Free Crochet Pumpkin Amigurumi Pattern – Chenille Plush Halloween Décor

If your fall decor isn’t this cute yet, we need to talk! Round, squishy, and ridiculously satisfying to make, this Crochet Pumpkin Amigurumi pattern might just be your new seasonal obsession. Tuck it on a shelf, pile a few in a bowl, or gift one to your most basic autumn-loving friend. Worsted weight yarn, a bit of stuffing, and you’re basically a fall aesthetic genius.

Chenille yarn changes everything about how a crochet pumpkin turns out, and this pattern takes full advantage of that texture. The bumpy, plush surface mimics the ridged look of a real pumpkin without any extra shaping work, which means even newer crocheters end up with a result that looks intentional and polished.

Crochet Pumpkin Amigurumi

• One pumpkin — stem, leaf, body, ridging — takes about 2–2.5 hours at a relaxed pace with chunky plush yarn. The ridge-pulling step at the end adds maybe 15 minutes but changes the whole visual, so factor it in. Don’t skip it.
• A batch of six sits around 12–14 hours total.
• Starting from zero: this pumpkin works up fast enough that you can finish one the day before Halloween if you need to. For a grouping of three or more to display, give yourself 4–5 days — you’ll want time to style and arrange them.

Where This One Actually Lives

• Chenille and plush yarns photograph differently from standard acrylic. The surface catches light in a way that looks expensive on a mantel — almost velvet-adjacent — which makes this pumpkin versatile in ways that a tighter-gauge amigurumi wouldn’t be.
• A grouping of three in different sizes (achieved by stopping the even rounds earlier for smaller versions) works on a mantel without needing anything else around them. The tendril leaf is what does the work there: a stiff brown stem alone reads as crafted; a stem with a curling green tendril reads as botanical.
• On a tiered tray, one pumpkin on the top tier with smaller gourds or acorns below it gives the tray a focal point. The ridged silhouette is substantial enough to anchor an arrangement that might otherwise feel scattered.
• A single pumpkin propped on a small stack of books on a side table is an underused placement. The chenille texture sits warmly against book spines. It also works as a gift topper for autumn hostess gifts — attach a ribbon around the stem and it’s finished.
• Windowsill, porch shelf, or the corner of a kitchen counter near a plant: this pumpkin holds up outdoors briefly (keep it out of rain), long enough for a doorstep arrangement or porch tableau through the season.

Colourways

• Classic Harvest — bright orange body, brown stem, green tendril. The original palette. Works in any autumn or Halloween display without fighting anything around it.
• Terracotta & Rust — deep rust or brick-red body, dark walnut brown stem, olive or sage green tendril. Warmer and more neutral than orange. Works through November without reading as Halloween-specific, which gives it longer display life.
• Cream & Wheat — off-white or ivory body, tan stem, sage tendril. The ghost pumpkin. On a mantel with other neutrals this reads as intentional and slightly unexpected. People pick it up to check if it’s real.
• Plum & Copper — deep dusty purple body, copper or warm brown stem, dark green tendril. For spaces with jewel-tone décor or anyone who doesn’t do orange. Pairs with dried flowers and dark wood styling.

Pieces List

• Tendril leaf × 1 (green yarn, worked flat)
• Stem × 1 (brown yarn, worked in the round, transitioning to orange)
• Pumpkin body × 1 (orange yarn, continuous from stem)

All three elements connect during construction — the leaf tucks into the stem-to-body join before the body rounds begin.

Materials

• Size 6 plush or chenille yarn: orange, brown, green
• 5.5 mm crochet hook
• Polyester fiberfill
• Stitch marker or bobby pin
• Yarn needle (eye large enough for bulky yarn)
• Scissors

Important: cut a yarn tail of at least 75 cm (roughly 30 inches) before fastening off the body — this long tail is used both to close the base and to pull all the ridges. Running out of yarn mid-ridging means re-threading and a visible join. Cut generously.

