How to Crochet Ornamental Gourds

Whenever fall hits, I’m always excited to break out the crochet pumpkins! I’ve been writing new pumpkin patterns each year for awhile now, and this season, I tried to make something a little different. Introducing my Ugly Gourds! These three oddballs are designed to be just unusual enough to look random, but easy enough to remember the stitch repeats. I think you’ll have a lot of fun adding these ornamental gourds to your crochet collection.

Before you Begin…

You can find the ad-free PDF version of this pattern in my Ravelry shop or my Etsy shop. For the free version, keep scrolling!

These patterns can be made with worsted weight and bulky yarn. I used Lion Brand Respun and Hue + Me!

You’re also going to need a 5.00mm and a 6.00mm crochet hook. This hook set is my absolute favorite right now!

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What is an Ornamental Gourd?

An ornamental gourd is a pumpkin or squash that is grown specifically for decoration. These gourds are generally characterized by unusual shapes, textures and colors. Ornamental gourds are harvested after fully maturing on the vine and then dried and sealed to preserve them for decoration, typically for fall and winter holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas.

The Ugly Gourds Trio emphasize the unusual shapes and textures in a fun set crochet patterns. So now you can keep your ornamental gourd decor around for even longer!

About the Pattern

These ornamental gourds just didn’t seem complete all on their own, so I made them a trio. This is a set of three patterns, each inspired by a different ornamental fall/winter gourd. We’ve got the Warty Pumpkin that is based on a Knucklehead pumpkin. The Autumn Wings Gourd that has a distinct bottleneck shape and textured ridges. And finally, there’s the Turban Squash with a round base and it’s oddball “pumpkin hat”.

The Ugly Gourds Trio patterns are definitely intermediate level difficulty. They each have either an unusual stitch or technique. So if you’re a beginning crocheter, be prepared to stretch your skills. (But don’t worry too much because I’ve got full tutorial videos for each!) Each of these patterns comes in one size, but if you wanted to mix it up, you could definitely swap in some different yarn weight/hook size combinations.

various shaped, multicolored crochet gourds on wood tray

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About the Yarn

When I first began dreaming up these patterns, I wanted to use one yarn across all three patterns. I chose Lion Brand ReSpun because I kinda love worsted weight, the colors were perfectly fall-y, and it’s a great value for the yardage. (Did I mention it’s recycled?!) Anyway, it worked great for the Warty Pumpkin, but I found it to be tedious with the other two pieces. BUT I already all had this worsted weight yarn. What’s a girl to do?

So I decided that I’d turn my worsted weight yarn into bulky yarn. There’s a really cool technique where you can still pull one strand from you skein and hold it triple as you work. Sounds more complicated that it is. It’s super simple and I made you a quick tutorial video in case you want to use worsted weight too!

But when it’s all said and done, I decided to write two of the gourd patterns with bulky yarn. I used Lion Brand Hue+Me, which is a great compliment to the colors I had already chosen. What that means for you is that you can use any worsted weight yarn for all three OR you can use worsted weight for the Warty Pumpkin pattern and bulky for the Autumn Wings Gourd and Turban Squash patterns.

a skein of teal yarn next to a skein of rose yarn on a wood background

What Else You’ll need…

To complete your ornamental gourds, you’ll need just a few extra things.

First, you’ll need some stuffing. You can purchase polyester filling at most craft stores. You can also save yarn or fabric scraps to use for filling. My personal hack for filling amigurumi is to buy a cheap bed pillow from Walmart (the last one cost $4). I cut a little slit in the seam and pull out stuffing as needed. The pillow case keeps it contained in my craft space and its half the price of Poly-fil.

Next you’re going to need a stem. I don’t usually add crocheted stems to my pumpkins. Just a personal preference of mine. I use a stick and a piece of cork in my sample pieces, but if you want some more fun stem ideas, I can help you out. I wrote a whole post of 17 Unique Stems for DIY Pumpkins!

Helpful Resources

As I mentioned before, this is an intermediate pattern. You’ll need to know front post stitches, and a little familiarity with bobbles won’t hurt. BUT since I don’t want to leave out my beginner friends, I decided to do full tutorial videos for this set of patterns. The videos will be added to this Youtube Playlist as they’re finished, with all of them in there by October 2023.

Full video tutorials are new for me, as I usually just give you stitch tutorial videos or photos. So if you want to see more of these, be sure to head over to my Youtube channel and give it a follow. Leave me a comment on the video so I know they’re helpful.

You Might Also Like…

Since we’re talking Fall, I have lots of great patterns that are perfect for the season! And did I mention they’re free! Check out some of the links below for some of my most popular fall patterns.

8 Crochet Leaf Patterns to Try this Fall!
Great Star Pumpkins
XOXO Slouch Hats

Let’s Get Started…

I’m going to break this one up a little differently than I usually do since I’ll all three patterns will be living here on this post together. I’ll stick materials needed and notes before each separate gourd pattern. That way if you’re only making one, you’ve got your materials right there next to the pattern. And don’t forget, if you want to skip the scrolling, you can buy the ad-free PDF pattern set in my Etsy or Ravelry shop.

Here we go!

Warty Pumpkin

hand holding textured orange crochet pumpkin next to cream crochet pumpkin on wood background

Materials Needed

1 Skeins of Lion Brand ReSpun (or 140 yds of Worsted Weight yarn)
Size H (5.0mm) crochet hook
Tapestry needle
Stitch Marker
Scissors
Poly-fil stuffing
Stick or twig for stem

Stitches Used

Ch – Chain
Sc – Single Crochet
5-Dc Bs – 5 Double Crochet Bobble Stitch
7-Dc Bs – 7 Double Crochet Bobble Stitch
3BsTog – 3 Bobble Stitches Together
Sl st – Slip stitch

Skill Level

Intermediate

Gauge

Gauge is not essential to this pattern, but to make your gourds similar sized to mine a single crochet gauge swatch is included.

