Knit pumpkins make great fall decor and are awesome for using up leftover yarn. Nothing feels more satisfying than completing a project without having to spend a fortune on yarn. When I search for patterns, I always head over to Ravelry. If you don't have an account, you can easily set one up. It's a great place to collect patterns and organize your projects. I included side and top shots of each of the pumpkins I made to give you a good idea of how each pattern knits up. I do tend to modify them to get the look I want so if my pumpkin looks a little different than the pattern, you know why.
Large White Pumpkin - This pumpkin has the best lumps. It's knit flat and sewn together at the end. And I used some sparkly yarn to add some fun.
Large Orange Pumpkin - The curly stem is my favorite part of this pumpkin. Simply knitting an i-cord around a pipe cleaner allows you to bend it into any shape.
Medium Green Pumpkin - The garter stitch is what makes this pumpkin awesome. It creates that great texture.
Medium Brown Pumpkin - I started knitting this pumpkin last year and I have no clue which pattern I was using so I ended up improvising and writing my own pattern. If this your favorite pumpkin, let me know and I'll write up the pattern for you!
Small Pink Pumpkin - I love this pumpkin! I used some of my handspun yarn which makes it extra special.
Small Orange Pumpkin - After felting this pumpkin, the proportions between the stem and the pumpkin were off. I ended up swapping stems with the brown pumpkin and knitting a simple i-cord for the stem.
A few extra tips:
If the ribs-lumps-bumps (I don't know the technical name) aren't as pronounced as you want, use some extra yarn and wrap it tightly around the pumpkin to cinch it in.
Most crafters and creative folks have a stash of scraps. You can use these scraps to stuff your pumpkins. It creates a heavier, more dense pumpkin but looks just as good. My brown pumpkin was stuffed this way because I ran out of stuffing. It worked great!
Share some pictures of your pumpkins on Instagram and tag me so I can see what you are making. Let me know if you have any questions or get stuck. Have fun!
XOXO, Laura