Fall is just around the corner and since I can remember, pumpkins in all shapes and forms are the main theme in any fall decorations. With that in mind, I decided to add my little stone to this madness with my crochet pumpkins!
*** You can purchase a pdf for easy printing, for a small fee on Etsy, Ravelry or Lovecrafts. Thank you for supporting me! ***
But not just any crochet pumpkins. They look like they are knitted but they are not! Yes, that pictures you see are actually crocheted pumpkins. I find it very intriguing to try and replicate knit stitches in crochet and have done so in other patterns of mine.
These crochet pumpkins are small -approximately 3 inches wide and 2 inches high- but they are easily customizable and you can make a bunch in no time to decorate your Halloween table or spread them around the house. I am offering more instructions in a pdf form in my Etsy, Ravelry, and Love crochet shop for you to make these crochet pumpkins with just about any yarn, even a nice, huge bulky!
Let’s take a look at the materials you are going to need:
Aran weight yarn (I used Drops Nepal)
US H/5 mm crochet hook
sewing needle
scissors
fiberfill stuffing
Abbreviations
ch: chain
sl st: slip stitch
st: stitch
flo: front loop only
blo: back loop only
Here you can find two different patterns for pumpkins that look knitted but aren’t. The one is called the “knit pumpkin because the stitches look like the knit stitch and the other one is called the “purl pumpkin” because the stitches look like a purl in knitting. Very imaginative, huh? I know… I am that great in picking up names!
Notes:
- The front loops are the ones that are closer to you when you are working any row. The back loops are the ones that they are further from you in any given row. Try to remember that as you turn your work in every row.
- The back bumps of the initial chain are located on the back side of the chain. They look like a backbone.
- The pattern is very easy to follow but keep in mind to work loosely those slip stitches.
UPDATE 18/10/2017: A very nice and talented young man called El Principe del Crochet, asked my permission to make a crochet tutorial for my pumpkins on his youtube channel. It is in Spanish but he made such a great job that you watch it even if you don’t speak the language.
Adorable crochet pumpkins
The “knit” crochet pumpkin
Before you begin, leave a long tail of yarn, about 6 inches (15 cm). This will be useful in sewing your pumpkin.
R1: ch 15, sl st in back bumps only, ch 1, turn (14)
R2: sl st in blo in each st across, ch 1, turn (14)
R3-35: repear row 2
Do not fasten off. See instructions below for the assembly.
Assembly instructions
When you make the last row, chain 1 and fold the piece in half like in the photo below. This is the wrong side of your work, you will turn it inside out, eventually.
Turn your work so that the yarn tail you left in the beginning is in front of you. Insert hook in the back loop of one side of the fabric and the front loop of the other side of the fabric. Yarn over and pull through all loops on your hook.
Continue in the same manner all the way across. It will look like this.
When you reach the end of the row, leave a long tail of yarn for sewing and cut the rest. Turn your work inside out and thread the needle. Begin sewing the bottom of the pumpkin. Down in one stitch…
…up in the other stitch. Continue all the way around.
Start pulling the yarn to close the hole.
Close the hole all the way through by pulling tight.
Insert the needle like so and keep pulling. I like to go one full round of this and then make a knot and hide the yarn again in the same manner.
Stuff the pumpkin and sew the upper side of the pumpkin in the same manner as the bottom side and start pulling tight. Before you close the opening completely make sure you have put enough stuffing.
Close the opening in the same way as before and pull tight. Do not cut the yarn yet.
Insert the needle in the middle of the hole.
And push it all the way to the middle of the other side.
Pull the yarn tight so the upper center of the pumpkin will curve inwards. Insert the needle under the closing loops again and repeat the same procedure in the other way around, from the bottom up and keep repeating until you are satisfied with the result.
Your first pumpkin is ready!
The “purl” crochet pumpkin
Before you begin, leave a long tail of yarn, about 6 inches (15 cm). This will be useful in sewing your pumpkin.
R1: ch 15, sl st in back bumps only, ch 1, turn (14)
R2: sl in flo in each st across, ch 1, turn (14)
R3: sl st in blo in each st across, ch 1, turn (14)
R4-35: repeat rows 2 and 3
Do not fasten off. See instructions above for the assembly. This one is finished in the same way.
The stem
With 5 mm crochet hook make an icord of only 3-4 rows and fasten off. Attach on the top of your pumpkin. If you don’t know how to make an icord I have a photo tutorial for you below.
icord tutorial
1. Chain 3.
2. Insert hook into the second chain from hook, yarn over and pull up a loop.
3. Insert hook into the next chain, yarn over and pull up a loop. You now have 3 loops on your hook.
4. Remove the last 2 loops from your hook carefully and hold them with your left thumb and index finger. Yarn over and pull up a loop.
5. Slide one loop on your hook again, yarn over and pull up a loop. Remember to hold the other one tight.
6. Slide the last loop on your hook, yarn over and pull up a loop.
You have completed your first icord row. Repeat steps 4-6 for the desired length.
When you reach the desired length for the stem, you have 3 loops on your hook. Yarn over and pull through all three loops on your hook. Cut the yarn and pull it so it won’t unravel. Thread the needle with the yarn that you just cut off and sew the stem on the pumpkin.
