Jack-O-Lantern Carving

By Dolly R. Sickles

Posted: Oct. 13, 2008

I love jack-o-lanterns.

And the more elaborate, the better. Every year in the home and garden magazines, the most elaborately carved and decorated jack-o-lanterns grace the covers ... and every year I think I'm going to buy one of the carving kits at the grocery store. Then don't.

I suppose I'm a purist. A good old fashioned kitchen paring knife is what I use, and am generally pleased with the design. Once I've prepared my pumpkin (cut off the cap and gutted it), I sketch the face I'd like to create directly onto the pumpkin with a permanent marker. With steady pressure at a slow pace, carving out an interesting design is pretty easy.

Maybe this year I'll add a Jill-O-Lantern to the porch. Hmm ...

Do you carve jack-o-lanterns?
Do you use a fancy carving kit, or a regular ol' kitchen knife?
Do you sketch your own design, or use a fancy, new-fangled stencil?

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Just my two cents--that's good to hear. I'm not too far behind you, and hope that carving jack-o-lanterns, building snowmen, and waking during the night to see if it's snowing yet are things I never outgrow. With all the plastic plug-in jack-o-lanterns available now, I hope too many kids aren't missing out on doing their own carving.......the smell of pumpkin takes me back to some of my favorite Halloween memories. Great that some of those posting are inviting kids over to share the experience! Kind of like the take-a-kid fishing campaign!

thinknc
October 13, 2008 9:19 p.m.

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Hey Dolly, I agree with you on the pumpkin carving technics all the way, marker, knife, real candles. Just my imagination. Perhaps both our kids could meet for a pumpkin party!? I'm just across the tracks.

taylor boy
GOLO member since September 20, 2007
October 13, 2008 7:29 p.m.

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thinknc...........I'm 56 and not too old to carve.

Kitchen knives are the best, and I use a candle. There's also the smell of that warm "cooking" pumpking as the flame adds the soot inside. Lack of artistic talent and clinging to tradition, I do the basic face with the craggy-tooth smile. Even that gives me a sense of accomplishment.

b.scotches
October 13, 2008 5:06 p.m.

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I love love love carving pumpkins! I have a kit but I usually piece-meal (is that how you spell that?) together a face to carve. I usually run out of time to carve as many as I would like. I'll add my pumpkin pics to my image profile!

lawpirate
GOLO member since July 28, 2007
October 13, 2008 5:04 p.m.

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wwwalker, I usually carve my pumpkins on Oct 29 or 30 ... but no earlier, because they can get really smelly really fast, and they lose their upright nature if they begin to rot (think squishy boneless pumpkins). Plus, I like them to be in tip-top shape on Halloween. Our pumpkins are on the porch now, creating a nice bit of fall ambiance, and I'll probably only carve two of them to light. That way, on Nov. 1 I'll still have some to decorate for Thanksgiving. Hope that helps.

dsickles
GOLO member since July 2, 2007
October 13, 2008 4:24 p.m.

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Always carved the traditional jack-o-lanterns with an assortment of kitchen knives until trying some of the kits and fancier designs in recent years. Now I like to do one of each! The scent of the pumpkin, the squishy "guts," seeing how they've turned out once it's dark enough to put the candles in--it's all like some rite of fall--my favorite season. I'll know I'm old when I no longer want to carve a jack-o-lantern...............'til then, I'll keep looking for the "great" pumpkin to carve!

thinknc
October 13, 2008 4:18 p.m.

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How early can I carve my pumpkin?

wwwalker
GOLO member since September 12, 2008
October 13, 2008 2:19 p.m.

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OK.....I'm a slacker! I even like the turkeys, ghosts, witches, etc. you can buy and poke around the "body" of the pumpkin. Looks cute and the pumpkin lasts a long time :)

rah-rah-rita
GOLO member since July 2, 2007
October 13, 2008 1:54 p.m.

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I love jack-o-lanterns too! I've prepared them both the old fashioned (purist) way and with the carving kit and stencils. I must say that the stencils allow you to be quite the artist. I got lots of ooooh's and ahhhhhh's when I used the stencils... they were better than anything I could have done free-handed! The carving tools in the kit make for greater details than you can get with a regular old knife. Real candles are the only way to go... they make spooktacular specimens!

Legswilson
GOLO member since July 12, 2007
October 13, 2008 1:02 p.m.

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Yes, indeed, I love to carve.

I call it the ritual disembowelling of the gourd.

I am a traditionalist, probably because I am not artistically inclined ... triangle eyes and nose and craggy mouth. I use whatever sharp sturdy knife I can find ... usually one of my ginsu steak knives.

thefensk
GOLO member since July 11, 2007
October 13, 2008 12:01 p.m.

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