This little pumpkin is a seasonal amigurumi project that still teaches useful toy-making skills: round shaping, closing, surface ribbing, and adding a stem. It is a decorative toy, desk friend, or autumn basket filler.
Terms: This pattern uses US crochet terms. Work in continuous spiral rounds unless a step says to join. Place a stitch marker in the first stitch of every round.
Safety note: Handmade toys require maker judgment. For items intended for babies or young children, avoid small detachable parts, use secure embroidery instead of loose pieces, and follow the toy-safety rules in your country.
Materials
- Worsted yarn in pumpkin orange and brown
- 3.0–3.5 mm hook
- Stuffing, yarn needle, stitch marker
- Optional green scrap for a leaf
Abbreviations
- MR = magic ring
- ch = chain
- sl st = slip stitch
- sc = single crochet
- inc = 2 sc in the next stitch
- dec = invisible single-crochet decrease
- st/sts = stitch/stitches
- FO = fasten off
Construction
Crochet a small sphere, then use the yarn tail to wrap ribs around the outside. The ribbing pulls the ball into pumpkin sections without changing the stitch count math.
Round-by-round instructions
Pumpkin body R1: 6 sc in MR. (6) R2: inc around. (12) R3: [1 sc, inc] x6. (18) R4: [2 sc, inc] x6. (24) R5-R8: sc around. (24) R9: [2 sc, dec] x6. (18) R10: [1 sc, dec] x6. (12) Stuff. R11: dec around. (6) FO with a long tail. Stem in brown R1: 6 sc in MR. (6) R2-R4: sc around. (6) FO, leave tail. Optional leaf ch 6, sl st in second ch, sc, hdc, dc, 3 dc in last ch. Work back on other side: dc, hdc, sc, sl st. FO.
Stuffing and assembly
Thread the long pumpkin tail through the center from bottom to top, around the outside, and back through the center. Repeat 5 or 6 times to make ribs. Sew the stem over the top center and add the leaf beside it.
Related learning
Ribbing advice
The ribbing yarn should be snug enough to make grooves but not so tight that the pumpkin collapses. If one groove looks deeper than the others, loosen that wrap and try again before knotting. A long yarn tail makes the process easier because you can complete all ribs without adding knots.
Use the pumpkin as a seasonal display piece, garland component, or photo prop for an autumn amigurumi collection.