The scary thing about Hallowe'en, and some sustainable alternatives

It's the last week of October, and I think it's safe to say autumn is now in full swing.

The leaves are not only turning, they are falling from the trees, helped along by the recent storms (looking at you, Austen and Boelo). I can't say I'm sorry about it, though, as there's something about autumn that makes every knitter's heart beat a little faster. If you know, you know!

Hallowe'en is coming this weekend and, as every year, I like to decorate naturally. A couple of mini pumpkins here, some pretty leaves and foliage there, a conker or two... I'm not into the waste culture of plastic props - seriously, what is the point of a plastic pumpkin?? - but more than that, I'm not into food waste.

Did you know that a scary 18,000 tonnes of pumpkins are wasted each year after Hallowe'en in the UK? That's the equivalent of around 1,500 double-decker buses, according to Good Food Oxford. When food is wasted, it harms the environment in two main ways. Firstly, the resources that are put into growing and producing it - land, water, energy - are wasted, and secondly, disposing of unwanted or waste food is a big contributor to methane emissions.

Good Food Oxford runs a Pumpkin Festival each year as part of a national 'Pumpkin Rescue' campaign, designed to encourage people to use their food and to consider responsible disposal after Hallowe'en. Volunteers can get involved to harvest and cook leftover pumpkins so they don't go to waste. Brilliant!

Another brilliant idea is to make your own pumpkin, whether it's knitted or crocheted. There are plenty of free patterns out there - this is one of my favourites - and the best part is that if you use wool, it's fully biodegradable.

On my needles this week: I'm still working on my 3x1 rib pumpkin-inspired socks in Wanderer by Word of Wool. It is looking less and less likely that I will finish even one pair of socks this Socktober, but that's OK. I knit socks all year round!