Table of Contents

• Equipment
• Cover + Quote Page
• Monthly Calendar
• Project + Post Planning
• Weeklies
• October Review
• Final Thoughts

Equipment

To create this spooky bullet journal setup, I used the following materials:

• Sakura Pigma Micron black fineliners: 05, 08 and 10.
• Tombow ABT Dual Brush Pen, N15 Black.
• Sakura Gelly Roll, 10 Bold, white.
• Sakura Quickie Glue pen.
• Alphabet stamps.
• Black paper.
• Ink pad, black.
• Hole punch.
• Ruler.
• Scissors.
• Pencil.
• Eraser.

Cover + Quote Page

I kept things super minimal for my Cover + Quote Page this month- I used my alphabet stamps to create the ‘October’ heading, then added some quick bat doodles alongside it using my Tombow N15 pen. For the Quote Page, I tore two rectangles of black paper and stuck them onto the page using my Sakura Quickie Glue pen (I love using this pen for glueing smaller pieces of paper- it’s so much less messy!). I used my white Sakura Gelly Roll to write ‘HAPPY’ and ‘SEASON’ on the rectangles, in simple block capitals, then used the alphabet stamps again to write ‘spooky’ in the space between- giving me a simple, yet striking, quote (though is it even really a quote? I’m not sure…) page that reads: ‘Happy Spooky Season’.

Monthly Calendar

I recently saw a super cool bullet journal spread on Pinterest that had used this black and white cobweb design, so I thought my Monthly Calendar spread would be the perfect place to give it a go myself! I stuck pieces of torn black paper into two of the corners, then used my white Sakura Gelly Roll to draw the cobweb pattern on top of them. I then used my size 10, black Sakura Pigma Micron to extend the cobwebs past the black paper, like in the original design.

For the calendar itself, I used my size 08 Pigma Micron to draw a simple grid (following the dot grid of the journal, each individual box was 6×6). I then used a hole punch to cut lots of little circles from the black paper, which I stuck in using the Quickie Glue pen and wrote the dates on using the white Gelly Roll. To help the calendar stand out from the cobweb decoration, I outlined the whole grid with a thick, black line using my Tombow N15. Finally, to finish off the spread, I used my alphabet stamps again to make the ‘October’ heading, then added a couple more bat doodles in the bottom left-hand corner for good measure.

Project + Post Planning

Last month, I introduced a new spread to my monthly setup for keeping track of my Projects + Posts. I really loved using that spread throughout September and found it really useful for keeping on top of all my various creative endeavours, so I decided to keep that spread in my monthly setup this time around. This time, though, I’ve split the spread into 4 sections (as opposed to just 2): one for keeping track of my Projects, one for my Posts, one for any Blogmas Posts I’ve been working on and, finally, one for any notes. Each of the post/project trackers is set out in a simple table format: for larger subheadings, I used a torn strip of black paper. For smaller subheadings, I used hole-punched paper circles.

In my Project table, the far-left column is labelled ‘c’ for the type of craft (e.g. knitting, crochet, baking etc.). Then, there’s a space to write the name of the project itself, followed by columns for the start and end date, before the final ‘checklist’ column that I will place a tick in when I’ve finished each project.

Both of the Post tables have the exact same format, but I did want to keep my current posts separate from the posts I’m working on in advance for Blogmas At Home 2024, just to help me keep things straight in my head! For both tables then, there’s a larger column for the post title, followed by 7 ‘checklist’ columns, for when I’ve made the item (M), taken photos of the item (P), written the post (W), edited the post (E), edited the photos (EP), proofread the post (P) and, finally, for when the post is all done and ready to go live.

I didn’t have much room in this spread for any extra decoration, but I did manage to squeeze a couple more bat doodles into the ‘Notes’ section in the bottom left!

Weeklies

I decided to try something a little new with my Weeklies this month, because I’ve been struggling recently with my weekly task lists. I LOVE having a ‘master’ task list within my weeklies, because it allows me to keep track of the tasks that I need to do without having to assign them to a particular day or keep carrying them over in my daily logs. However, over the past couple of months, I’ve been finding that tasks have been slipping through the cracks when I start a new week. This month, then, I opted to trim down my weekly spread pages and use the blank space on the far-left and right of the whole weekly section for my ‘master task lists’, so that, no matter which weekly I’m on, I can see my task lists and keep them going throughout the month. I’ll see how this works for me as the month goes on.

I set up each weekly spread in the exact same way by dividing each spread into a 4×2 ‘grid’ of boxes, using seven boxes for the daily logs and one for the weekly subheading. I used my size 08 Pigma Micron pen to draw the boxes, leaving the tops open and sticking in a small, torn rectangle of black paper for the headers.

In the eighth space, I used my alphabet stamps to write out the weekly subheading and added some more bat doodles for decoration.

To decorate the pages even more, I added a strip of black paper to the edge of the first and last spreads, next to the task sections. I kept the side of the paper closest to the weekly section straight and tore the other side, to tie it into the torn paper accents I’d used throughout the setup..

