Crochet Pumpkin Pattern (Free): Three Sizes for Fall Decor in Under an Hour Each

Crochet pumpkins are the fall project everyone makes and nobody regrets. They take an hour, use less than one ball of yarn, and a cluster of three in cream, orange and rust on a mantel looks like something from a decor magazine. The construction is a rectangle, a seam and a cinch. No shaping.

US terms. ch = chain, hdc = half double crochet, sc = single crochet, sl st = slip stitch, BLO = back loop only.

The Method in One Paragraph

Crochet a rectangle in ribbed hdc. Sew the short ends together to make a tube. Run a gathering thread around one open end, pull it closed. Stuff. Gather the other end closed. Wrap yarn around the outside six or eight times, pulling tight, to create the segments. Add a stem. That is a pumpkin.

Materials

• Yarn: worsted or bulky weight in pumpkin colors, 40 to 90 m depending on size. A scrap of brown for the stem and green for a leaf.
• Hook: 5.0 mm for worsted, 6.5 mm for bulky.
• Fiberfill.
• Yarn needle, scissors.

Three Sizes

The rectangle's height becomes the pumpkin's height, and its length wraps around the pumpkin. The stitches run vertically so the ribs give the pumpkin its segmented look.

• Small — Chain: 21; Rows (worsted): 32; Finished height: ~8 cm
• Medium — Chain: 31; Rows (worsted): 44; Finished height: ~12 cm
• Large — Chain: 41; Rows (worsted): 56; Finished height: ~16 cm

In bulky yarn, reduce rows by about a third.

The Pattern (Medium)

Row 1: chain 31. hdc in the 2nd ch from the hook and in each ch across. 30 sts.

Row 2: ch 1 (does not count), turn. hdc in the back loop only of each st across. 30 sts.

Repeat Row 2 until you have 44 rows. The fabric is a ribbed rectangle about 20 cm tall by 32 cm long. Fasten off leaving a 60 cm tail for seaming.

Assembly

1. Seam into a tube. Fold the rectangle so the first row and last row meet. Using the long tail and the yarn needle, whip stitch or slip stitch the two edges together. The ribs now run top to bottom around the tube.

2. Gather the bottom. Cut a 50 cm length of yarn. Thread it on the needle and weave it in and out of the stitches around one open end of the tube, going under one stitch and over the next, all the way around. Pull both ends tight to close the hole. Tie a knot.

3. Stuff. Firmly. The pumpkin should be a plump ball. Pumpkins are one of the few amigurumi that look better slightly over-stuffed, because the segment wraps will compress it.

4. Gather the top. Same as the bottom. Pull tight and knot, but do not cut the yarn.

5. Make the segments. Take the remaining long strand on the needle. Push the needle straight down through the center of the pumpkin from top to bottom, then bring it around the outside and back up through the top center. Pull firmly: an indent appears. Move the needle a sixth of the way around and repeat. Six wraps for a round pumpkin, eight for a more detailed one. Knot at the top and hide the end inside.

The Stem

Crocheted: with brown yarn and a 4.0 mm hook, magic ring, 6 sc into the ring, then sc around for 5 rounds without increasing, letting the tube curl. Fasten off with a tail, stuff with a scrap of yarn, sew to the top.

Natural: a dried stick 3 to 4 cm long, hot-glued into the top dimple. Cinnamon sticks smell wonderful and look right.

Twine: wrap jute twine tightly around a pencil-sized roll of felt, glue, and attach.

The Leaf (optional)

With green yarn: ch 8. sl st in 2nd ch, sc in next, hdc in next 2, dc in next, hdc in next, sc in last. ch 1, and work the same sequence down the other side of the chain. Fasten off and sew beside the stem. A short chain of 6 to 8 stitches makes a vine curl.

Chunky Velvet Pumpkins

The very soft, plush pumpkins sold in home decor shops are made exactly this way in chenille or velvet yarn with a 6.5 mm hook. Use the small-size chain, work in regular hdc rather than BLO (velvet does not show the ribs well), and go easy on the segment wraps so the velvet is not crushed. They are slippery to seam; pin first.

Color Ideas

• Classic: orange body, brown stem, green leaf.
• Farmhouse: cream, sage and rust, natural stick stems.
• Moody: charcoal, deep plum and mustard.
• Ombre trio: three sizes in three shades of one color.

Tips

• Ribbing must be in the back loop only or the segments will not read as ribs. Every row, every stitch.
• Keep the gathering thread long. Running out mid-segment is annoying.
• Pull the segment wraps harder than feels right. Stuffing pushes back.
• Weigh the base with a small bag of pellets or dried beans inside a scrap of fabric if a pumpkin needs to sit on an uneven surface.
• Make a trio. One pumpkin looks lonely; three look like a decision.

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