How to Crochet the Cutest Halloween Cats Ever
By Brian Laurito
There’s nothing I love more during the fall than putting on my favorite sweater, finding a cozy spot in my apartment, curling up with a good audiobook, and getting to work on a cute crochet project. My most recent works are two spook-tacular feline friends—the “Cat-O-Lantern” and the “Spookitty”! Below, I’ve included the instructions for each costumed cat, as well as audiobook recommendations that are sure to get you in the mood for Halloween.
Before we start the pattern, let’s cue up a great listen to keep us company. With the air getting colder and the leaves turning brown, right now is the perfect time to listen to one of my recent favorites, The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches. This witchy romance follows Mika Moon, a lonely British witch who has always kept her magical abilities a secret…except for on an online account where she posts videos “pretending” to be a witch. When someone responds to her videos asking for help teaching three young witches how to control their magic, Mika is summoned to the remote and mysterious Nowhere House. Now, she’ll find herself tangled up with the house’s residents, including her three students, a retired actor, an absent archeologist, and Jamie—the handsome and prickly librarian of the Nowhere House. Hear for yourself why Emily Henry called The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches “one of my coziest reads of the last year.”
The Cat-O-Lantern
Supplies:
- 3.75 mm crochet hook
- Dark grey medium weight yarn
- Orange medium weight yarn
- Brown medium weight yarn
- A little bit of white yarn
- A little bit of pink yarn
- Toy stuffing
- 10 mm safety eyes
- A needle
Terms:
- MR = Magic Ring
- sc = single crochet
- inc = increase
- dcr = decrease
- dcr 3 = decrease 3 stitches into one
Below is the pattern. I based this mini version of the Cat-O-Lantern on the original from Complicated Knots on YouTube. If you’re having trouble understanding how to attach the ears or paws to the body, I would recommend watching her video here*: How to Crochet Pumpkin Kitty Cat for Halloween – YouTube
*Note: Our Cat-O-Lantern is half the size of Complicated Knots’ original, so you need to pay attention to how many stitches our version calls for when attaching pieces.
Ear (x2) in grey
- MR 3 (3)
- 3 inc (6)
- 6 sc (6)
Paw (x2) in grey
1. MR 3 (3)
2. (2 sc, Inc) (4)
3. 4 sc (4)
Pumpkin/Main body
In brown
- MR 4 (4)
- 4 sc (4)
Change to orange
3. 3 sc, 1 inc in front loop (5)
4. (3sc in 1) x 5 in back loop (15)
5. (sc, dcr) x 5 (10)
Change to grey
6. 10 sc in front loop (10)
7. 1 sc, 2 sc to attach ear, 3 sc, 2 sc to attach ear, 2 sc (10)
8. (inc, crochet around ear, inc), 1 sc, (inc, crochet around ear, inc), 1 sc (20)
9. 20 sc around
10. 20 sc around
11. 7 sc, 2 sc to attach paw, 3 sc, 2 sc to attach paw, 6 sc (20)
12. (Dcr, 16 sc, dcr) in front loop (18)
Change to orange
13. 18 sc in front loop (18)
Insert eyes so that paw is touching eye. Using your needle, sew a little bit of white yarn behind the eye.
14. 6(sc, 3 sc in 1, sc) in back loop (30)
15. 6(2sc, inc, 2 sc) (36)
16. 36 sc (36)
17. 36 sc (36)
18. 36 sc (36)
Stuff
19. 6(dcr 3, sc, dcr) (18)
20. 6(sc, dcr) (12)
21. 6(dcr) (6)
22. Stitch closed and fasten off
Tail
- 6 sc in mr (6)
- 6 sc (6)
- dcr, 2 sc, dcr (4)
- 4 sc (4)
- 4 sc (4), fasten off
- Sew to the back of the pumpkin
Feet (x2)
- 4 sc in mr (4)
- 4 sc (4)
- 4 sc (4), fasten off
- Sew to the front of the pumpkin
Using a little bit of pink yarn, sew an “x” in between the eyes to give your Cat-O-Lantern a nose! Now you have a finished Cat-O-Lantern!