I also added thinner strips of paper (not torn, this time) to the cut edges of each of the weeklies, both to add some decoration and to soften up (quite literally) the edges (to help prevent paper cuts!). To make these, I cut strips of paper that were double the width of the ‘stripe’ that I wanted on each spread, then folded them lengthwise and stuck them over the edge of the paper, so they covered the sharp cut edge but still added a bit of decoration to both sides of the paper. This was a little time consuming and finicky to do, but I’m really happy with the finished result!

October Review

Finally, we have my October Review page. The content of this spread is exactly the same as my usual, monthly review spreads: on the left-hand page, I have space to note down the ATP & WTA Top 10, my #1 memory and my 6 favourite songs from the month. On the right-hand page, I have the ‘October Review’ heading and space to stick in a polaroid of my favourite photo from the month.

I switched up the layout of the left-hand page ever so slightly, cutting down the size of my playlist section so that I had room for a few final bat doodles (and a super spooky ‘boo.’). Like the rest of the setup, I used my size 08 Pigma Micron to draw the boxes, then made the subheadings using torn black paper and my white Gelly Roll. For the ‘Playlist’ section, I added the smaller squares (for the album covers) and lines using the size 05 Pigma Micron.

For the right-hand page, I opted to create another black-and-white cobweb design, instead of a frame. If I stick the polaroid on the page centrally, I should still be able to see lots of cobweb peeking out from behind it, giving the page some decoration. I stamped in the word ‘October’ using my alphabet stamps, then wrote ‘REVIEW’ using my Gelly Roll on another torn piece of paper, just to tie in all of the design elements that I’ve used throughout this setup.

Final Thoughts

I really love how this spread turned out- I did struggle a bit with inspiration for this month, so this setup was very much born out of a combination of desperation and necessity, which I find doesn’t usually yield the best results, but seemed to work out for me this time around! I love the simple, minimal vibe of the setup, paired with the occasional, rather un-minimal cobweb design (which I had so much fun recreating after seeing on Pinterest!), and I really like the classic, black-and-white colour scheme. I was also super happy to return to my paper-ripping roots, after a long time away from the style in favour of quicker, more doodle-y spreads.

Overall, I think this spread is going to be perfect for the spooky month ahead, without feeling overly garish- I feel like it’s Halloween-y, but not too Halloween-y, if that makes sense! As always, though, I’d love to hear what you think in the comments below!

Gemma

xxx

To mark the end of Spooky Season, I thought I would share a recipe for the most autumnal, innately Halloween-y (even though in the US I feel it’s probably more Thanksgiving-y, but I digress) treat: Pumpkin Pie. This sweet treat was always a staple in my house growing up, so it’s a really nostalgic dessert for me. Also, it’s super tasty, so there’s that too!

We’ve always used the same recipe for pumpkin pie, namely, the recipe from Delia Smith’s How To Cook: Book One. However, as seems to be the case with all family recipes, we (read: my dad, who usually makes this- and who helped me make the one pictured!) have adapted, altered, changed (and sometimes changed back) the ingredients & method quite a bit, over time. This recipe is the result of all that tweaking (ironically, it’s not even that different- what can I say, Delia knows best).

This pumpkin pie has a slightly sweet and super nutty pastry, which you can make super quickly in the food processor! The pastry shell is then filled with a silky-smooth, spiced pumpkin custard. It can be served warm or chilled, so it’s easy to make ahead. As a bonus, it is pretty easy to make (especially for a pie!), so it makes for a great, stress-free dessert option for this time of year.

Table of Contents

• Ingredients
• Equipment
• Making the Pastry
• Baking the Pastry Case
• Making the Pumpkin Filling
• Baking the Pie
• Recipe

Ingredients

This pie is made up of two elements: the nutty pastry and the rich pumpkin filling. You start by making the pastry, then you make the filling as the pastry bakes (we LOVE a time-saving recipe here!).

For the pastry, you will need:

• Pecans

A slightly unusual addition, but mixing finely chopped, toasted pecans into the pastry really elevates this pie. Not only does it give the pie a lovely, warm and nutty flavour, but it also adds another texture to the pie. I like to toast the pecans on the hob, in a dry pan over a medium heat, but you can toast them in the oven if you prefer.

• Plain flour

Don’t use self-raising flour here, or your pastry will puff up and not be crisp and flaky.

• Icing sugar

It’s only a small amount of icing sugar, but you just need the slightest hint of sweetness in the pastry, to complement the filling.

• Salt

Just a pinch, to bring out the other flavours.

• Unsalted butter

You want the butter to be very cold when you make this pastry, so that the finished pastry case is super flaky and delicious! Keep it in the fridge right until you are ready to use it, to ensure it stays as cold as possible. You’ll also want to cut it into cubes, to help incorporate it into the dry ingredients more easily.

• Egg yolk

The egg yolk adds richness to the pastry. You will need a small amount of egg white later, to seal the pastry case, so you can save the white from this egg (you’ll need another yolk later on though, so you’ll have one leftover white whatever you do- you can use it straightaway in another recipe or freeze it for another day).

• Cold water

Like the butter, it’s important that the water is very cold to ensure you get the best pastry possible.

For the pumpkin filling, you will need:

• Eggs

For the filling, you’ll need 2 whole eggs, plus an extra yolk. Use the extra white in another recipe, or freeze it for another day.

