How many of my crafty friends out there love Halloween?!? I think in some way or another, everyone has a positive affiliation to the fun and spook-filled holiday. Whether it’s dressing up yourself or your kids, handing out candy, visiting a haunted house, partaking in a fall festival, or going all out with the gory gruesome decor, Halloween is full of mystery, magic, creativity and whimsy!

While at the craft store a few weeks past, I picked up a ball of some sparkly black yarn that I just loved and immediately thought “This is perfect for all things Halloween!”. I dropped it in my cart and brought the beauty home, only to forget about it until this past weekend. We were getting ready to carve pumpkins and it suddenly popped in my head – “Hey, remember that yarn you got? This is it’s destiny!”. In true last minute fashion, I felt compelled to use it for some cutesy Halloween decor, particularly a pumpkin!

Carving faces on pumpkins has always been a fun Halloween tradition in my house since I myself was a child. We draw out silly or scary pumpkin faces on the fly, then carve away and hope it all turns out! I wanted to do the same with yarn and so my Halloween face motifs sprang to life.

Before using Scrubby Sparkle yarn*, I was a bit skeptical about it’s ease of use and how well I’d be able to find my stitches as I crocheted. Add on the fact that it is black yarn (we all know how friendly black yarn is to use) and thus my skepticism grew. I would describe it as an “eyelash yarn” because of how it looks. The center thread of the yarn holds all the little sparkly bits and is the subtle base of the yarn used to construct the bulk of the stitches. It’s fun and shiny and exceptionally easy to crochet with, which was a happy surprise for me and helped make this project work up quick and easy!

These Halloween face motifs are perfect to mix and match on any large pumpkin (either real or artificial) or could be used to add faces to shirts, costumes, blankets or many other possible surfaces. Work them up in a snap for any last minute Halloween projects you may have!

Halloween Face Motifs

Crochet Pattern written by Amanda White of Yarnanigans, Copyright 2017

All my patterns are available for free. Please do not copy, sell, redistribute or publish this pattern as your own. If you wish to share this pattern on your site or social media, please link back to my site. You may sell items produced using this pattern provided you give credit and do not use my copyrighted photos for your product listing.

Materials

• US size H/5 mm crochet hook, I recommend this ergonomic crochet hook set from Clover*
• 1 3oz skein Scrubby Sparkle by Red Heart in Licorice*
• scissors
• tapestry needle

Abbreviations

• ch – chain
• sl st – slip stitch
• sc – single crochet
• hdc – half double crochet
• sc2tog – single crochet 2 together
• hdc2tog – half double crochet 2 together

Stitch Definition

sc2tog – Insert hook into stitch and draw up a loop. Insert hook into next stitch and draw up a loop. Yarn over, draw through all 3 loops on hook.

hdc2tog – Yarn over, insert hook into stitch and draw up a loop (3 loops on hook). Yarn over, insert hook into next stitch and draw up a loop (5 loops on hook). Yarn over, draw through all 5 loops on hook.

magic circle – Holding the yarn tail end, wrap your yarn around the index finger of your left hand 3 times. With your crochet hook in your right hand, insert your hook under the two right-most loops, then draw up the left-most loop under the previous 2 loops. Yarn over and pull through loop to secure. For detailed visual directions, refer to this guide by Crochet World.

Pattern Notes

One 3oz ball of the Scrubby Sparkle yarn* was more than enough to make a generous heap of motif shapes. Unless you’re going to be making an obscene amount of motifs for a pumpkin decorating party or the like, one ball should be more than sufficient!

Pattern Instructions

Triangle eyes/nose

• Ch 3
• Hdc in 3rd ch from hook.
• Ch 2, turn, 3 hdc in next st.
• Ch 2, turn, hdc in each st across. (3)
• Ch 2, turn, 2 hdc in first st, hdc in next, 2 hdc in last.
• Ch 2, turn, hdc in each st across. (5)
• For small triangle, fasten off here. For larger triangle continue on.
• Ch 2, turn, 2 hdc in first st, hdc in next 3, 2 hdc in last.
• Ch 2, turn, hdc in each st across. (7)
• For medium triangle, fasten off here. For larger triangle continue on.
• Ch 2, turn, 2 hdc in first st, hdc in next 5, 2 hdc in last.
• Ch 2, turn, hdc in each st across. (9)
• Fasten off. Weave in ends.

Circle eyes/nose

• Create a magic circle, ch 1 to secure, ch 1 more for height. Hdc 12 stitches in the loop. Join to the top of the 1st hdc st of the round with sl st. Pull yarn tail to close the circle.
• Ch 2, 2 hdc in same stitch as sl st and in each st around. Join to first st with sl st.
• For small circle, fasten off here. For larger circle continue on.
• Ch 2, 2 hdc in same stitch as sl st, 1 hdc in next. *2 hdc in next, 1 hdc in next. Repeat from * around. Join to 1st with sl st.
• Fasten off. Weave in ends.

Decorate a white shirt with the circle eyes and a smiley face mouth for a quick and cute friendly ghost costume!

Smiley face mouth/Frowning face mouth

• Ch6
• Hdc in 3rd ch from hook, hdc in next 3.
• Turn, sl st next 2, ch 2, hdc in same st and next.
• Ch 2, turn, hdc in 2. Repeat for 2
• Ch 2, turn, hdc in next, 2 hdc in last.
• Ch 2, turn, hdc in next 3. Repeat for 2
• Ch 2, turn, 2 hdc in next, hdc in next 2.
• Ch 1, turn, sc twice, hdc twice.
• Ch 2, turn, hdc twice, sc twice.
• Ch 1, turn, sc twice, hdc in next, 2 hdc in last.
• Ch 2, turn, hdc in each st across.
• Ch 1, turn, sc twice, hdc in next 3
• Ch 2, turn, hdc twice, sc in next, sc2tog
• Ch 1, turn, sc twice, hdc twice
• Ch 2, turn, hdc twice, sc twice
• Ch 2, turn, hdc2tog, hdc in next 2
• Ch 2, turn, hdc in each st across. Repeat for 2
• Ch 2, turn, hdc2tog, hdc in next
• Ch 2, turn, hdc in next 2. Repeat for 2
• Ch 3, turn, hdc in 3rd ch from hook, hdc in next, 3 hdc in last.
• Fasten off. Weave in ends

The smiley mouth and the frowning mouth are made the same – just flip one way or the other to change up your motif’s emotion!

Toothy mouth

• Ch 3.
• Hdc in 3rd stitch from hook.
• Ch 2, turn, 2 hdc in st.
• *Ch 3, do not turn, 2 hdc in 3rd ch from hook Ch 2, turn, hdc in next, 2 hdc in next*
• Repeat from * to * 8 times.
• Ch 3, 2 hdc in 3rd ch from hook.
• Ch 2, turn, hdc2tog.
• Fasten off. Weave in ends.

Whew! I just barely got this post in before the holiday deadline! Grab your yarn today and whip up some for yourself. Hope everyone enjoys the free crochet pattern for this project. Feel free to tag me on social media @yarnanigans on Instagram and Twitter with your cute Halloween projects using these motifs!