Ultimate Large Pumpkin Knitting Pattern

The ultimate large pumpkin knitting pattern! Inspired by Pottery Barns cute & trendy pumpkin pillows. A must-have fall home decor pattern.

Get the free large pumpkin knitting pattern below or purchase the ad-free, downloadable & printable PDF on Etsy, Ravelry or LoveCrafts.

large knit pumpkin with a twine stemPin
Love this cute & trendy pumpkin – Inspired by Pottery Barn

When I saw this pumpkin on the Pottery Barn website, I thought “I can knit that!” {and make it cheaper!}. I just had to find the perfect yarn. Challenge accepted!

Sometimes all you need is to knit something that makes your heart jump for joy every time you see it… something you didn’t know you needed… a hand knit pumpkin!

Every time I walk by this pumpkin I think… I knitted that. I can’t believe I made that! How freaking awesome?! I didn’t realize a hand knit pumpkin could bring me so much joy. :)

Knit your very own oversized, huggable teddy bear pumpkin. When you’re done knitting it, just try not to squeeze it… I dare you! ;) 

Other knitted pumpkin patterns you might like {aka… excellent cheap fall decor ideas}:
Are you looking for a vintage chenilleeasy knit pumpkin, a large pumpkin pattern to squeeze or a rustic farmhouse pumpkin pattern?

Pottery Barn is my inspiration…
I love all things cozy and they have some of the coziest home fall decor collections. I was so excited to see their fall collection! A couple of weeks ago I went to their website and the first thing I saw at the top of the page was a knitted pumpkin. It’s like they designed their website just for me. They knew I was coming. {lol!} 

I was browsing through the different pumpkins they have and I noticed some user submitted photos… that’s when I realized how BIG the pumpkins are. It was love at first site, but once I saw the size… I had to have one of my very own. 

WHAT YOU’LL LOVE!

  • Hygge. Create your cozy home.
  • Huggable. Like a teddy bear.
  • Happiness. Ya, you knit that! ;)

You can use this pumpkin pattern as a base pattern for your Halloween Jack O’Lanterns. How cute would that be?! You can use some other left-over yarn, felt or fabric to create a scary or funny face.

Are you a visual learner?
There are 4 videos to help you along the way, so you can create your very own pumpkins.

About

Available Sizes: Three
Pattern Format: Written Pattern, No Chart
Pattern Language: English
Skill Level: Beginner
PDF Format: Printer & Mobile Friendly
Bonus: Videos

Techniques

Knit in the Round or Knit Flat
Knit Stitches
Purl Stitches {knit flat only}
No shaping, increases or decreases
Stem Making

Pumpkin Materials

Yarn Weight: Bulky
Yardage: 40 – 135 yards {36 – 123 meters}
Suggested Yarn: Red Heart Hygge Fur
Needle Size: US 10.5 {6.5mm} Circular Knitting Needles with a 16” {40cm} Cable
Darning / Tapestry Needle

Expert tip: This yarn is not beginner friendly. It’s hard to tell the difference between a knit & purl stitch, even when you’re familiar with them. :)

The perfect place to find yarn for this large pumpkin knitting pattern yarn? Your stash! Do you have than one skein of yarn you have no idea what to do with. Maybe the texture is a little funky, which would make for a great knitted pumpkin!

So, off to my stash I went… and I went a little pumpkin crazy! Thankfully I had a bunch of left-over yarn from some shawl wraps that I made last year. I’d been playing with lots of different yarns and textures. {Browse all my knitted pumpkin patterns here.}

Shop your stash and basket full of left-over yarn! This project was so much fun, I hope you enjoy knitting & creating your very own large pumpkins!

Details

Gauge: Exact gauge is not required for this project.
Finished Stem Measurements: 1 1/2″ wide x 4 1/2″ {4cm x 12cm} {pictured}

Sizes

Finished/Stuffed Measurements:
Small: 6″ W x 3 3/4″ {15cm x 9cm} 40-45 yards {36-41m}
Medium: 9″ W x 5 1/2″ {23cm x 14cm} 85-90 yards {78-82m}
Large: 12″ W x 7 1/2″ {30cm x 19cm} 130-135 yards {119-123m} {pictured}

Notes

Not reversible.
Knit bottom up.
CO edge is the circumference.
Knit using the stockinette stitch.
Knit in the round with a circular needle.
When knitting in the round you’re always knitting the right side of your work.
For the small pumpkin you’ll need a smaller cable to knit in the round or a longer cable to knit using the magic loop method.

side & top view of a large knit pumpkin with a twine stemPin
Oversized, huggable teddy bear pumpkin.