• Double cream

The cream works together with the eggs to create a silky-smooth, thick custard. If you’re in the US, use heavy cream.

• Soft dark brown sugar

Using dark brown sugar lends a deep, treacle-y flavour and colour to the filling, which really complements the pumpkin flavour.

• Maple syrup

The original recipe called for molasses, but we prefer this pie made with maple syrup. The molasses can make everything a little bitter, while maple syrup adds a gentle, smoky sweetness that goes perfectly with the other flavours.

• Spices

A variety of spices go into the filling to really give this pie that classic ‘pumpkin pie’ flavour. We use ground cinnamon, nutmeg (which is always better when freshly grated, if possible!), allspice, cloves and ginger, which are all very traditional pumpkin pie spices.

• Canned pumpkin

In the original recipe, Delia (very impressively) roasts and purées her own pumpkin. I have very vivid memories of my dad spending a looooong time pushing roasted pumpkin chunks through a sieve and, honestly, I think we unanimously decided that it just wasn’t worth it. If you have a pumpkin you want to use, and you don’t mind the excessive elbow grease required, then, by all means, go for it! But, if, like us, you prefer your pumpkin pie to be a bit less labour-intensive, canned pumpkin makes for a super smooth filling with much less effort on your part. I’d call that a win.

Equipment

Aside from the standard baking equipment you probably already have in your kitchen, you will need a couple of (slightly more) specialist equipment for this recipe.

• 9 inch (23cm) fluted tart tin, with a removable base

We’ve always made this in a fluted tart tin, but that’s kind of optional- you could have a pie with straight sides if you wanted! Having a removable base makes it SO much easier to get the pie out of the tin, so I would definitely recommend that. I believe that in the US, pumpkin pies are usually made and served in pie dishes, which would mean you don’t need to worry about removing the baked pie from the dish. I’ve never tried baking this recipe in a pie dish, but I don’t see any reason why it wouldn’t work!

• Food processor

I like to use a food processor to a) finely chop the pecans and b) make the pastry. Strictly speaking, using the processor isn’t wholly necessary- you could chop the pecans finely by hand, using a large, sharp knife, and you could make the pastry by hand, rubbing the butter into the dry ingredients with your fingertips and mixing the pastry together with a blunt knife. However, using a food processor really speeds up the process (and is a lot less messy!).

I recommend fitting the processor with a metal blade to chop the nuts, then a plastic blade to make the pastry (the plastic blade helps to prevent you from overworking the pastry, which is the reason many people worry about making pastry in a food processor. Overworking pastry can make for a tough pastry case after baking, but this particular pastry recipe is pretty hard-wearing, so I wouldn’t worry too much!).

Making the Pastry

Before you start making the pastry, you need to chop the pecans. They need to be very finely chopped (hence why it is so much easier to use the food processor!), otherwise they will prevent you from rolling out the pastry thinly enough. However, make sure you don’t go too far when processing them, or they will release their oils and end up as pecan butter- not what you’re looking for! Aim for a fine rubble, like this:

Once you have your pecan rubble, remove it from the processor and set aside. Switch the metal processor blade out for a plastic one (to prevent overworking the pastry). Then, sift together the flour, icing sugar and salt and add the dry ingredients to the processor, along with the cold, cubed butter.

Pulse until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. If you prefer/do not have a food processor, you can do this by hand in a large bowl- just rub the butter into the dry ingredients using your fingertips.

Now, you can add the finely chopped pecans, egg yolk (reserve the white for later) and cold water. Pulse until the pastry comes together into a slightly crumbly dough (you may need to add a little more cold water- just to bring it together, until it resembles the photo below).

Remove the pastry from the processor and shape it into a flat disk. Wrap the pastry disk tightly in clingfilm, then place it into the fridge to rest for 30 minutes. This will make it easier to work with later, while also helping to prevent it from shrinking too much during baking.

Baking the Pastry Case

Once the pastry has rested, preheat the oven to 180°C (conventional oven). Unwrap the pastry and place it onto a lightly floured surface. Roll it out into a circle about 30cm in diameter- it might be a little crumbly, but that’s okay- it’s a very forgiving pastry that you can patch up later if needed!

Carefully transfer your pastry circle to your fluted tart tin (lightly grease the tin beforehand to help get the pie out later) and press it into the base and sides- patching any gaps as needed. You’re looking for an even layer of pastry all over the base and sides, with a little extra sitting just above the top of the tart tin, to account for any shrinkage.

Prick the pastry all over with a fork (try not to go all the way through to the bottom of the tin- just prick the surface), then brush lightly with the reserved egg white. Bake in the centre of the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, until the pastry is golden.

If you notice that the pastry is puffing up during the baking process, just remove it from the oven, give it a few extra pricks to release the air, then return it to the oven for the remaining time.

Making the Pumpkin Filling

While the pastry case is baking, you can make the pumpkin custard filling. Place the eggs and extra egg yolk into a large bowl and whisk to combine, before setting aside.

Put the cream, sugar, maple syrup and all of the spices into a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat. Allow it to warm, whisking gently, until the sugar has melted and the mixture has come to just below a simmer.

