If you hadn’t noticed, the pumpkin season has officially started! So, after sharing my tapestry crochet pumpkin potholder last week, today, I am adding a new quick and easy crochet pumpkin, the Tunisian crochet ribbed pumpkin!
Stitch Combination
Making the ribbing of these pumpkins was very easy with the Tunisian crochet straw stitch.
In case you have never heard of this stitch, don’t worry. It’s not one of those absolutely must-know stitches like the honeycomb or smock stitch.
It’s rather a fun experiment I did last year and came up with this name to describe the nice vertical texture of this a new Tunisian crochet stitch combination.
Same Pumpkin, Different Shapes
If you look at the three pumpkins in the picture, you might see that one of them looks quite different than the others. So different that you might doubt it’s the same pattern.
I am talking about the pink pumpkin of course!
But well, all the pumpkins in the photos come from the same pattern. However, for the pink one, I used chenille yarn. This means that the stitch definition is kind of blurred. On top of that, I made this pumpkin shorter and shaped it like the more traditional crochet pumpkins.
For the other two, it is obvious that the only difference is the yarn weight and the hook size.
While the tweed pumpkin is crocheted with some bulky Scheepjes Highlands (now discontinued) and a 7.0-mm crochet hook, the grey one is in DK yarn and made using a 5.0-mm hook!
And it is after these two taller pumpkins that I called this pattern the Delicata pumpkin! Because this Tunisian crochet ribbed pumpkin really reminds me of the Delicata pumpkins, Google it to believe!
Materials
– Bulky (7 wpi) Yarn
– 7.0-mm (2 UK) Tunisian Crochet Hook
– Fiberfill or cotton stuffing
– Darning Needle
– A little wooden twig or a cinnamon stick for decorating your pumpkin
Crochet Abbreviations (US Terms)
Ch – Chain
Return – Standard Tunisian Return
Sk – Skip
Sl St – Slip Stitch
St – Stitch
Tss – Tunisian Simple Stitch
TssBL – Tunisian Simple Stitch in the Back Loop
Yo – Yarn Over
Special Stitches
Foundation Row or Chain
Chain the indicated number of sts. Insert your hook into the back bump of the second ch from your hook, yo, and pull up a loop. Keep picking up loops in each back bump pf the remaining chains.
For more info, check out the free, step-by-step tutorial on how to crochet a Tunisian foundation row.
Standard Tunisian Return (Return)
Yo, pull through the first loop on your hook, *yo, pull through two loops*. Repeat in between * for all the loops on your hook. At the end of the return round, you will only have one loop on your hook.
Tunisian Simple Stitch in the Back Loop (TssBL)
Insert your hook from front to back in between the st you just worked and the next, unworked st. With the tip of your hook, grab the back vertical bar of the stitch and pass the hook under it with a movement from right to left (for right-handed crocheters). Yo, pull up a loop.
For a more detailed tutorial on how to crochet the TssBL, check out the free tutorial on how to crochet the Tunisian Straw Stitch.
Pattern Notes
- Always skip the very first st.
- At the beginning of each row, the loop that you have on your hook counts as your first st.
- The first stitch is included in the stitch count.
- The last stitch is worked under both loops of the final ch from the previous row.
- The total st count for the Tunisian Crochet Delicata Pumpkin is 30 sts.
Size
When using bulky yarn and a 7.0-mm hook, the finished Delicata Pumpkin measures approximately 3.5″ (9 cm) by 3.5″ (9 cm).
If you use DK yarn and a 5.0-mm crochet hook, the final size of the pumpkin is 2.4″ (6 cm) by 2.4″ (6 cm).
Gauge
It is not so important for this patter. Just keep in mind that the final dimension of your pumpkin can vary quite a lot depending on your tension and the yarn you use.
Pattern
Make a foundation chain of 30.
Row 1. Tss 2, (TssBL 1, Tss 1) 13 times, TssBL 1, last st. Return.
Row 2-20*. Repeat row 1.
* To obtain a more classical look like the one shown in pink in the pictures, stop at row 14.
Close your work by sl st into each st.
Tie off leaving a long tail for sewing.
Pumpkin Assembling
Step 1. Keeping the right side facing out, sew the two short sides together. I used the mattress stitch.
Step 2. Take a length of yarn and pass it through the stitches at one end of the cylinder. Draw your darning needle through the top chains going first from outside to inside and then from inside to outside. Keep doing this until you complete the circle. Then, pull the yarn tightly and close the bottom of your pumpkin.
Step 3. Bring your working yarn to the opposite side and start to fill the pumpkin with fiberfill or cotton stuffing.
Step 4. Repeat step 2 for the top side of the pumpkin.
Step 5. Secure your yarn and tie it off.
Step 6. Decorate your pumpkin by placing a little twig or a cinnamon stick directly in the middle.
Optional. If you crocheted a shorter pumpkin and you’d like to add some sections, you can model the pumpkin by drawing the yarn in circles around its circumference.
Your Tunisian Crochet Delicata Pumpkin is ready!
I hope you liked this pattern and I’d love to see your makes! Please, share it on Facebook or Instagram using the hashtag #raffamusadesigns
Find more pumpkin and Fall inspiration with these patterns!
