
Here is another example of beginner-friendly ghost pattern. These little guys are knitted flat on single-point needles and sewn together at the end. They are knitted in stocking stitch with some basic increases and decreases.
Wilfred the Ghost
Meet Wilfred – he’s really happy to see you. Just like the two guys above, he’s knitted on straight single-point needles, which means that you don’t have to faff with DPNs or Magic Loop. He’s very beginner friendly and would be a lovely decoration for a kids’ Halloween party.
Download from the Let’s Knit website. (subscription required)
The Zombies are Coming!
Zombies are a bit of a niche thing but they do have a devoted fanbase. If your friends and family happen to belong to this select group, then get your needles ready. Below you will find four zombie-inspired patterns that are sure to impress both the living and the undead.
Zombie Chocolate Orange Cover
Cute and easy to knit, this zombie chocolate orange cover with bring ghoulish charm to your Halloween table. It’s very beginner-friendly and knitted flat on single-point knitting needles.
Download the pattern from Let’s Knit website. (subscription required)
Zombie and Pumpkin
Another zombie pattern from Let’s Knit website. In this case, you will get three-for-one as a pumpkin pattern and a witches hat with an embroidered cobweb are also included in the downloadable PDF. This zombie scores less on the cuteness scale but might appeal to slightly older children.
The patterns are knitted both on single and double-pointed needles, so probably are not best suited for beginners.
Download the pattern from Let’s Knit website. (subscription required)
The Little Friendly Zombie
Here is another pattern from Justjen Knit & Stitches blog. This tiny zombie is knitted in one piece with arms knitted separately. The toy is 11.5cm tall and is knitted in DK/8ply yarn. You will need two white beads for the eyes.
Properly Scary Classic Zombie
This one is for the horror fans. Properly scary and rich in gruesome detail, this knitted character bears all the hallmarks of a classic zombie: a drooping eye and wide-open mouth, worn-out, ragged clothes and wounds all over his undead body. There is even an obligatory woollen intestine hanging out of his belly. If you find this too much, it can be neatly tucked away in their own custom-made pouch.
Itsy Bitsy Spider
Anybody who knows me knows that I am not a huge fan of spiders. Their presence in almost all Halloween decorations is a serious downside to this holiday for me. There are several free knitting patterns for very realistic-looking spiders but as an arachnophobe I have decided against including them. But I could not resist sharing the Spidey pattern by Amanda Berry.
It’s super cute and if you seriously have a problem with spiders, try knitting it in a different colour – perhaps blue would work?
Download the Amanda Berry Spidey pattern here.
Disclaimer: All of the patterns were available and free at the time of the publication of this article.