Remove the pan from the heat and add to the beaten eggs in a slow, steady stream, whisking constantly to prevent the eggs from scrambling. Add the canned pumpkin and mix well, until you have a thick, smooth custard.

Baking the Pie

Once you have your filling made and pastry case baked, you can add the filling to the case. I find it is easiest to add the filling while the case is still in the oven- just pull the shelf the case is on halfway out using one (oven-gloved!) hand, then pour in the filling with the other hand. This way, you won’t spill any filling trying to get the pie from your countertop to the oven, which could lead to, at best, a mess and, at worst, a soggy bottom! Paul Hollywood would be QUaKinG!

Bake the filled pie at the same temperature as the pastry case (180°C) for 35-40 minutes, until the filling has puffed slightly around the edges, but is still slightly wobbly in the centre.

Allow the pie to cool slightly in the tin, before carefully removing it, then transfer to a serving plate. The pie can be eaten warm, but is equally delicious when served chilled- just store it in the fridge until you are ready to eat it.

Admittedly, as pies go, this one is a little rustic, but that’s mainly because of the pecans in the pastry. The added nuts are a real game-changer in terms of taste and texture, but they do make the pie a little less neat and perfect-looking. I kind of like that homemade, rough-and-ready kind of look, though- particularly this time of year! Besides, it tastes so good, it could look like a complete mess and I would still make it over and over again!

Recipe

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Pumpkin Pie

A traditional Pumpkin Pie with a twist: rich and nutty shortcrust pastry, filled with a velvety and spiced pumpkin filling.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword Pie, Pumpkin, Pumpkin Pie, Shortcrust pastry

Prep Time 40 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Chill Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 2 hours hours 10 minutes minutes

Servings 10

Equipment

• 1 23cm diameter fluted tart tin, with a removable base, lightly greased with butter.

Ingredients

For the pastry:

• 40 g pecans, toasted (see Note 1).
• 175 g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
• 10 g icing sugar
• pinch of salt
• 75 g unsalted butter, cold from the fridge and cubed.
• 1 tbsp cold water
• 1 egg yolk (reserve the white).

For the filling:

• 2 eggs + 1 yolk
• 275 ml double cream
• 75 g soft dark brown sugar
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg, freshly grated
• 1/2 tsp ground allspice
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1 x 425g can canned pumpkin

Instructions

Make the pastry case:

• Place the toasted pecans into a food processor, fitted with a metal blade, and pulse until they are very fine- be careful not to go too far, or they will release their oils.
• Sift together the flour, icing sugar and salt. Remove the pecans from the processor, switch the metal blade with a plastic one (see Note 2) and tip in the sifted dry ingredients. Add the cubed butter, then pulse until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
• Add the pecans back to the processor, along with the water and the egg yolk. Pulse until the pastry comes together into a slightly crumbly dough (you may need to add a little more water to achieve this).
• Take the pastry out of the processor and form it into a flat disk. Wrap the disk tightly in clingfilm and place in the fridge to rest for at least 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 180°C. When the pastry has finished resting, unwrap it and place it onto a lightly floured surface. Roll the pastry into a circle about 30cm in diameter. The pastry will be a little crumbly- don't worry, you can patch it later. Transfer the pastry circle to your greased tin and press it firmly into the base and sides, patching any gaps, so that you have an even layer of pastry all over the base and sides. Make sure that the pastry sits a little above the rim of the tin all the way around, to account for any shrinkage. Prick the base of the pastry all over with a fork, then brush it lightly with the reserved egg white. Place the tin on the middle shelf of the preheated oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden.

Make the pumpkin filling:

• While the pastry case is baking, make the filling. Place the eggs and extra yolk into a large bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.
• Put the cream, sugar, maple syrup and all of the spices into a medium-sized saucepan. Place the pan over medium heat and allow to warm, whisking gently to combine, until the sugar has melted and the mixture is just below a simmer.
• Remove the hot cream mixture from the heat and pour into the eggs, in a slow and steady stream, whisking constantly. Add the pumpkin and whisk well until you have a smooth custard.
• When the pastry case is ready, you can fill it with the pumpkin mixture. Pull the oven shelf, with the pastry case still on it, half out, so that you can pour the filling directly into the case, before pushing the shelf all the way back in and baking the pie for 35-40 minutes, until the filling has puffed a little around the edges, but is slightly wobbly in the centre. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack. Once cool, place in the fridge to chill, before serving, though you can also eat it warm, if you can't wait!

Notes

1. I like to toast the pecans in a dry skillet over a medium-high heat on the hob- this takes just a few minutes. Alternatively, you can toast them for about 8 minutes at the same temperature that the pie bakes at (180°C). 
2. I find that using a plastic blade in the food processor helps to make the pastry less tough. You will want to use a metal blade to chop the nuts, though, because the plastic blade will not be strong enough to break them up. 

 

This recipe is adapted from Delia Smith’s ‘How to Cook: Book One’. 

As I mentioned in that post, the whole setup was inspired by this Halloween Ghost Cat Amigurumi crochet pattern, by Imelda Liputri (@medaami). I think it is truly one of the most adorable things I have EVER seen and it definitely made for a super cute, super spooky setup. I did say that I might give the crochet pattern a try at some point during October and… I did! I made my very own Halloween Ghost Cat Amigurumi, and I thought I would share my experience working with this pattern and making my cat with you today.

