Witchy Halloween Cross-Stitch: Black Cats, Cauldrons & a Skull or Two

Somewhere between a smiling ghost and a horror poster there’s a whole style of Halloween decor that’s witchy rather than cute: black cats, spellbooks, a skull on the shelf, a cauldron bubbling in the corner. These patterns live there. Each one has a sense of humor, but none of them is soft.

Start With a Black Cat

The Black Kitten Carrying Jack-o’-Lanterns is the friendliest of the three and the easiest to stitch — 9,534 stitches and 14 colors. A black kitten in a purple witch hat hurries along with three grinning pumpkins stacked higher than its head, candy corn spilling off the top. The orange is bright and the outlines are bold, so it’s readable from across a room and works on a front door as well as a mantel.

It’s a natural companion to our Magical Witch Cat, the black kitten flying on a broomstick with its spellbook. Together they make a small witch-cat set for October.

If you want the pumpkins without the cat, The Pumpkin King Portrait puts a grinning jack-o’-lantern head on a gentleman in a black suit and striped shirt, framed in an orange oval like an old family photo. It’s 6,273 stitches in 7 colors, smaller than the black kitten, and it looks best hung among real picture frames.

A Witch Kitten With Attitude

The Witch Kitten with Skull and Pumpkins is the gothic one. A fluffy cream kitten in an oversized black witch hat and red bow rests its chin on one paw, flashes a peace sign with the other, and blows a kiss — next to a human skull, two pumpkins and a stack of old spellbooks on a stone ledge. The expression is what makes it funny.

It’s also our biggest pattern to date: 256 x 238 stitches and 37,299 stitches in all, finishing at 18.3“ x 17.0“ on 14-count. Start it in spring if you want it up by Halloween.

The Witch Herself

The Secret Ingredient is the darkest joke in the catalog. A cackling old witch in a green robe and a patchwork headscarf holds a squirming little goblin over her cauldron, a knife in her other hand. It’s a caricature, with an exaggerated face and theatrical pose, so it reads as funny rather than frightening. It also isn’t tied to the season: on a kitchen wall it works all year as a gift for the cook in the family.

Our Recommendation

If you want to finish something before October 31st, stitch The Pumpkin King Portrait: at 6,273 stitches and 7 colors it’s the fastest finish here. The Black Kitten Carrying Jack-o’-Lanterns is next, and its orange-and-black palette is pure Halloween. If you’re planning ahead for next year, the Witch Kitten with Skull and Pumpkins is the showpiece. Read our guide to planning a large cross-stitch project before you buy fabric, because you’ll need a piece about 24“ square. And if this is a little too spooky for your house, our kawaii Halloween round-up has the gentle version: a ghost in a flower crown and a duckling in a sheet.