Crochet a Cozy Pumpkin: Learn the Alpine Stitch Step by Step

1. The Cozy Pumpkin Preview: This fall, elevate your decor and bring cozy vibes to your home. One stitch at a time. Hi, my name is Imre Bozek, a French Canadian crochet teacher and designer behind Crochet Mills brand. And if you've already taken my crochet course for beginner here on Skillshare. This class is the perfect next step for you. Thanks to the solid foundation you built in in that course, you'll be able to follow this tutorial with confidence. In this class, you'll learn how to crochet these beautiful textured pupkins using the alpine stitch. I guide you step by step so you can make your own cozy fall decor. Whether you're right or left handed, by the end of this class, you'll feel comfortable with the alpine stitch and ready to create a mountain of pumpkins in your home. Let's get started. 2. Project Intro: In this class, you will learn how to crochet beautiful textured pumpkin. I'll guide you step by step through every part of the process from making the basic stitch, assembly your pumpkin and adding the final details. Even if you've just learned how to crochet you'll be able to follow along and finish this project with confidence. I can't wait to see yours. Don't forget to share them with me in the project gallery below. Let's now start with the materials and techniques. 3. Materials & Techniques: To make these pumpkins, you will need about 110 yards of yarn. You can choose any size and color of yarn, and you will choose a hook that match the thickness. So if you go with a worsted weight yarn, you will use a four millimeter hook with bulk yarn, a five millimeter one and super bulky yarn, a six millimeter hook. The exact brand of yarn I used is mentioned in the PDF pattern you can download in the documents. No gauge is needed. The pumpkin will just be smaller or bigger, depending on the yarn thickness you choose. You will also need scissors, a yarn needle, stuffing, cinnamon stick, or juke thread that are optional. Here's all the stitches we will use. We will use chains, single crochet, a decrease of single crochet, double crochet, front post double crochet to create the alpine stitch, and slip stitch. They are all basic stitches that you've learned in the crochet course for beginners. Let's now get to work. 4. The Pumpkin - Main Part: You can start by making a slip note and chain 41. Row one, you will do a single crochet in the second chain from your hook and in all the next chains. You should have a total of 40 single crochet in row one. Row two, you will do a chin to turn, and you will make a double crochet in the next 39 stitches, starting here. Row three, chain one, turn. You will make a single crochet in the same stitch, the one just after your chain one. And you will do a single crochet in every other stitches. The last one will be on top of the chain tooth from previous rope. You should have a total of 40 single crochet. Row four, we will now start the alpine stitch. You will chain two, turn, and you will make a front post double crochet around the next double crochet off the second to last row, so the double crochet one. So you enter your hook from front to back, encompassing the double crochet, and you will make your double crochet around this stitch. You will make a double crochet in the next stitch of the previous row, the single crochet one. So you can follow the arrow. A little tip is to go into the third stitch from your chain to. And you make an ordinary double crochet in it, taking both loops. So we're gonna alternate front pose, double crochet, and double crochet to create the alpine stitch. So you can make a front post double crochet around the next stitch of the second to last row. So you just skip a double crochet and you do your front post double crochet in the next one. You will make a double crochet in the next stitch of the previous row. So you skip one single crochet and you do your double crochet in the next one. We're working on two rows at a time, so it's normal to skip one stitch on every row. And you continue like this, a front post double crochet around the next double crochet of the second to last row. So visually, you skip one. And you make a double crochet in the next ditch of the previous single crochet room. And you continue like this, alternating the frontal double crochet with the double crochet. At the end, the last front post double crochet will be around the last double crochet of row two. It should look like this. Row five a simple one. You'll do a chain one turn. You'll make a single crochet in the same stitch since chain one is not counting as a stitch, and you do a single crochet in every other stitches. The last one will be on top of chain two. Next row, chain two. This time we will alternate the front post, double crochet with the double crochet. Where you did your front post, you will do a double crochet. In the next touch here, and you will do a front post double crochet around the double crochet of the second to last row. And you will make a double crochet in next ditch of the previous row. So you skip one single crochet and you do your double crochet in the next one. And you continue alternating the frontal double crochet with a double crochet. And the last edge will be auble crochet, and it will be made on the first single crochet made in the previous row here. The edges should be straight like this. Row seven chain one, turn. You will do a single crochet in the same stitch and a single crochet in all other stitches. Last one will be on top of chain two. Row eight to 19, you will repeat row four to seven. I will show you a little reminder here, and I will write to you on the screen the instructions. But if you need to rewatch row 427, you can go back to these rows in the video. It's a little bit difficult to see how many rows we've done. So a little tip is to count the alpine stitches that are visible. You can see eight rows. And the last row will be one with single crochet. After your 19 rows, it should look like this. 5. The Pumpkin - Assembly: We will need to do one more roll before transforming what we've done into a pumpkin. You can chain one, turn, and you will make decreases of single crochet in every stitches. We will then join the two sides of the panel with slip stitch. So you can close it, so the wrong side is facing you. And you will make slip stitches all along the side, entering the edges strands to close the panel. You don't need to be very precise. Everything will be hidden, as long as you join the two sides of the panel. When you reach the bottom, you can continue by making a row of single crochet two together. We're going to decrease all around our foundation chain. When you finish, you can cut the yarn leaving a very long end. Close the bottom of the pumpkin with your needle by inserting it like this. At the end pull hard on your thread to close it. You can secure it by entering anywhere just to be very tight. Now, turn the pumpkin right side out and you can add stuffing. It should be firm, but you don't want to see the stuffing going through the holes. When you're satisfied, you can close the opening the same way. Use the same thread to form the little ridges on the pumpkin. You can start in the panel junction to hide the seam. There will be four ridges. You just insert your needle from the bottom to top and pull very hard to form them like this. You can make four ridges in total. At the end secure the thread and cut it. In one of the hole, you can place a little cinnamon stick that can be secure with hot glue. Otherwise, you can take Jew thread to place a small braid inside. I'll show you how. Cut three strands about 12 " long. Insert them into the top of the pumpkin and make a braid with the six strands. And secure the end by tying a knot. And if you don't have this kind of thread, you can use the same yarn. It will be as beautiful. Congratulations. You finished your little pumpkin. 6. Final Words: I hope you enjoy crocheting these adorable pumpkins. Let me see what yarn and color you chose by sharing your creation with me in the project gallery below. I hope you'll crochet a lot this fall. Avento.