A little disclaimer to begin: obviously, this post does NOT include the pattern for the cat. If you want to make your own cat, you will need to buy the original pattern yourself. You can purchase the pattern from Ravelry (which is what I did!) or from Etsy. I purchased this pattern independently for my own, personal use and this post is just me sharing my experience of it and attempting to shine a light on this super-talented creator! 

With that out of the way, let’s get into my cat-making adventure!

Table of Contents

• Materials
  • Yarn
  • Additional Equipment
• The Process
  • Head
  • Body
  • Tail
  • Sheet
  • Ears
  • Arms
  • Pumpkin Bag
• Final Thoughts

Materials

Yarn

I just used odds and ends from my stash for this project- you don’t need very much. For the majority of the yarn, I used Stylecraft Special DK. To the best of my knowledge, I used the following shades:

• Black (1002), for the body and the embroidery on the pumpkin.
• Powder Pink (1843), for the nose and ear details.
• Warm Grey (1805), for the whiskers
• Camel (1420), for the eye details.
• Spice (1711), for the pumpkin bag.
• Walnut (1054), for the handle of the pumpkin bag.

I didn’t have any white acrylic yarn on hand, so I used some cotton yarn instead. I have absolutely no idea what brand it is, but it is a DK weight yarn, just like the Stylecraft.

Additional Equipment

• 3.5mm crochet hook
• Locking stitch marker (I use these ones).
• Tapestry needle
• 2x12mm safety eyes (a little bigger than the ones listed in the pattern, but it’s what I had- I figure bigger eyes can only make amigurumi cuter anyway, right?)
• Scissors
• Stuffing

The Process

For this pattern, like most amigurumi patterns, you make most of the elements separately and sew them all together at the end. It doesn’t really matter what order you make them in, but I did find it helpful to make the head (top left) before I made the sheet (top centre) that goes over the top, so I could ensure it fit (which it did, pretty perfectly, which I was very impressed by- the pattern was so precise!). Along with those two pieces, you have 2x ears, 2x arms, 1x tail, 1x pumpkin basket and 1x body (which includes the two legs- more on this later). For the most part, I just followed the pattern for each body part, but I did make a couple of adaptations, here and there. I’ll talk through those adaptations in a second.

The original pattern suggests using a dark grey yarn for the body of the cat. This works really well, because you can then embroider the facial details on with a black yarn- the whole thing still ends up looking like a black cat, but you get a bit more dimension. I think it looks great! I, unfortunately, did not have a dark grey yarn on hand, so I opted to use black for the whole thing. I do feel I lost a little dimension by doing this, even though I managed to keep the nose/whisker details by replacing the black embroidery with pink/grey embroidery, respectively.

Head

For the construction of the head, I followed the pattern exactly. The pattern makes for a really cute head (that sounds weird, I know, but it’s true!)- the cat has little chubby cheeks that are super easy to make but have a real impact on the finished cat- you might not be able to see it so clearly on my cat, because of the colour, but it’s definitely there!

The only thing I did differently for the head was that I embroidered the face (i.e. the pink nose and the grey whiskers) when I added the safety eyes- just before you finish off the head. I did this just to make the process a little easier for myself- embroidering onto a toy that has already been stuffed is a little trickier than embroidering onto an unstuffed piece of crochet because it’s a little harder to secure the ends. Having said that, the placement of the embroidery is easier to visualise when the head is stuffed, so do whatever you find easiest! I didn’t add a mouth, like the cat in the pattern has, because I thought a pink/grey mouth would look a little… strange? I also didn’t add the optional ‘eyeliner’ because, unless my cat wanted to go full 80s blue with its eye makeup, the little wings wouldn’t have shown up against the black body…

A couple of notes here:

• My whiskers looked super cute at this stage, but, when I put the sheet over the head, it completely covered them! Having looked at the original pattern’s photos, I think this was the case for that cat too- which seems a little pointless to me- I wanted to see the whiskers! I went back later and extended them out a little- they’re still a little obscured, but they are at least visible now. If you want your whiskers to be seen, I recommend taking them much closer to the eye- about a stitch away.
• I am OBSESSED with the technique this pattern used to enhance the safety eyes! It was so simple, but SO effective- genuinely, if you’re looking to up your toy eye game, I would recommend buying this pattern just for that! I’m not sure if it’s an original technique, but I’ve definitely never seen it before.

Body

For the body, I followed the pattern exactly as it was.

When I first started following amigurumi patterns, I would make one body piece and two leg pieces, all separately. Either I was using the wrong patterns, or the collective hatred of the amigurumi world for darning in ends and sewing things up has inspired a more seamless approach to bodies: an all-in-one method, where the legs are made separately, then worked together into a single body piece. This pattern uses that all-in-one technique! I’ve made a few patterns that utilise this kind of approach and I am completely, utterly IN LOVE. Not only does it mean that there’s less sewing up, but I think it gives a really professional, seamless look. The technique can feel a little awkward when you start out, but the pattern is so clear- just follow the instructions and you’ll get there!

Tail

When I first made the tail, my first thought was: “Tail, why are you so LONG?” Everything else about the pattern seemed so proportional and right, that this tail just felt a little weird. Admittedly, in the photo of all the body parts, it doesn’t even look that long, but it just seemed very long when I was making it, you know? Anyway, having assembled the whole cat, I have since discovered that the long tail is vital to this design. The legs are quite small, so the tail really helps balance the cat so that it can stand up by itself. I often find that my amigurumi makes don’t stand up so well on their own, so the fact that this cat does (and so well!) is a real win for me. Tail, I’m sorry- I misjudged you!

Sheet

Ah, the sheet. Honestly, the sheet was one of the main selling points of this pattern to me- I use a lot of amigurumi patterns, but I was really intrigued by the construction of this sheet- specifically, the hole around the face. It was really interesting to see how this unusual shape was constructed and I was super impressed by how perfectly it fitted over the cat. The problem, however, is that, for someone like me who despises sewing in ends, the technique suggested in this pattern is absolutely hellish. Essentially, to get that hole in the front, you have to leave a gap in your rounds of crochet- the pattern achieves this by cutting the yarn at the end of every row and re-joining it at the beginning. All fun and games, but this goes on for a good number of rows- when every row has 2 ends to sew in, I’m sure you can see why I was so aghast.

I honestly could not bring myself to do that. Instead, I opted to form the rows by crocheting back-and-forth over the area. It takes a little bit of working out, but it is much easier (and much less soul-destroying) than sewing in all those ends- just remember that the shaping is always at the start/end of the row and work out the number of regular stitches from the pattern accordingly. However, you can see a difference in the texture of the stitches. If you look in the photo above, you can see that my crochet is a little more open where I have gone back and forth (around the centre portion) and is slightly more ridged than the crochet worked in rounds. Obviously, the pattern was designed to avoid this- but I just couldn’t face all the ends (I’ve seen a lot of other people who made this pattern who felt the same way!), so I decided that the slightly less neat sheet was the lesser of two evils.

While the sheet did fit very well over the cat’s head, it does have a tendency to slip about a little, making it look a little less like the perfect fit it is! In the end, I decided to use some more of the white yarn to add a few little stitches to keep it in place. I didn’t want to stitch all around the face hole because I thought that might look a bit funny, so I opted to make 8 little stitches, evenly space around the perimeter of the face hole, making sure to make each stitch as invisible as possible. Honestly, I think this made a huge difference- my little cat always looks his best now and the whole thing is much more secure!

Ears

In the original pattern, you crochet the black ears, then you crochet two teeny-tiny triangles of pink, which you then stitch onto the black ears. I won’t lie, it seemed like a lot of effort- sewing in ends on tiny things is the WORST, especially when they really have to look nice and neat. Again, I let my laziness win. Instead of the extra crochet details, I opted to do a little bit of freehand embroidery to add the ear details. I cut a length of pink yarn, threaded it onto my needle and looped it through one side of the black ear piece, over and over, going through the same point near the top of the ear each time, to get a triangle. When I was done, because I was really embracing the whole lazy vibe at this point, I tied the two ends in a double knot and tucked it inside the ear, never to be seen again. Truth be told, I actually… love how this turned out? The embroidery gives the ears a slightly puffy look, which I think makes the cat even cuter!

The embroidery did make it slightly trickier to attach the ears to the cat- it is quite loopy, so it’s not the best for stitching into. However, I found that if I stitched very solidly along the back and sides of the ears, they were secure enough anyway. I also wrapped the black thread once around the base of the ear, at the front, before darning in the end, to add a line of black in-between the pink of the ear and the white of the sheet, which made a HUGE difference in how put-together my little cat looked. Such a simple trick, but so effective.

Arms

I am undecided about the arms on this cat. I think they are very proportional to the cat body, which is great, but I would almost like them to be just a little bit longer (maybe a single row?). I think that would make it easier to position the pumpkin bag on the right-hand one, because I just feel that the bag doesn’t quite have enough room to sit right?

The pattern suggests stuffing the arms lightly, before sewing them to the body. I was a little worried about attaching the arms to the body (you have to attach them through the sheet and onto the body), so I opted to stuff only the paws, then stitch across the opening of the arms so that I had a flat edge to attach to the body. After that, the process really wasn’t as bad as I thought! I sewed the arm fully onto the sheet, then attached it to the body underneath with a stitch on each end- that way, it was secure and gave the cat some dimension, but the sheet wasn’t so cinched in that it looked weird. I do wonder if stuffing the whole arm and leaving the opening as it was would have given the ams a bit more structure and length though, so maybe that was on me!

Pumpkin Bag

I feel like the pumpkin bag is the thing that really makes this cat. It’s just so cute! I opted to embroider the face on, using black yarn, as opposed to the felt used in the original pattern (again, it just seemed like sooooo much work to find the felt, cut the felt, stick it on etc.). I embroidered two little upside down V’s for the eyes, then made a loose straight stitch for the mouth, which I curved into a smile by securing it at the bottom with a tiny stitch.

For the handle, the pattern suggests making a chain, sewing in the ends and glueing it to the pumpkin part. I just crocheted the chain directly onto the pumpkin and sewed in the ends afterwards- it was very quick, neat and effective.

