Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebrations in Mexico traditionally include treats decorated with skulls made of sugar and embellished in bright colors. Inspired by those works of edible art, this balaclava makes a fun and unusual ski mask. Sugar Skull is a simple knitted mask, embroidered with French knots and satin stitch motifs in bright yarn.

In researching the patterns, I was surprised and delighted to find many similarities between these flowers and swirls and those used in the Norwegian folk embroidery called rosemaling. Looking further, I found embroideries from Ukraine, China, and Bavaria that all reminded me of the Mexican designs. It’s a small world, after all.