Crochet Pumpkin Pillow Pattern

Crisp brown leaves carpet our yard, brisk breezes rattle through the trees, cotton's in full bloom, and the sweet, sweet smell of pumpkin and cinnamon wafts through our kitchen...and also through Starbucks--it's that time of year again. IT'S FALL, Y'ALL! And something about it gives me the insatiable urge to crochet crochet crochet until my fingers ache. But I don't want to crochet just anything--I want to crochet ALL THE FALL THINGS. And what's more autumn-tastic than a sweet little pumpkin accent pillow perching preciously on your arm chair? Nothing, really.

Below you'll find an easy-to-follow crochet pattern to quench your fall craft thirsts. Please keep in mind that this pattern is for personal use only. You do not have my permission to sell the pattern, or the finished product(s) for profit.

Here's what you'll need: 

• Worsted weight yarn in orange, green, and brown. I used Red Heart, but feel free to use your favorite brands or whatever you already have on-hand.
• Snips
• Yarn needle
• I9/5.5mm crochet hook
• (Not pictured) Polyfill toy stuffing (or the guts of an old pillow--whatever you prefer) 

Pumpkin

Using your orange yarn, chain 5 and connect the ends with a slip stitch to form a ring. 

Round 1: ch. 3, 11 dc into center of ring for a total of 12 dc stitches, slip stitch into top chain of ch. 3 to complete the round. 

Round 2: ch. 3, 1 dc into same stitch (counts as 2 dc), 2 dc into each stitch around for a total of 24 dc stitches, slip stitch into top chain of ch. 3 to complete the round. 

Round 3: ch. 3, 1 dc into same stitch (counts as 2 dc), *1 dc into next stitch, 2 dc into next stitch* repeat from * to * for a total of 30 dc stitches, slip stitch into top chain of ch. 3 to complete the round. 

Round 4: ch. 3, 1 dc into same stitch (counts as 2 dc), *1 dc into each of  next 2 stitches, 2 dc into next stitch* repeat from * to * for a total of 36 dc stitches, slip stitch into top chain of ch. 3 to complete the round. 

Round 5: ch. 3, 1 dc into same stitch (counts as 2 dc), *1 dc into each of next 3 stitches, 2 dc into next stitch* repeat from * to * for a total of 42 dc stitches, slip stitch into top chain of ch. 3 to complete the round. 

Round 6: ch. 3, 1 dc into same stitch (counts as 2 dc), *1 dc into each of next 4 stitches, 2 dc into next stitch* repeat from * to * for a total of 48 dc stitches, slip stitch into top chain of ch. 3 to complete the round. 

Round 7: ch. 3, 1 dc into same stitch (counts as 2 dc), *1 dc into each of next 5 stitches, 2 dc into next stitch* repeat from * to * for a total of 54 dc stitches, slip stitch into top chain of ch. 3 to complete the round. 

Round 8: ch. 3, 1 dc into same stitch (counts as 2 dc), *1 dc into each of next 6 stitches, 2 dc into next stitch* repeat from * to * for a total of 60 dc stitches, slip stitch into top chain of ch. 3 to complete the round. 

Fasten off. 

Repeat all of above for second side of pillow. 

Placing wrong sides together, slip stitch together around the edges of the two halves leaving at least a 2 inch gap to stuff the pillow. After you fill the cavity with the stuffing, finish slip stitching the two halves together and fasten off. 

Next, cut at least approximately 2 yards of your orange yarn, thread it through your yarn needle, double it over and knot the ends. Using the needle, draw your yarn through the centers of both halves of the pumpkin, leaving behind a tail long enough to reach the slip-stitched-together edge of the pillow. Once you pull through both halves of the pillow, loop the yarn through its own tail--between the two strands, so that the knot catches it, and then pull tightly to cinch the yarn around that section of the pillow to create the pumpkin shape. Keep threading the yarn around, through the centers of the pillow halves until it's too short to loop through any further, fasten off at the top of the cinch, tucking in your snipped/knotted end. 

Stem

Using your brown yarn, leaving a tail of at least 8 inches, chain 10 plus 3 (counts as 1 dc) and turn your work, dc in each stitch across. Fasten off after 3 rows of 10 dc stitches, leaving a tail of at least 8 inches. You're just making a simple rectangle here. 

Next, you're going to roll that little puppy up like a taco or a cinnamon roll, like so:

Now, designate a bottom to your stem, and wrap the tail on that end around the base of it, tucking in/weaving the excess into the wrapped yarn to fasten it and solidify your tall cinnamon roll-shaped stem. 

Next, thread your needle onto the tail left on top of the stem, and fish it down the edge of the fabric to the bottom, then using the same threaded yarn, sew it onto your pumpkin pillow where you created the cinch, as such: 

Leaf

Using your green yarn, chain 10. 

1 sc into second chain from hook

1 hdc into next chain

1 dc into next chain

1 treble into each of the next 3 chains

1 dc into next chain

1 hdc into next chain

1 sc into next chain, and turn work to stitch back up the other side of the original chain 10, opposite what you just created

2 sc into same chain (total of 3 sc in this last chain) (this would be a good time to start stitching over the tail to hide/secure it so you don't have to weave it in later)

1 hdc into next chain

1 dc into next chain

1 treble into each of the next 3 chains

1 dc into next chain

1 hdc into next chain

1 sc into next chain

slip stitch into tip to create a more defined point, and fasten off, leaving a tail of at least 8 inches to stitch it onto the pumpkin. 

Thread your needle onto the tail and sew it onto the top of your pumpkin pillow, at the base of the stem:

TA DA!

I hope you didn't find this pattern too hard to follow. A lot of it is adaptable to your own preferences, like how you'd go about creating and attaching the stem, or designing the shape of the leaf. It could also easily be converted to an apple or peach pillow simply by using a red or lighter orange in place of the pumpkin orange. 

This is one of only a couple of patterns I have designed in entirety, and really the first I have tried to write out with the intentions of someone other than myself to use. Please don't hesitate to let me know if you need any of the pattern clarified or translated. I'll do my best!

Happy crocheting!

Much love,

Cara