(There’s a part of me arguing that this should actually be an “amend”, since I didn’t make the pumpkin itself, I only made the carving...)
Somehow, I have come through 28 years of my life without ever carving a pumpkin. When I revealed this to my best mates recently, they decided it was about time to rectify this – very convenient, since Hallowe’en was approaching.
The pumpkins I purchased were from Sainsbury’s and were specifically “carving pumpkins” rather than “eating pumpkins”. Until this point, I didn't know that different kinds of pumpkin existed for such a purpose.
A small amount of google-images research revealed many different options for carving, not just scary faces. While I was initially drawn to the idea of a pumpkin Death Star (**Star Wars nerd**), I decided that might be ambitious for my first attempt, and opted for a terrifying tarantula instead. After doodling this onto some paper and transferring it to the pumpkin with Sharpie marker, it was time to begin.
We covered the kitchen in newspaper, grabbed the most appropriate-looking knives from the drawer, and sliced the top off (remembering to do this at a slight angle, so the lid doesn’t fall inside the pumpkin). Then we began scooping out the gloopy insides. Spoons, forks, hands – all manner of implements proved useful. We cleaned out the insides until we were left with just the harder “meat” of the pumpkin, without the seeds and stringy bits.
The moment of truth came next – exactly how much pressure does it take to cut through pumpkin skin and flesh? Turns out, a fair amount! But I cut each section out as delicately as possible, concentrating hard on not accidentally slicing a spidery leg off in the process. After cutting each chunk out, I reinserted it into the gap, to try and maintain the structural integrity of the pumpkin. This seemed like a good idea, even to a complete amateur like me, rather than relying on the strength of eight leg-size slivers. Then I poked out all the pieces at the end.
And here are the final results, illuminated by candlelight! I’m very proud of my spider – not only as a first-time attempt, but in general! Cutting the geometric shapes proved easier than curved lines.
Honorary mentions here for my pumpkin-carving compatriots and tutors, who managed to pull off a decorative sugar skull and a daring graveyard-with-creepy-tree-and-bats design.
Four pumpkins in the house!
We also tried lighting them with coloured LED balloons… Stay away from the radioactive spider!!
