A round, dark spider hangs from a single thread beneath a cream web that fills the top half of a purple Halloween pillow. It has big eyes, a small smile and two orange cheeks, which take only four stitches between them. You begin at the bottom with the legs, eight of them stepping out one stitch at a time, and the web comes last, once you have found your rhythm. In the web, cream lines one stitch wide shift sideways from row to row, so you alternate short runs of cream and purple across the top, while the purple background gives you long, easy stretches.

The free pattern has the full color chart (64 stitches by 74 rows, 5 colors), every row written out with its colors in the order you work them, a printable pattern, and the chart as a picture to download. It explains how to read the chart, carry the colors, make the back (crocheted or fabric) and put the pillow together.

You need: worsted weight yarn (medium, 4) in 5 colors (Purple, Graphite, Cream, Gray, Orange), a 4 mm (US G-6) or 4.5 mm (US 7) hook, and a 16 inch (40 cm) pillow insert. For the back, more yarn in one color, or fabric.

Gauge: 16 stitches and about 18.5 rows in 4 inches (10 cm) in single crochet, carrying the colors. US terms.

We drew this design stitch by stitch. No image AI was used.