The scariest night of the year is just around the corner. While we’re waiting to celebrate, let’s make together some fluffy knitted pumpkins, a must for any self-respecting Halloween party. They’ll make a nice scene with the other home decorations – cobwebs, bats, skeletons, wreaths, witches, and wizards – and with the themed treats to bake. So, let’s start?
Knitted pumpkins for Halloween – What we need
First of all, let’s get materials together. To make 1 pumpkin in each suggested size we need:
Calicò yarn: a 50g ball in orange shade and a 50g ball in brown shade
A 4.00mm (no.8) circular knitting needle with 25cm cable
A 3.00mm (no. 11) crochet hook
Padding for stuffing
Stitch-marker
Yarn needle with rounded point for sewing
And now… let’s go with pumpkins instructions!
The material is there, now all we need is a summary of the techniques and we are ready. The stitches we will use are: stocking stitch in rounds with circular needles; chain stitch, slip stitch, and double crochet with crochet hook. Instructions have photographic steps: the pumpkin worked in the example is the small one, but the steps are useful for all 3 sizes.
Part 1 | Knit pumpkins with circular needles
Large sized pumpkin: with circular needle and orange yarn cast on 70 sts plus 1 stitch and, making sure not to twist sts, join to work in the round as follows: K1, pass last cast-on st over K1. Place a stitch-marker before passed-over stitch to indicate round beg and work 50 rounds in st st (all rounds K). Keeping sts on needle, cut yarn leaving a long end. Thread yarn end into a yarn needle, then insert needle into sts, dropping them from circular needle. Pull tight to close. Fasten off.
Medium sized pumpkin: work as Large sized Pumpkin but cast on 45 sts plus 1 stitch and work 23 rounds in stocking stitch.
Small sized pumpkin: work as Large sized Pumpkin but cast on 40 sts plus 1 stitch and work 30 rounds in stocking stitch.
Part 2 | Work stems with crochet hook
Large sized stem: with crochet hook and brown yarn make a magic loop: wrap the yarn twice around forefinger, insert your hook into the loop, from front to back, making sure you work over both yarn strands, and work 6 dc. Work a slip stitch to join the first and last stitches and finish the first round. Continue to work 8 rounds in dc.
Next round: 2 dc, (ch2, then work 1 dc into 2nd ch and 1 ss into next dc on previous round) 3 times.
Fasten off.
Medium sized stem: with crochet hook and brown yarn ch4 and work 4 rows in dc. Cut yarn leaving a tail. Fold in half stem and sew side seams (the top and the base). Fasten off.
Small sized stem: with crochet hook and brown yarn ch3 and work 3 rows in dc. Continue as Medium sized stem to end.
Part 3 | Make-up our Halloween knitted pumpkins
Stuff pumpkins with padding. Thread orange yarn into a yarn needle and work a running stitch around cast-on round. Pull tight to close.
Move needle and yarn through to the bottom of the pumpkin, make 1 backstitch, and go back up to the top, inside and outside, to divide into six parts the large sized pumpkin, into four parts both the medium and the small sized pumpkins. Gently tug the end of the yarn to give pumpkin the right shape.
Complete each pumpkin, sewing stem on the top.
Concept, works and photographic steps made by:
Barbara Mazzi and Elisa Mezzani, Filofilò – Merceria Creativa
Piazza IV Novembre, 10 – Villafranca di Verona (VR)