Abbreviations (US Terms)

sc — Single Crochet inc — Increase (2 sc in same stitch) inv dec — Invisible Decrease (insert hook through front loop of first st, then front loop of second st, yarn over, pull through 2 loops, yarn over, pull through remaining 2) slst — Slip Stitch ch — Chain FLO — Front Loop Only

The Pattern

Tendril Leaf

• Use green yarn. Worked flat.
• Make a slip knot. Ch 13.
• Row 1: 2 sc into the 2nd ch from hook. 3 sc into the next ch. [2 sc in next ch, 3 sc in next ch] repeat across to the end of the chain.
• Ch 1. Fasten off, leaving a tail long enough to tie — approximately 15 cm. The leaf will curl naturally as you work. Leave it.
• → Shape checkpoint: The finished leaf should be a loosely spiralling tendril, narrower at the tip (the starting end) and slightly fuller at the base (the fastened-off end). If it’s lying flat instead of curling, the tension was too even — the curling happens because of the alternating 2 sc/3 sc pattern creating differential length. If yours is flat, try pulling the starting tail gently to encourage the curl.

Set aside.

Stem

• Use brown yarn.
• Make a slip knot. Ch 2.
• Rnd 1: 6 sc into the first ch (treating it as a foundation ring). (6)
• Rnds 2–4: Sc in each st around. (6) — 3 rounds even.
• Use a stitch marker at the start of each round. Tuck the starting tail inside the tube as you work — it disappears cleanly and you won’t need to weave it in later.

Reading crochet patterns can be tricky when you’re just starting out, feel free to follow the video tutorial below instead!

• Rnd 5: [2 sc, inc] × 2. (8)
• [CHECK — Round 5 as given in source reads “1 sc, 1 sc, inc” repeated; this produces 8 stitches from 6 only if the sequence is [2 sc, inc] × 2 = 8. Verify your count is 8 before continuing.]
• Rnd 6: [1 sc, inc] × 4. (12)

→ Shape checkpoint: The stem should now look like a small brown tube that’s beginning to flare at the base — narrow at the top, wider at the bottom. About 2–3 cm tall. If it’s completely cylindrical with no flare at Round 6, check that your increases landed evenly in Round 5 and 6.

• Colour change to orange: On the final stitch of Round 6, switch to orange yarn. Double-knot the brown and orange tails together inside the stem cavity so they can’t pull loose.

Attach the Leaf

• Before beginning the orange body rounds, attach the tendril leaf at the colour change join.
• Insert the hook from inside the stem cavity outward through the gap between the last brown round and the first orange round. Pull one green tail through. Repeat right next to it with the second green tail. Double or triple knot both tails securely inside the stem, then push them back into the cavity out of the way.
• The leaf should now emerge from the base of the stem at the stem-to-body transition. It will curl outward naturally.

Pumpkin Body

• Continue in orange yarn from Round 6.
• Rnd 7: [1 sc, inc] × 8 around. (24) [CHECK — this round continues from the 12-stitch base; verify count reaches 24 before Round 8.]
• [CHECK — source states [1 sc, inc] × 8 for Round 7, producing 24 from a starting count of 12. If your Round 6 ended at 12 stitches, the increase pattern is correct. If it ended at a different count, adjust the repeat number to reach 24.]
• Rnd 8: [2 sc, inc] × 8. (32) Rnd 9: [3 sc, inc] × 8. (40) Rnds 10–17: Sc in each st around. (40) — 8 rounds even.

→ Shape checkpoint: After Round 9, the piece should be a wide, flat-bottomed bowl shape — the pumpkin base is forming. By Round 17, you have a cylinder with a substantial open top, roughly 5–6 cm tall and quite wide. This is deliberately more volume than most amigurumi of this scale — the chenille yarn is thick and the stitch count is high. It should feel like a real object at this point, not a small toy.

• Rnd 18: [3 sc, inv dec] × 8. (32) Rnd 19: [2 sc, inv dec] × 8. (24)

Begin stuffing now.

• Push fiberfill through the open top. Don’t wait until Round 21 — the opening is too small to work through comfortably by then. Fill loosely at this stage; you’ll firm it up in the next round.
• Rnd 20: [1 sc, inv dec] × 8. (16)
• Add more stuffing. The pumpkin should feel full and round but not stretched — the surface stitches should still lie flat and closed.
• Rnd 21: Inv dec × 8. (8)
• Add a final firm pinch of stuffing if there are any soft spots at the top.
• Slst into the next st, ch 1.

Cut a yarn tail of at least 75 cm before pulling through and fastening off.

• You need this for closing the base and pulling all ridges. Do not cut short here.

→ Shape checkpoint: At 8 stitches remaining, the piece should be a fully round, firm ball with the stem emerging from the top. The chenille surface should look even and full with no visible gaps. If there are gaps, the stuffing level is slightly low — add a small pinch through the remaining opening before closing.

