Halloween craft: crochet pumpkin

Pattern: Halloween craft, crochet pumpkin

Used stitches:
Slip stitch (ST)
Half double crochet (HDC)
Double crochet (DC)

You need:
Orange yarn
Green or brown yarn
Matching crochet hook
Filling
Stitch marker or safety pin

(I used Rico Creative Cotton and a 4 mm hook) 

Before you start: place your marker in the first stitch of every tour, this will save you loads of trouble (trust me!) 

Pumpkin
In orange: 

Round 1. Create a ‘magic circle’ or chain 2 and work in the second stitch from the hook. 8 SC in the ring. 
Round 2. *1 SC in the sc of the last round and 2 SC in the next*, repeat till the end of the round (12 SC)
Round 3. *1 SC in the sc of the last round and 2 SC in the next*, repeat till the end of the round (18 SC)
Round 4. *1 SC in the two SCs of the last tour and 2 SCs in the 3rd *, repeat till the end of the round (24 SC)
Round 5. *1 SC in the next 2 SCs of the last tour and 2 SCs in the 3rd*, repeat until end of the round (32 SC)
Round 6. *1 SC in the next 3 SCs of last round and 2 SC in the 4th*, repeat until round (40 SC)
Round 7 and 8. 1 SC in every SC of last tour (40 SC)
Round 9. *1 SC in the next 3 SCs of last tour and SC 4th and 5th together (decrease)*, repeat until the end of the round (32 SC)
Round 10. *1 SC in the next 2 SCs of the last round and SC the 3rd and 4th together (decrease)*, repeat until end of round (24 SC)
Round 11. *1 SC in the next 2 SCs of last tour and SC the 3rd and 4th together*, repeat until the end of the round (18 SC)
Round 12. *1 SC in the first SC and SC the 2nd and 3rd together*, repeat until the end of the tour (12 SC)
Start filling your pumpkin!
Round 13. *1 SC in the first SC and SC the 2nd en 3rd together*, repeat till the end of the round (8 SC)

The pumpkin is now almost closed. Keep decreasing until it’s entirely closed. Finish and leave a long piece of thread at the end. Pull this thread 6 or 8 times through the heart of the pumpkin. Make it nice and tight to create that real pumpking ‘effect’.

If you’d like a bigger pumpkin, just keep increasing after round 6 untill you think your pumpkin is big enough. 

Leaves
With green or brown

Chain 7
SC in the 2nd chain from the hook. Then: 2 SC, 2 DC, 1 HDC and 2 SC. On the other side of the chain you hook: 2 SC, 1 HDC, 2 DC en 2 SC.

Finish one of the two threads on each leaf and use the other thread to attach the leaves to the pumpkin. I made two leaves, but if you’ve made a bigger pumpkin you can of course make more leaves. 

 Aren’t they cute and autumn-y!

 Enjoy!