If you’re looking for something a little on the spookier side, I have a pattern—and audiobook—just for you. Following Complicated Knots’ pattern (see here for a video tutorial: Can I make an amigurumi pattern smaller? (Pattern included) – YouTube), we’ll be making our very own Spookitty! While working on this one, I chose to listen to Out There Screaming—a horror anthology edited by Jordan Peele and John Joseph Adams. Jordan Peele is one of my favorite horror directors, so I knew I had to pick up a copy of this anthology as soon as it came out. Featuring an introduction read by Peele himself and showcasing a number of all-new horror stories by Black writers, Out There Screaming is sure to please any horror fan.
The Spookitty
Supplies:
- 3.75 mm crochet hook
- White medium weight yarn
- Orange medium weight yarn
- Toy stuffing
- 10 mm safety eyes
- A needle
Terms:
- MR = Magic Ring
- sc = single crochet
- inc = increase
- dcr = decrease
- inc 3 = place 3 sc into one stitch
- ch = chain
Ear (x2)
In white:
- MR 3 (3)
- 3 inc (6)
- 6 sc (6)
Fasten off the first ear; do not fasten off the second as we’ll attach the two together in the next row
Ghost Costume
4. With hook still in the second ear, place the first stich of this row into Ear 1, in the first stitch after the fasten off; 2(inc, 4 sc, inc) (16)
5. 3(sc, inc, 2 sc, inc), sc (22)
6. 7 sc, ch 6 and skip 2 stitches, 3 sc, ch 6 and skip 2 stitches, 8 sc (18)
7. 6 sc, ch 10 and skip gap + 1 stitch, sc, ch 10 and skip gap + 1 stitch, 7 sc (14)
8. 6 sc, ch 10 and skip gap, sc, ch 10 and skip gap, 7 sc (14)
9. 6 sc, sc on chain from R8, ch 2, sc on chain from R8, sc, sc on chain from R8, ch 2, sc on chain from R8, 7 sc (18)
10. 7 sc, 2 sc on chain from R9, 3 sc, 2 sc on chain from R9, 8 sc (22)
11. 3(inc, sc), 2 sc, 4(dcr), 2 sc, 2(inc, sc) (23)
12. 23 sc around (23)
13. 3 sc, 4(4 sc, inc) (27)
14. 3(inc, sc, inc, 6 sc) (33)
15. 11(inc 3, 2 sc) (55)
Fasten off and leave long tail
Eyes (x2)
In orange
- MR 6 (6)
- 6(inc); fasten off with long tail (12)
- Place safety eyes in the center of the orange circle
4. Using the white tail from the ghost costume, sew the loose “eye hole” rows down to the row below them
5. Place the eyes behind the eye holes and sew them in
Body
In orange
- MR 6 (6)
- 6(inc) (12)
- 6(sc, inc) (18)
- 3(5 sc, inc) (21)
- 21 sc (21)
- 21 sc and fasten off (21)
- Stuff the ghost costume and sew the body to the bottom of the ghost costume
Front Paws (x2)
In orange
- MR 6 (6)
- 3(sc, inc) (9)
- 3 sc, 3 dcr (6)
- 6 sc and fasten off (6)
- Sew the front paws to the center of the orange body
Back Paws (x2)
In orange
- MR 4 (4)
- 4 inc (8)
- 8 sc (8)
- 8 sc (8)
- 2(2sc, dcr) (6)
- 3 dcr and finish off (3)
- Sew the back paws to the sides of the orange body
Tail
In orange
- MR 6 (6)
- 3(sc, inc) (9)
- 9 sc (9)
- Dcr, 3 sc, dcr, 2 sc (7)
- 5 sc, dcr (6)
- 4 sc, dcr (5)
- 5 sc and fasten off (5)
- Sew the tail into the back of the body, and you have a Spookkitty!
Listen to clips from the audiobooks featured in this post!: