Stephanie Pokorny, a crochet designer from Mentor, Ohio, makes her four sons' Halloween costumes entirely out of yarn, and they are not the usual knitted hat with ears. Her boys have gone trick-or-treating as the Alien xenomorph, the Predator, Skeletor, a glow-in-the-dark Slimer from Ghostbusters, E.T. and Pennywise the clown, each one crocheted from head to toe with sculpted faces, claws and tails.
She runs a pattern business called Crochetverse, but the costumes themselves are a family tradition rather than a product. In interviews she has said that a single costume can take 30 to 50 hours, which is why each one becomes a small event in the house, chosen by the boys and built over a couple of weeks before October 31.
Who is Stephanie Pokorny?
Pokorny told FOX 7 Austin that she grew up watching her grandmother crochet small lap blankets for a local veterans' hospital. She learned to crochet herself at 16, put it aside for a while, and picked it up again when she was pregnant with her first son. She says she has crocheted for her boys for years, and the elaborate Halloween costumes began about four years before that 2019 interview.
Her Predator costume took first place in a contest run by the Stan Winston School of Character Arts, a school named after the special-effects artist whose studio built the original Predator creature. The film's official social media account also shared the costume and approved of it, according to Cleveland19's report.
The costumes, one by one
Alien xenomorph. The long, ridged head, ribbed torso, spiny back and whip-like tail copy the creature that H. R. Giger designed for Ridley Scott's 1979 film Alien. Pokorny has said this costume alone took about 45 hours over two weeks, and the close-ups show why: every rib and tooth is a separate crocheted piece, while her son's face peeks out from the jaws.
Slimer from Ghostbusters. The green ghost from the 1984 comedy is shaped as a lumpy, layered body with a gaping mouth full of teeth that frames the child's face. Made at her son's request, it was crocheted in glow-in-the-dark yarn, so after sunset the whole costume shines green, as the last photo shows.
Skeletor. The villain of the 1980s cartoon He-Man and the Masters of the Universe comes with a purple hood, a bony skull face with glowing red eyes, armoured chest harness and boots. The skull is worn high on the head like a helmet, so the child can see and breathe easily underneath.
Predator. The hunter from the 1987 film gets its trademark dreadlocks, mottled mandibled face, netted body armour and clawed gloves. This is the costume that won the Stan Winston School contest; the detail in the mask, built entirely from yarn, is what impressed the special-effects community.
E.T. Steven Spielberg's 1982 alien is recreated in wrinkly brown stitches, with long fingers, a round belly and large glassy blue eyes on the hood. It is one of the softer, friendlier designs in the collection.
Garden gnome. A red pointed hat, white curly beard, blue tunic, belt and orange boots turn a small boy into a classic garden gnome, posed next to a red toadstool. It shows that not every Crochetverse costume is a movie monster; some are simply storybook characters.
Harry Potter. The black hooded robe carries a Gryffindor crest, worn over a crocheted sweater in the house colours, and the look is finished with round glasses, a wand and a broomstick. The robe is one of the simpler shapes in the collection, but the crest and striped trim are worked in fine detail.
Pennywise the clown. The yellow jumpsuit with orange pom-poms, ruffled collar and flame-red hair recalls the version of Stephen King's clown played by Tim Curry in the 1990 TV adaptation of It, rather than the grey 2017 film costume. The bunch of balloons completes the joke; Pokorny has said she took her son to swing at the park dressed this way.
Papa Smurf. The red hat and trousers, white beard and blue face belong to the leader of the Smurfs, created by Belgian cartoonist Peyo in 1958. The blue sweater has the Smurfs' simple shape, and the beard is crocheted as part of the hood so it stays in place.
A pizza. Not every costume is a character: here a smiling child wears a round pizza with crust, cheese and crocheted toppings, including heart-shaped pepperoni and green peppers. Food costumes like this are popular with younger children because they are easy to wear and move in.
Jason Voorhees mask. A crocheted copy of the hockey mask from the Friday the 13th films, with its rows of air holes and red chevrons, is shown beside a photo of the original for comparison. The mask first appeared in Friday the 13th Part III (1982) and became one of horror's most recognisable faces.
Why the costumes are not for sale
After her costumes went viral, many readers asked to buy them or get the patterns. Pokorny has said that the costumes are strictly a family tradition and that she does not document how she makes them, so there are no patterns for the full-body pieces. Crochetverse does sell PDF patterns for coats, sweaters and smaller costume pieces.
The time involved also explains why they are not a realistic product. At 30 to 50 hours of handwork each, plus yarn, a single costume would have to cost hundreds of dollars to pay for the labour, and each one is sized for a particular child at a particular age.
Tips if you want to crochet a costume
Start small. A hooded cape, a creature hat or a tunic gives you the character without the 40-hour commitment, and many crochet designers sell patterns for such pieces. Choose a character with a strong silhouette and a few colours, so it reads clearly from a distance.
Think about comfort and safety. Keep the face and eyes clear, as Pokorny does by placing masks on the top of the head or around the face; make sure the child can see steps and traffic; and remember that thick acrylic yarn is warm, which helps on a cold October night but can be too hot indoors. Add reflective tape or a light if the costume is dark.
Finally, let the child choose. Pokorny's costumes are made at her sons' request, which is part of the charm: the boys pick the monster, and their mother turns it into yarn.
Sources: Crochetverse (Stephanie Pokorny), Cleveland19: Mentor mom crochets unbelievable Halloween costumes for her kids, FOX 7 Austin: Mom spends up to 50 hours crocheting amazing Halloween costumes.
COMMENTS