Process:
Intimidation kept me from attempting to crochet the bloody butcher
costume with a decapitated pig’s head purse in 2013. I instead ended up
creating the Crocheted Crab Costume with Backpack. Again, I felt the same
trepidation this year as Halloween approached. I had never before crocheted
something so intricate, large, and realistic, but I was massively intrigued by
the prospect of creating a gruesome scene out of soft, fluffy yarn as I had
done so before on a smaller scale with the Meat: A Recurring Nightmare scene. I
decided to ditch the pig head idea and instead crochet a t-bone steak purse. As
I sat on my couch looking at the red and white yarn, preparing to crochet the
steak, I knew it wouldn't suffice. I needed a challenge. I needed to push
myself beyond my comfort zone to see what my hands could create.
As I began to form the basic shape of the
head, I was flooded with ideas to make it as realistic and creepy as possible.
I needed a way to hold on to the purse without having to cradle it in my arm
all night. A “metal” J-hook stabbed in through the top of the head and out the
eye would do, with metal links to hook it up to the ceiling of a butcher shop. The hook is stabilized with a wooden rod and the head's roundness is kept in place from the inside by recycled paperboard and duct-tape. The
pupil of the eye would be a silvery hue, to signify death and preservation in a
cooler or freezer. The eye would be rolled up, as if that were his last move after
he was decapitated by my cleaver. One ear would be folded over, so both sides
of the face weren’t symmetrical. I sewed a zipper in to the bottom of the neck
on the back of the head to hold small items. The blood dripping from the neck
would show that I had just decapitated the head from the rest of the carcass. The
butcher’s knife needed blood, and I played with crocheting drops and drips of
red to see what it would look like against the gray. I ended up embroidering
the yarn directly on to the cleaver to make it look more realistic. I wanted to
wear the sausages around my neck, but I had crocheted them too large and it
would sit awkwardly on my shoulders. They were to dangle off of my left
shoulder throughout the whole weekend. My apron is fashioned from a pillowcase found at the thrift store that I quickly cut and sewed to suit my needs.
An industrial kitchen setting was the only thing left to complete
the scene. I decided to ask Arlette and Kathy Lavelle of Lavelle’s Bistro if
there was any possibility I could sneak in to their kitchen to take photos
before they opened to the public. Surprisingly and gratefully, they said yes! My
friend Sara borrowed a nice DSLR camera from her girlfriend Lou so that we didn’t
have to use our iPhones. The cooks were highly amused and enthusiastic, inviting
us in to the cooler, pulling out slabs of meat and various knives. We were
careful not to touch anything inside the kitchen to keep things sanitary. I am
thankful for all involved and the encouragement that I received before, during,
and after the creation of the costume, especially from Sara, Melodee, Lou, and
Heather. Without their belief in my abilities and willingness to listen to my
ideas, I may never have attempted to crochet a pig’s head, let alone the whole
costume. I hope you enjoyed the photos as much as I enjoyed taking them! If you
have any questions or for inquiries, please contact me at iheartamicute@gmail.com.
-
Nanae
Ito