9 Sc Stitches x 6 Rows = 2” Square

Finished Measurements:

5”w x 3”h

Notes

This pattern is worked flat in rows and seamed at the end.
This pumpkin is finished with a branch or twig. If using a different stem, be sure to determine your attachment method before closing your pumpkin.
All odd rows of this piece are the Right Side and all even rows are the Wrong Side. Bobble Stitches should be worked on the Wrong Side of this piece.
The shape of the pumpkin is based on the width of your first two rows being 5”. If your piece if larger than this, add 3/4” in length to your finished piece for each additional 1/4” in width.

Special Stitches/Techniques

5 Double Crochet Bobble Stitch (5-Dc Bs):

Working from wrong side (WS) of piece. Yarn over, insert hook into next stitch and pull up a loop. Yarn over and pull through two loops on hook. *Yarn over, insert hook into same stitch and pull up a loop. Yarn over and pull through two loops on hook.* Repeat from * to * three more times (6 loops on hook). Yarn over and pull through all 6 loops on your hook. Chain 1 to close bobble stitch. (Note: Chain 1 of bobble stitch does not count as a stitch throughout this pattern.)

7 Double Crochet Bobble Stitch (7-Dc Bs):

Working from wrong side (WS) of piece. Yarn over, insert hook into next stitch and pull up a loop. Yarn over and pull through two loops on hook. *Yarn over, insert hook into same stitch and pull up a loop. Yarn over and pull through two loops on hook.* Repeat from * to * five more times (8 loops on hook). Yarn over and pull through all 8 loops on your hook. Chain 1 to close bobble stitch. (Note: Chain 1 of bobble stitch does not count as a stitch throughout this pattern.)

3 Bobble Stitches Together (3BsTog):

1st Bobble: Working from wrong side (WS) of piece. Yarn over, insert hook into next stitch and pull up a loop. Yarn over and pull through two loops on hook. *Yarn over, insert hook into same stitch and pull up a loop. Yarn over and pull through two loops on hook.* Repeat from * to * three more times (6 loops on hook).

2nd Bobble: Leaving loops on hook, yarn over, insert hook into next stitch and pull up a loop. Yarn over and pull through two loops on hook. *Yarn over, insert hook into same stitch and pull up a loop. Yarn over and pull through two loops on hook.* Repeat from * to * three more times (11 loops on hook).

3rd Bobble: Leaving loops on hook, yarn over, insert hook into next stitch and pull up a loop. Yarn over and pull through two loops on hook. *Yarn over, insert hook into same stitch and pull up a loop. Yarn over and pull through two loops on hook.* Repeat from * to * three more times (16 loops on hook).

Yarn over and pull through all loops on hook. Chain 3 to close bobble. (Note: Chain 3 of bobble stitch does not count as a stitch throughout this pattern.)

Stitch Note: If you’re having trouble fitting 16 loops on your crochet hook, you can experiment with reducing the bobble sizes to 3-4 double crochets each. (10-13 loops on hook)

PUMPKIN

Using 5.0mm (H) hook.

Row 1: Ch 21. Sc in second ch from hook and each ch across. (20)

Row 2: Ch 1 and turn. *Sc, 5-Dc Bs, sc, 7-Dc Bs, sc.* Repeat from * to * across. (20)

Gauge Note: To match the size shown, your piece should measure roughly 5” across at this point.

Row 3: Ch 1 and turn. Sc in each stitch across. (Note: Ch 1 from bobble stitch does not count as a stitch). (20)

Row 4: Ch 1 and turn. *Sc 2, 7-Dc Bs, sc, 5-Dc Bs.* Repeat from * to * until 3 stitches remain. 7-Dc Bs, sc 2. (20)

Row 5: Ch 1 and turn. Sc in each stitch across. (20)

Row 6: Ch 1 and turn. Sc 2. *3BsTog, sc, 5-Dc Bs, sc.* Repeat from * to * across. (14)

Row 7: Ch 1 and turn. *Sc 3. Sc in the side of 3BsTog working through the last dc of the bobble (Note: Working in the side of the stitch will close any gapping from the ch 3 space.) Sc 2 in the top of the 3BsTog.* Repeat from * to * twice. Sc 2. (20)

Repeat Rows 2-7 seven times more times or until piece measures approximately 11”.

Fold piece in half lengthwise with right side facing in. Sl st in front loops only of first row and last row to join the piece. This will create a wide tube. (See Photo 1) Turn piece right side out. Finish off leaving a long tail approx 24” for sewing.

FINISHING

Using the long tail and a tapestry needle, weave in and out along the edge of the tube you created with a running stitch. (See Photo 2) Pull the yarn tight to cinch the opening on one edge of the tube closed. (See Photo 3) Go around the opening 1-2 more times to securely close. With yarn still attached, push the tapestry needle up through the center of the pumpkin. Stuff the pumpkin with polyfil stuffing. (See Photo 4) Weave in and out along the open edge of the tube with a running stitch. Insert a stick (or other desired stem) in the center of the opening. (See Photo 5) Pull the yarn tightly to cinch the opening closed around the stem. Go around the opening 1-2 more times to securely close. (Optional: You can also use hot glue to secure the stem further.) Leave yarn attached.

SHAPING

To further shape your pumpkin, push the tapestry needle with attached yarn tail down through the center of the pumpkin near the stem and out the bottom of the pumpkin. Poke the needle back up through the bottom and out the top near the stem, being sure to catch a small amount of fabric in the pass. Pull tightly to create an indent in the bottom of pumpkin. Repeat 1-2 more times to secure. Tie off and weave end.