I didn’t fill mine with scrap yarn to look like sweets, as the pattern suggests, because I figured they’d just fall out. Sorry, cat.

One final note on the pumpkin basket: the pattern suggests that you just hook the pumpkin bucket over the arm, which I felt was just an accident waiting to happen, so I decided to secure it with a single stitch, in the centre. That way, it can still be manoeuvred a little bit, but it’s not about to go missing (or be eaten by a misguided dog) anytime soon!

Final Thoughts

I’m pretty used to the techniques used in most amigurumi patterns, so I was pretty confident going into this one, which is listed as an intermediate-level pattern. Honestly, I think this rating is spot on- I didn’t struggle with it by any means, but I feel if I had less experience with amigurumi, it definitely would have been challenging in places- specifically the body piece and the sheet. Having said that, I feel like it looks a lot more challenging than it actually is (which can only be a good thing because I apparently live to impress).

I made a few little changes throughout, here and there, just to suit the pattern/finished cat to my individual needs, but the pattern itself is incredibly clear and thorough, so none of my changes were really necessary.

I still would have loved to have made this cat in a dark grey yarn, so I could really get the detail/dimension of the original pattern, but I’m still really happy with my black cat. It’s so cute and it really didn’t take me too long to make at all!

I hope you’ve enjoyed this post! Let me know if you’re crocheting anything spooky this October!

Gemma

xxx

I am… undecided on how I feel about Halloween. I LOVE a wholesome, pumpkin pie, crafty, trick-or-treating Halloween. A copious-amounts-of-chocolate Halloween. However, I do NOT vibe with things that are actually scary- I have watched a grand total of one horror film in my lifetime and, honestly, that was one too many. So, while I like some aspects of Halloween, I’m definitely not a hardcore, spooky Halloween-lover. Nevertheless, I love an occasion and I will take any opportunity for some themed creativity, so, here we are.

All this to say- my October 2023 bullet journal has a Halloween theme. Specifically, it has a cute & gentle Halloween theme, to match my preferred Halloween vibe. This month’s theme is… Trick-Or-Treating Cats, because what is more wholesome than a cartoon cat in a costume? I, for one, can’t think of anything.

This setup is very straightforward- it’s really just a lot of cat doodles and freehand lines. I coloured all my doodles in with colouring pencils, to make it feel even more playful & childlike (read: even less spooky). Honestly, I had so much fun making this setup- it’s not my usual style (I was very inspired by the more doodle-y style of AmandaRachLee!), so I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the process.

Anyway, enough chit-chat. Let’s get into the setup.

Table of Contents

• Inspiration
• Equipment
• Cover Page
• Monthly Calendar
• Blog Planning + Daily Sunshine
• Weeklies
  • Weekly 1
  • Weekly 2
  • Weekly 3
  • Weekly 4
• October Review
• Final Thoughts

Inspiration

The cat on my cover page was inspired by a crochet pattern I came across on Pinterest, by Medaami. You can find the pattern here (you can also check out my Pinterest here!). If I have time over the course of this month, I might give the crochet pattern a try, because it’s SO cute! When it came to dreaming up a theme for my October bullet journal, I just couldn’t shake the image from my head. I figured it would be pretty easy to doodle, even with my (very limited) doodling abilities, so I went for it. I’m so happy I did! I think this theme turned out so well- it’s very Halloween-y and it’s super adorable, so it ticks all my boxes for this month.

Equipment

For this setup, I used the following equipment:

• Muji 0.38mm pen, black.
• Uni-ball Eye Fine UB-157 pen, black.
• Tombow ABT Dual Brush Pens: N15 (black) and N89 (warm grey 1).
• Colouring pencils.
• Sakura Gelly Roll, 10 Bold, white.
• Black paper.
• Glue stick.
• Scissors.
• Ruler.
• Pencil.
• Eraser.

Cover Page

The right-hand side of my Cover Page for this month is super simple- it’s just a doodle of the inspiration cat (which is just a cat in a ghost costume with a pumpkin bag) and the ‘October’ heading. I drew the outline of the cat with my Muji 0.38mm black pen, then coloured it in with colouring pencils. For the heading, I used my black Uni-ball pen (which has a thicker nib than the Muji pen) and a simple, lowercase font.

On the left-hand page, I opted to include a Taylor Swift quote (because, obviously). I drew some bunting along the top, which I coloured in with the 4 main colours that will be used throughout this theme: orange, green, purple and yellow (very Halloween-y colours, no?), before writing the letters of ‘karma‘ on top with my Uni-ball pen. I found the Muji pen did not write very well on top of coloured pencils, but the Uni-ball pen worked perfectly, so I used that. I drew another cat (dressed up as a witch this time) and tried to make it look like the cat was casting a spell with the final word of the quote. It looks a little bit smudged here because I made the mistake of trying to erase my pencil sketchings after I added the coloured pencils. Don’t be like me. Erase the pencil first.

