[Mimo]

Part 3-  Carving the Pumpkin

1. 
   
   Set up a spacious work area.
    Pumpkin carving can quickly become messy, and it’s best to keep that mess off the floor or kitchen table. Lay down some newspaper or a brown sack from your grocery store on a flat surface.[5] Lay out your tools, as well as a bowl for discarded pumpkin innards.
   • Doing this protects the floor or table surface and makes for an easy clean-up when done. Once you’re finished carving, you can bundle up the newspapers and throw the whole mess away. You can recycle the newspapers.
     
2. 
   
   Select a sharp knife.
   For effective pumpkin carving, use a serrated bread knife, a jab saw (used to cut drywall), or a purpose-made serrated knife taken from a pumpkin-carving set. If you do not have a serrated knife, or if you prefer to use a straight-edged blade, opt for a paring knife or a filet knife.[6]
   
3. 
   
   

Cut a lid. Measure a circle with about a 2-inch (5-cm) radius from the stem. You’ll cut around this circle to make the lid. Do not make the cut completely vertical; instead, angle the point of the knife in towards the center of the circle. The lid will then sit in a bowl-shaped indentation that prevents it from falling into the center of the pumpkin.[7]

• The lid doesn’t have to be cut in a circle. Try shaping the lid as a square, star or other shapes. Just make sure you keep the knife angled toward the center of the pumpkin as you carve the lid and opening.
  

1. 
   
   Remove the filling from the pumpkin. Use a large spoon, an ice-cream scoop, or your hands to pull all of the strands and seeds from the inside of your pumpkin. Place the seeds, pulp, and other scrapings into the large kitchen bowl that you set out earlier. Scrape the pumpkin as clean as you can, so that more light shines through your jack-o’-lantern.[8]
   • This step can be skipped if you’re simply carving down to the pulp of the pumpkin, with no intention of hollowing it out.
     
2. 
   
   
   1. Carve your design. Use a gentle back and forth motion to cut into the pumpkin, and take your time. Make sure to cut precisely along the design that you’ve traced on the pumpkin’s surface. Draw the knife back and forth, while maintaining a steady downward pressure. Keep following your pattern until you’ve carved out the entire design.[9]
      • If a cut section of your design doesn’t remove easily the first time, run the blade around it again and then push on that section from the inside. You may also find that a toothpick stabbed into the section will help you to pull it out.
        
      • Use caution when wielding a knife. Cut away from yourself; never pull the knife up towards yourself through the pumpkin.
        
3. Part 4 Lighting and Displaying Your Carved Pumpkin
   
   1. 
      
      
4. Light your pumpkin with a candle or tea light. Traditionally, jack-o’-lanterns are lit with candlesticks or tea lights. [10] If you choose to illuminate your carved pumpkin with candles, do not leave them lit overnight or if you’re away from the house.
   • Ventilate as needed. If you do choose to use a real candle, make sure your carving will provide the flame with enough oxygen to keep burning. If you’ve cut several large holes in your pumpkin, you should be fine. If not, consider cutting a small vent in the lid, or remove the lid entirely.
     
5. 
   .Light your pumpkin with a LED light. If you’d prefer not to illuminate your jack-o’-lantern with a lit candle, you can substitute an artificial light source for the same effect. Flashlights and flickering LEDs are popular modern options.[11]
   • LED and other artificial lights are safer (less likely to start a fire) and can burn all night, unlike tea lights.
     
6. 
   
   Display the pumpkin in a safe area.
   If you’re using a candle in your pumpkin, place it in an area away from flammable items. For instance, don’t place it near a hay bale or scarecrow; those items could light on fire if your pumpkin gets jostled or knocked over. Additionally, take care that a trick-or-treaters’ dangling costume won’t get caught by the candle’s flame.
   • If you’re using a candle to light your pumpkin and placing it on anything wooden, place a dinner plate down first, to catch wax and avoid setting wooden porches, tables, or stairs on fire.