It was a labour of love. And, in order to validate my patterns, I figured I should at least take a wack at carving them. I think it turned out reasonably well! And yes, my jacks took me until 4:30am to carve.
I like it too. The simplicity is what does it for me, and it looks really neat when lit up. I can't wait until next halloween! It'll be bigger, for sure!