DIY Halloween Costume: Super-Simple Spider

Assemble this creepy crawly spider costume in a Halloween minute!

Eek! Is that a spider? Nope! It's just a Halloween trick or treater in a clever do-it-yourself costume. Want to spin your own super-simple Halloween spider outfit?

Skip the web shopping, and zip right past those tangled store checkout lines. You can probably pull together this spooky spider costume for trick or treating with stuff you already have at home.

First, gather your super-simple spider costume materials.

You will need a black hooded sweatshirt, three pairs of sturdy black socks, several large safety pins, a large embroidery needle, heavy black yarn and some old newspapers. That's it!

Of course, this creepy and crawly trick or treating outfit will likely look best over black jeans, sweatpants, leggings, or pants. Black shoes are a bonus.

Nimbler folks may be able to manage this entire process alone, while other folks may need an extra set of hands to create the spider costume.

Follow these easy spider costume instructions.

First, put the sweatshirt on the Halloween trick or treater, and pull up the hood.

Roll up several newspaper pages, and fill each sock with them. Knee socks work the best to make a more authentic looking arachnid. Bend each stuffed sock in half to make a knee joint.

Stretch the top of each sock to gather a handful of extra fabric. Safety-pin the sock to the hooded sweatshirt. Be sure to catch the side seam in the safety pin for security.

Pin three stuffed socks to each side of the sweatshirt.

Thread the embroidery needle with about 24 inches of heavy black yarn. Tie a sturdy knot in one end. Poke the needle into the middle of the bottom sock on one side of the costume. Pull the needle and yarn through, and go on up through the second sock and the top one.

Leave a few inches of yarn slack between each sock to make the spider's dangly legs.

Then make a single stick through the underarm seam of the sweatshirt, about halfway to the elbow spot. Knot the yarn securely.

Repeat this step on the other side of the spider costume.

Once you're done, the wearer's own arms and the three pairs of stuffed socks will form the spider's eight legs. When the trick or treater moves his or her arms, the fake ones will bounce around in puppet-like fashion.

Add finishing touches to your spider costume.

If you wish, you can add to your super-simple spider costume with face paint or a black demi-mask and a pair of black mittens or gloves.

Last-minute Halloween costumes, like this super-simple spider getup, can easily become the most memorable masquerades of all.

More from this contributor:

Holy Hairy Harlequins

Super Spider-Man Halloween Costume

A Surprise Attack - a Tale in Rhyme of a Spider Big-Time

Linda Ann Nickerson brings decades of experience and a globally-minded Midwestern perspective to a host of topics, balancing human interest with history, hard facts and often humor.