Don’t you just love the face a small child pulls at Halloween? Half thrilled, half horrified, and usually at something that is not remotely scary.

The Scaredy Cat jumper gives them something to pull that face at. A wide-eyed orange cat is having a very bad Halloween, all because of one small black spider, while a moon and a pair of bats look on. The cat is scared so the child does not have to be, and they will tell everyone who will listen exactly why.

If the family has a cat of its own, you can knit Scaredy Cat in its colours.

There is no intarsia to worry about. The cat and spider are small, quick knits sewn on at the end, the moon is duplicate stitched from a clear chart, and you can work the spider’s legs in knitting or crochet, whichever you prefer. The jumper (sweater) is worked flat from the bottom up, with set-in sleeves, a soft fade of stripes and a buttoned shoulder that goes easily over little heads. The instructions are clear and easy to follow, and it is quick to knit up.

Designed by Jane Burns, with 18 years of experience creating exclusive knitting and crochet patterns for babies and children.

Yarn
Stylecraft Special DK, 100% acrylic, 295m (322yds) per 100g.
Yarn A, Proper Purple (3138): 2 (2: 2: 2: 3) balls
Yarn B, Violet (1277): 1 (1: 2: 2: 2) balls
Yarn C, Spice (1711): 1 ball, all sizes
Yarn D, White (1001): 1 ball, all sizes
Yarn E, Black (1002): 1 ball, all sizes
Any DK weight yarn will work. Premier Yarns Basix DK is a good US alternative.

Needles
3.25mm (US 3) and 4mm (US 6) straight needles
3.25mm (US 3) circular needle
4mm (US 6) double-pointed needles or a 4mm (US G-6) crochet hook for the spider’s legs

Also needed
Darning needle, stitch markers, stitch holders, 3 purple buttons approx 1.5cm diameter, sewing thread and needle

Tension
22 sts and 30 rows to 10cm x 10cm (4in x 4in) in stocking stitch on 4mm needles

Sizes
1 to 2 (2 to 3: 4 to 5: 6 to 7: 8 to 9) years

To fit chest
51 (56: 61: 67: 71) cm / 20 (22: 24: 26.5: 28) in

Finished chest
54.5 (60: 65.5: 71: 74.5) cm / 21.5 (23.5: 25.75: 28: 29.5) in

Finished length
33 (37.5: 41.5: 45: 48) cm / 13 (14.75: 16.5: 18: 19) in

Sleeve length
23 (26.5: 29: 35.5: 36) cm / 9 (10.5: 11.5: 14: 14.25) in

Skill level
Confident beginner

A note on safety
This jumper is made for little ones. Sew the shoulder buttons on securely, and stitch the spider’s legs down along their whole length so small fingers cannot hook under them.

Make the whole outfit
The Halloween Hats pattern was designed to go with this jumper. The pumpkin hat is knitted in purples with the same Spice orange as the cat, so the two look as though they were always meant to be worn together. The hat shown in some photos is a separate pattern.

The Ghost House jumper and mittens has a haunted house pocket with a pair of ghost mittens to hide inside, which is handy if there is a second child who wants something different.

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