At the bottom of the left-hand page, I added some black paper, decorated with some, what I have fondly coined, cat-fetti. I used this decorated paper throughout the setup and it was very easy to make- I just took my white Sakura Gelly Roll pen and drew an assortment of confetti doodles all over a piece of black paper. To make it into cat-fetti, I added some tiny, cat-shaped confetti pieces, which were basically just large dots with two little pointy ears. Super simple, but I think it really elevated the setup!

Monthly Calendar

I think this Monthly Calendar might be my favourite spread in this whole setup- just LOOK at those little cat pumpkins :’). Again, this was a super simple spread to make- I just used the fine tip of my black Tombow to draw a grid of 6×6 boxes, rounding off the outer corners. Then, I outlined the cat pumpkins with my Muji pen, before colouring them in. I used the same 4 colours as the bunting on the previous page to draw little dots in the grid for the dates, which I wrote in with my Uni-ball pen. I used the same Uni-ball pen to write in the ‘October’ heading, then stuck in some more cat-fetti paper to fill in the space on the left-hand side.

Blog Planning + Daily Sunshine

On the left-hand page of this double-page spread, I have a space for planning my blog content. Last month, I tried out this layout of 4 boxes- 1 per blog post, in which I can write down specific to-do lists for each post. I found it very useful last month, so I’m using it again! I drew each box using my black Tombow pen, then coloured in the bars across the top, following my colour scheme. This page’s cat is dressed as a bat (a bat cat?), so I gave it bat wings and pointy fangs.

On the right-hand page, I have my Daily Sunshine page, where I write down one positive thing that happened each day. Again, I drew the box with my black Tombow pen, then drew little dots with my colouring pencils for the dates, which I wrote in using my Uni-ball pen. I also highlighted every other row with my N89 Tombow pen, just because the box felt a little empty. This page’s cat has a pumpkin hat on- I like to think it is the baby of the group.

Weeklies

Because of how October falls this year, I decided to merge the dates a little within my weeklies (so, I suppose, they aren’t even technically Weeklies…), so I wouldn’t have to set up whole spreads for weeks that just had one or two days of October in them. As always, I used tabs to separate out my weeklies. This month, I coloured in the tabs using the coloured pencils (following the colour scheme, of course), and stuck some more cat-fetti paper on the left-hand side of my first weekly and the right-hand side of my October review page, to make the tabs really stand out.

I kept the style of each weekly very consistent- the only real differences between the 4 spreads is the costume of the cat doodle and the layout of the boxes- otherwise, I drew all of the boxes using the fine tip of my black Tombow pen (just like the rest of the setup), coloured in the header bars in the colour scheme and wrote the days of the week/dates over the top, using my Uni-ball pen. As always, each weekly spread has spaces for my daily to-do lists, a master task list and some notes.

Weekly 1

My first weekly spread spans 1st-8th October. I used two square grids for my daily to-do lists, then put the boxes for notes and tasks in the top right. This weekly’s cat is dressed like a vampire, so it has a red-lined cape and, like the bat cat, some pointy fangs.

Weekly 2

The second weekly is actually a weekly because it spans 7 days: 9th-15th October. For this weekly, I placed the header across the middle of the spread and put the daily to-do list boxes along the top and bottom. I also merged my tasks and notes boxes on this spread. This weekly’s cat is a Franken-Cat (Frankenstein’s Feline Monster?), which has some green face paint, drawn-on scars and a neck bolt.

Weekly 3

For the third weekly, I went for one of my favourite layouts- 8 vertical boxes, with a horizontal space for notes at the top. This week’s cat is a Devil-cat- he has horns, a pointy tail and a pitchfork, ready for all of his devilish endeavours.

Weekly 4

The final ‘weekly’ spans 23rd-31st October- a week plus two days. I also made a little space for the first 5 days of November, which fall in the same calendar week as the last two days of October, just so I can keep better track of my dates. This weekly’s cat is an Anti-Hero-inspired Ghost Cat, with the iconic sunglasses. Unfortunately, this cat is kind of giving… chihuahua? Sigh. It’s not my favourite.

October Review

For the first time in FOREVER, I have decided to switch up the left-hand page of my October Review! I just felt like my favourites section was getting a bit stale and I was finding it particularly hard to choose just one song to write down every month. I’ve replaced the old favourites section with a larger ‘October Playlist’, with spaces for 6 of my favourite songs. I’m really looking forward to filling this in! Other than that, the three other sections: WTA Top 10, ATP Top 10 and #1 Memory, have all remained the same.

Another thing I have kept the same is the space for a polaroid on the right-hand page. This month, instead of a typical frame, I opted for another magical cat casting a spell (except here the cat is a wizard, not a witch). This time, I remembered to erase my pencil sketchings before I went in with the coloured pencils, so it was a lot neater and less smudgy!

Final Thoughts

I wasn’t sure how I would feel about this setup- it was very much a last-minute (as you can probably tell from the fact that we are already into October when I’m posting this!), quick and easy setup- much simpler than my usual themes and very different style! However, having started using it already, I really love it! I think the cats are SO cute, the colours give me such Halloween vibes and I think the functionality of the spreads will be really helpful for the month ahead. Making this setup has really put me in a Halloween-y mood, so I’m really looking forward to the rest of the month!

I’d love to hear what you think of this theme- let me know in the comments below!

Gemma

xxx