Knitters will appreciate the hands-on artistry that went into bringing our beloved skeletal reindeer to life. Once all of the stop-motion animation was complete and the film was edited, the final layer of atmospheric animation was added by hand as a top layer: Effects like snow, ghosts, smoke, shadows, fire, and the electricity that brings the skeletal reindeer to life in Dr. Finkelstein’s laboratory. Using a technique from the 1890’s called rotoscoping, an animator would draw on top of the existing stop-motion footage one frame at a time, adding the desired effect into the scene. While traditional rotoscoping was done with a projected image and traced onto glass, today it is done on the computer, still one frame at a time. The footage and rotoscoping are composited together, creating a seamless special effect.

You don’t have to be an evil genius like Dr. Finkelstein to have your own experimental reindeer—you can knit your own! Beginning with a high-contrast corrugated rib brim, this beanie is worked in the round from the bottom up. Flying skeletal reindeer circle around set against a backdrop of falling snow worked in stranded colorwork. Coming in three sizes, knit one for all the mad scientists in your life!