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Trio of Pumpkins


Don't you just love fall? It's time to pull out the warmer garments and snuggle up, and I just love it. And then there's also the cute fall accesories...like pumpkins!!! Fun fact about me: I hate the color orange. This has made decorating with pumpkins very challenging in the past. Since pumpkins are the essence of fall, I was determined to find a solution!

I happened to have yarn in maroon, beige, and graphite that match my living room and compliment each other perfectly! Additionally, they're the same yarn weight and the perfect (non-orange) colors for fall!

I had been seeing these adorable knitted pumpkins all over my instagram and pinterest feed, and I caught the fever. I knew I neeeded to knit up some pumpkins, and I needed to knit them immediately.

I saw a few pumpkins that had cinnamon sticks as the stem, so naturally, I rushed to the store and bought some! Sadly, I can't smell them, but they do add a little something extra to the pumpkins, so I'm glad I used them

I was excited to start my first one (maroon and beige striped) and somewhere along the way became obsessed with them.


Next, I ventured into my second pumpkin. I grabbed the graphite color and used the same beige in order to unify the pumpkins.I was also in the mood for some cables. 


At this point, I was starting to run low on these colors as there were out of my stash and didn't have much to begin with. For my third pumpkin, I decided to try out helix knitting. Not only was I excited about the pumpkin, but I love learning new techniques! I had seen a couple of pins on pinterest about helix knitting, and it looked surprisingly easy, so I thought I'd give it a go. I also read that it was great for when you don't have a lot of yarn left. This is by far my favorite pumpkin that I've made. 


These pumpkins are very customizable depending on how large or small you want your pumpkins to be. I will provide the patterns I used below, but know they are highly customizable! The number of stitches cast-on will dictate the width of the pumpkin while the length of the piece will dictate the height of the pumpkin. In determining the proper length of the pumpkin, it is important to take into account that the top and bottom of the pumpkin will be cinched. Therefore, it is better to make the piece longer than you think is necessary. If by chance you make it too long, you can correct for this when constructing the pumpkin by pulling the two ends close together. The pumpkins are all knit in the round.

Materials
US 9/5.5mm 9" circular needles or (4) double-pointed needles
Any worsted weight yarn in any yardage depending on how large you want your pumpkin to be
Stitch markers
Darning Needle
Poly-fil
Cinnamon Sticks or desired material for stem

Abbreviations
K = Knit
*...* = repeat the pattern between "*"
C6F = slip 3 stitches onto another needle and hold in front while knitting the next three stitches and then knit the three stitches from the needle on hold
C6B = slip 3 stitches onto another needle and hold in back while knitting the next three stitches and then knit the three stitches from the needle on hold

Color A = Beige
Color B = Maroon
Color C = Graphite

Pumpkin #1 (Maroon & Beige Vertical Stripe)

Cast-on 60 stitches in either color (or any multiple of 4)

Row 1: *in color A K2, in color B K2*

Repeat Row 1 until work measures about 7 inches. Cut a very long tail about 2 feet (I like to make sure I have more than I need) and pull yarn through stitches. See below patterns for construction.

Pumpkin #2 (Beige & Graphite Cable)

Cast-on 72 stitches in either color (or any multiple of 12)

Row1-2: *in Color C K9, in Color A K3*
Row 3: *in Color C C6F, K3, in Color A K3*
Row 4-6: *in Color C K9, in Color A K3*
Row 7: *in Color C K3, C6B, in Color A K3*
Row 8: *in Color C K9, in Color A K3*

Repeat Rows 1-8 4 times or until piece measures about 7". Cut about 2 feet of yarn and pull through stitches and cinch. See construction instructions below.

Pumpkin #3 (Tri-color Helix)

I found this video to be very helpful in learning how to do helix knitting. I do my best to describe it below.

Cast-on 63 stitches in any color (or any number of stitches divisible by the number of balls of yarn being used)

Because I used three colors, I cast-on a number of stitches that was divisible by three. I divided the stitches into thirds and placed stitch markers between each third (between each section of 21 stitches). I placed a different color marker where the row begins/ends as this is important to differentiate.

With the same color you casted-on with, knit the first group of stitches (21) and stop when you get to the first marker. Take the color you were knitting with, and move it to the right (it is important to keep your yarn in a line using the left most one when knitting and move it to the far right when done so that the yarn doesn't get tangled). Pick up your next color and knit the next group of stitches (21) and stop when you get to the next marker. Move this color to the right and continue with the next color. For me, this was my last group of stitches and I have completed one row. You continue with the same color that you ended the row with to do the first group of stitches on the next row. This is why it is important to differentiate where the row ends/begins so you know not to switch colors.

Continue knitting in the above pattern until piece measures about 7". Cut about 2 feet of yarn and pull through stiches. See below for construction instructions.

Construction

Let's pick up with pulling the yarn tail throught the stitches and cinching.

Next, fill pumpkin with poly-fil to reach desired fluffiness. I use about two-three handfuls because I like mine nice and full and puffy.

Next, thread yarn through the center of the pumpkin and through the poly-fil to cinch the other side of the pumpkin closed. At this point, your pumpkin should be a nice ball. If you want to give it that nice pumpkin shape, continue with the instructions. If you are happy with the shape it is, then stick in your stem and tie off your yarn to keep everything closed.

To continue making it into a pumpkin shape, take the yarn on the outside of the pumpkin and weave yarn back through the center of the pumpkin. Pull tight to give it a good hump and hide the yarn. Continue this process until you have the desired number of humps. Tie off yarn to hold everything in place and put your stem in the center.

These pumpkins are such a cute little decoration in my living room that I might just leave them up year round!

If you knit up any of these pumpkins, be sure to post a picture on instagram and tag me (@knitting_with_sara) so I can see them!

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