Get the free large pumpkin knitting pattern below or purchase the ad-free, downloadable & printable PDF on Etsy, Ravelry or LoveCrafts.

Pattern, Knit in the Round

Cast-on 30{S}, 60{M}, 90{L} STS

Knit all rounds for about 6″{S}, 9″{M}, 12″{L}

Pattern, Knit Flat {Row-by-Row}

Knit Flat Option: The cast-on numbers are the same as if you’re knitting in the round. This pumpkin is knit using the stockinette stitch, meaning knit the right side and purl the wrong side, to your desired length, seam the edges together and then follow the remainder of the instructions below.

Cast-on 30{S}, 60{M}, 90{L} STS

Row 1 {WS}: *P*
Row 2 {RS}: *K*
Repeat rows 1-2 for about 6″ {S}, 9″ {M}, 12″ {L}
Seam the edges together.

How to Finish this Large Pumpkin Knitting Pattern:

Cinch the Bottom Closed: With a long tail, thread your darning needle and pick-up every outside stitch of the cast-on edge.  Cinch it as you go. Whip stitch it across the hole to reinforce it {optional}. Push the tail into the center, tie a knot and leave the tail inside, you don’t have to weave in the ends.

Cinch the Top Closed {Part 1}: Without binding-off, cut/break your tail. Leaving a long tail, thread your darning needle and slip all the stitches off your working needles onto the thread. Stuff it before you cinch it closed.

How to Stuff Your Knitted Pumpkin: Start by adding the stuffing to the outside edge and then fill in the center to your desired density. I don’t have a local craft store, but I do have a Dollar General. I found their cheapest pillow, which was their brand and measures about 26″ x 19″ and I used the whole thing to stuff my large sized pumpkin. :)

Cinch the Top Closed {Part 2}: Now you’re ready to cinch the top closed. If you have a delicate yarn that might break, you’ll want to take extra care with this step and cinch a little at a time working your way around all the stitches. I recommend going around a second time to reinforce it. Keeping it cinched tightly, tie a knot and push the end into the inside of the pumpkin. If you have a long enough tail, use it to make a rib or 2.

Make the Ribs for Your Knitted Pumpkin: Starting at the top center, if you’re starting with a new thread wrap it around the top edge and tie a knot in it, thread it through a column of seed stitches to the bottom, cinch it and tie a knot to anchor it.

Weave in the ends, or push them into the center of your pumpkin.

No blocking necessary. :)

large knit pumpkin with a twine stemPin
I didn’t realize a hand knit pumpkin could bring me so much joy. :)

Stem Materials

Twine or Yarn
Stuffing {I used polyfill}
Heavy Wire

Stem Instructions

Creating the stem for this large pumpkin knitting pattern was so much easier than I thought it was going to be!

Using some polyfill, make it a little smaller than the final size you’d like. It doesn’t need to be super dense. I found it to be quite easy to work with, a lot easier than I thought it would be. :) Wrap the twine around, from the top to the bottom, the full length of the stem about 10 times, or until the top and bottom are mostly covered.

The “corners” are a little trickier, you could try wrapping it a couple of extra times so you have a little more twine to play with and move around when it’s finished. Switch from wrapping from top to bottom to wrapping it around the girth of the stem working from one end to the other. I over lapped it a little so the polyfill didn’t show through. When you’re happy with it, cut a tail and tuck it under itself. Snip the extra off, if you have any.

Using the heavy wire, push one end into the stem and one end into the pumpkin and bend it as desired.

FAQ

Can I knit this pattern using a different weight yarn?

Definitely! If you cast-on using the same number of stitches with a thinner yarn & smaller needles, you’ll have a smaller pumpkin.

If you cast-on using the same number of stitches with a thicker yarn & smaller needles, you’ll have a larger pumpkin.

Do you want the same size pumpkin, but want to use thinner yarn?

Cast-on more stitches in any increment.

Do you want the same size pumpkin, but want to use thicker yarn,

Cast-on fewer stitches in any increment.

Can I make it even larger?!

Yes, just cast-on more than the recommended amount of stitches, in any increment. If you CO 120 STS, using the same yarn, your pumpkin should be about 15″. ;)

Find it Here

Get the free large pumpkin knitting pattern above or purchase the ad-free, downloadable & printable PDF on Etsy, Ravelry or LoveCrafts.

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