Carve a pumpkin with winning ways

Have you noticed that pumpkin carving has become a rather skilled competitive sport?

Here are some tips from Pumpkin Masters, which makes carving kits, battery-operated lights and patterns so your jack-o'-lanterns stand out.

• Choose your design before you buy a pumpkin so they are compatible.

• For children, select lightweight pumpkins with smooth skin. These are easier to carve.

• Cut an opening in the bottom of the pumpkin so you can set it over a candle or battery-operated light.

• Scrape the walls to about 1-inch thick if you're going to carve an intricate pattern.

• Attach the pattern flat against the pumpkin surface with tape. Poke holes along the pattern or use tracing paper and a pen to draw the design on the pumpkin.

• Keep the pattern so you can look at it while you are carving.

• Put the pumpkin in a large salad or mixing bowl for better control while carving.

• Start carving from the center of the design.

• Don't pull cut chunks out of the rind until you're done cutting. This makes it sturdier.

Buy great art or see and learn about it

One of the benefits of living in a world-class metropolis is you get to discover world-class artists in all fields - often before the rest of the world does.

SOFA - the art show with the funny name - presents one opportunity to do this.

SOFA stands for Sculpture Objects & Functional Art Fair and has very little to do with that large piece of furniture you sit on.

Galleries and dealers from more than 13 countries display works by artists they represent.

Wendell Castle's functional artwork (he does make things you sit on) has already been discovered by several museums. And his larger pieces now sell in the $100,000 range.

Castle's works have been a hit at SOFA Chicago for a decade, and Barry Friedman Ltd. of New York will show some of them this year.

There also will be a lecture series.

SOFA runs from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Nov. 7-8, and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 9, at Navy Pier, 600 E. Grand Ave., Chicago. Tickets cost $15, $25 for a three-day pass. Discounts are available for students and seniors. The opening gala is at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 6, for $50.

For information, call (800) 563-7632 or visit sofaexpo.com.

- Deborah Donovan