Closing and Ridging

• Close the base: Thread the long yarn tail onto your needle. Weave through the front loops of the remaining 8 stitches in a circle. Pull firmly to close the hole. Secure with a knot.
• Ridging: The same long tail now forms all the pumpkin’s ribs.
• Pass the needle straight down through the centre top of the pumpkin (next to the stem base) and out through the bottom centre. Pull the yarn until a visible indentation forms on the surface — firm enough to see clearly, not so firm that the chenille fibre pulls. The plush yarn is more fragile than acrylic under tension; pull steadily rather than sharply.
• Move 3–4 stitches over from the first exit point on the bottom. Insert the needle back up through the bottom and out through the top. One rib made.
• Repeat this process until you have 5–6 evenly spaced ribs around the entire pumpkin. Mark the positions with pins before pulling any ribs — even spacing is much easier to achieve if you place all markers first.
• After the final rib, secure the yarn with a knot close to the pumpkin base. Insert the needle back into the body and exit out the side, then trim close to the surface and push any remaining fuzz back into the stitches.
• → Shape checkpoint: The finished pumpkin should have clearly defined ribs that hold their shape when you set it down. The segments between ribs should be full and rounded, not pinched. If any rib looks shallower than the others, re-thread and add one more pass along that line before securing.

Safety Eyes and Face Options

This pattern produces a plain pumpkin. No face is needed for a décor piece.

• If you want to add a carved face — for Halloween character or to give it to a child — embroider features with black yarn after the ridging is complete. Work on the flattest segment face, between two ribs. Triangle shapes for eyes and nose, a jagged or curved mouth. Embroidering onto chenille takes slightly more care than onto standard yarn because the surface is fuzzy — use a sharp needle and pull stitches through firmly.
• Safety eyes are not recommended for chenille yarn. The washer sits against a looped pile surface rather than a flat knit, which means it may not lock as securely. Embroider instead for any decorative face.

For anything going to a child under three, a treat bag, or a classroom: embroider all features regardless of yarn type.

Assembly Order

1. Make the tendril leaf. Set aside.
2. Work the stem in brown through Round 6.
3. Attach the leaf at the colour change point before starting orange.
4. Work the pumpkin body in orange through Round 21.
5. Close the base and pull all ribs.

Nothing is separately assembled and sewn — this pattern works as a continuous construction from leaf attachment onward. The only post-construction step is the ridging.

 

Stuffing Notes

The body is stuffed in two stages during the decrease rounds, then topped off at the end. Chenille yarn is denser than acrylic and hides stuffing inconsistency better, but a loosely stuffed body won’t hold the ridges — the yarn needs resistance to indent against. Stuff more firmly than feels necessary at Round 20. The stem is not stuffed; it’s a small closed tube that holds its shape naturally.

The Character Dial

• Toward harvest neutral: keep the palette muted — terracotta rather than orange, olive rather than bright green, tan rather than brown. Skip any face. Style it with dried seed heads, small gourds, or a sprig of preserved eucalyptus pushed into the stem base. This version lives on a mantel in October and doesn’t have to come down in November.
• Toward Halloween: bright orange, contrast green, and add a carved face. Two inverted triangle eyes and a wide zigzag mouth embroidered in black yarn. The tendril curling next to the grinning face gives the whole thing just enough personality to feel intentional rather than accidental. A cluster of three — one with a face, two without — is more effective than making all three identical.
• The thing that separates a well-styled display from a craft-fair table is restraint with the face. One grinning pumpkin in a group reads as character. Three identical grinning pumpkins reads as production.

Quick Answers

• Can I make it smaller without changing the pattern? Go down in hook size and yarn weight. A size 4 yarn with a 4.0 mm hook gives you roughly half the finished size with identical stitch counts. A size 3 with a 3.5 mm hook goes smaller still. You don’t need to change any round numbers.
• The ridges won’t stay after I pull them. What’s wrong? Almost always insufficient stuffing. Chenille yarn needs firm resistance to hold the indentation — if the body has any give, the ridge releases when you remove the yarn tension. Re-stuff through the top closing point if possible, or accept shallower ribs and add extra passes of yarn along the same lines.
• My tendril leaf isn’t curling. Can I fix it? The curl comes from alternating 2 sc and 3 sc into each chain — the taller stitches force the strip to bend. If yours is flat, try pulling gently on the tail end while the yarn is still slightly warm from your hands. Dampening the leaf very slightly and curling it around a pencil while it dries can also set a permanent spiral in cotton-blend yarns. Pure chenille may need the pencil method.