That’s it! Wasn’t that easy? If you make any pumpkins with my pattern tag me @mallooknitwear on Instagram and use #malloomakers so I can see your projects!
Get the crochet pumpkin pattern here:
Thank you for your support!
More posts you may like:
- Girly tablet case free crochet pattern
- Crochet cup cozy free pattern
- Small crochet hearts free pattern
When you reach the desired length for the stem, how do you finish off?
Hi Lori!
When you reach the desired length for the stem, you have 3 loops on your hook. Yarn over and pull through all three loops on your hook. Cut the yarn and pull it so it won’t unravel. Thread the needle with the yarn that you just cut off and sew the stem on the pumpkin.
Thanks for the observation! I will update the pattern.
Very cool! When I saw the photo I totally thought these were knit before I read the caption.
Thank you Natasha!
That is exactly what I wanted to achieve. So, mission accomplished!
I Love these ! Thank You for the pattern !
I am glad you like them! Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram if you make some pumpkins!
Would it be okay to sell items made from your beautiful pattern?
Hi Mimi!
I am glad you like my pattern! Yes, you can sell finished items in small quantities, from my patterns just credit “Malloo” (me) as the designer of the pattern.
Thank you!
I love these! Can you clarify the assembly? When I fold in half and crochet thru the back loop of one and the front loop of the other, I get a very wide seam!
Thanks!
Hi Becky!
I made the seam of the pumpkin this way so when you turn the piece inside out the seam will be almost invisible and the same as the rest of the pattern. It seems that you are making it the right way. What do you mean the seam is wide? Would you like to send me a photo so I can help you better? You can use the contact form on my blog or shoot me an email at hello@mallooknits.com.
Thank you!
Great pattern! I made a larger size one using the instructions above with 3 strands of yarn and a 10mm hook. It turned out great and I love it. I tagged you on Instagram. Thanks so much for sharing the pattern.
ljb1019
Yeah! I know! Thank you so much! I hope you don’t mind if I share your picture?
No, I don’t mind, please feel free to share!
These are super adorable!
Thank you so much, Olena!
Hopped over from HOHD at Moogly. Think I saw this earlier in month, love these little pumpkins! Definitely going to give them a go! Thank you for the pattern!
Thank you so much, Carolyn, for your kind words! I would love to see some photos when you make them! Happy hooking!
Hey i love those pumpkins and that pattern! Great job!
I love this pumpkin pattern. I will definitely crochet it. Thanks for sharing.
I added 2 leaves. Chain 6. Work a sc in the second chain from the hook. Then, hdc, dc, hdc, sc. Chain 1 and turn. Work sc, hdc, dc, hdc, sc. Tie off with a long end to sew on to pumpkin.
Such a good idea Caroline! I bet they turned out great! Thanks for providing the pattern for what you did!
Thanks for a really cute project. My friends all want a whole pumpkin patch! They are so fun and super cute.
I am glad you liked them Rene! And all your friends! 😉
Thanks so much for the adorable pattern! It was very easy to follow, will definitely be making a ‘bushel’ of them for my tabletop display
Great Melissa! Make a bunch! That is the point!
Olá do Brasil!!
Eu amei e fiz!
Obrigada!
Hello from Brazil !!
I loved it and I did!
Thank you!
Google translation, sorry for the possible mistakes
No worries!
Message received! Thank you!
Thank you 🙂
These are so cute! I love pumpkins. I’ll definitely be trying them this summer.
Very cute! Can I use worsted weight yarn? Acrylic? Cotton? Looks like a great way to use up scraps.
Thank you, Lisa! Yes, you can use worsted weight yarn and acrylic for your crocheted pumpkins! I wouldn’t recommend cotton because it doesn’t stretch, but you can test it if you like. 😉
Love this pattern! Do you know how I can make different sizes of the pumpkin?
Do you have instructions for larger pumpkins made with this pattern
Sorry if this is repeated but I don’t see where it says how much yarn per pumpkin??
Otherwise I look forward to making a variety (and I saw someone say leaves in the comments, so that will be fun too) of them!!
Do you think ribbon will look ok??
Hi Caitlin!
You will just need a small amount of yarn for each pumpkin. Unfortunately, I haven’t calculated the exact number but I believe 15-25 m will do the work. Ribbon will work great, I think! 😉
I made the knitted pumpkin and it turned out really cute!!
Here’s my blog post about them! https://threecatsandagirl.wordpress.com/2018/09/23/crocheted-pumpkins/
Hi Abbey! Just read your post! Wonderful review of all the pumpkins you made. I enjoyed it very much! Happy Fall!
I used a small loom to make these and they turned out great. Thanks for the inspiration. I like yours the best out of all I’ve seen.
So nice to hear that! I haven’t thought they could be done with a loom. Great! Thank you so much for your kind words! :-*
These are adorable. Do you think that they would come out as well using Drops Paris (cotton) instead of wool? Or does the cotton not give the same effect? Just curious – thinking about storage, and moths…
Hi Joyce! You could try making your pumpkins with cotton but I have found that cotton doesn’t stretch a lot and they might be a little different. No harm in trying, though! 🙂