Chunky Yarn Pumpkins from Dollar Tree Pumpkins

Pumpkins! Pumpkins! Pumpkins! I don’t know about you but I can’t get enough of them. I made these really cute chunky yarn pumpkins that I want to share with you.

These easy diy pumpkins are made from Dollar Tree foam pumpkins and chunky knit yarn. Follow the tutorial to make yarn pumpkins with lots of texture and charm. Styrofoam pumpkins are the perfect diy pumpkins because you can use them year after year.

 

Supplies for Chunky Yarn Pumpkins

Carvable Pumpkin – You really want to go get this at the Dollar Tree. Most of the stores have them in stock starting in mid-August as long as supplies last. They also have them on their website during the fall season. If you can’t find them from Dollar Tree, you can get them from Amazon at this link but they are over $8 each.

#6 Bulky Yarn

Mini Elastic Hair Ties

Twine

Wine Cork or other stem option

Felt and Burlap

 

You’ll also need these tools:

Glue Gun with extra glue sticks

Dowel Rod

2 Clothes Pins

Scissors

Instructions for Chunky Yarn Pumpkins

Step 1: The Prep Work

  1. Cut a hole in the top and bottom of your carvable pumpkin approximately 2-1/2” in diameter.
  2. Print the leaf pattern from the file and cut a set out of felt & burlap in the size you want.
  3. Make tendrils by wrapping the twine around the dowel rod, securing both ends with a clothes pin. Get the twine wet by soaking in a sink of about 2” of water for a couple of minutes. Blot off any excess water. Put the dowel rod on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet and bake in the oven on the lowest temperature possible for 15 minutes. Let cool and then unwrap.

Step 2: Prepare the Yarn

This is a great step to do in front of the TV.

  1. Wrap your yarn loosely around a 12” ruler or board. Cut the top and bottom of the ring to create lots of 12” strips. For me it took about 30 braided pieces which means 270 strips of yarn but I would just cut the entire yardage if you have a total of 100-120 yards. For most yarns that is 2 skeins.
  2. Use a mini elastic hair tie to attach 9 strips of yarn together.
  3. Separate the yarn into 3-3 strip sections and braid them together. This is most easily done by attaching a loop of the hair tie to a command hook or tack on a board. This gives you the tension to braid against. You need to make sure that your braiding is somewhat loose so as not to shorten your pieces too much.

Step 3: Put the Yarn on the Pumpkin Form

  1. Put a small bead of hot glue over a couple of inches of the inside of the hole at the bottom of your pumpkin. Place the elastic tie from each braid along the glue. Continue attaching braids as close together as possible. This round should use up a little more than half of your braids.
  2. Flip the pumpkin over with the braids going out from the center. Pull each braid up to the top and tuck into the opening. You should be able to hold them in place long enough to get enough in there to cause tension to hold them in place.
  3. Flip the pumpkin back over and start another bead of glue along the elastic ties and attach another row of braids.
  4. Flip the pumpkin back over and repeat the step of pulling the braids to the top and tucking in. Adjust the placement of the braids as needed to reduce the amount of your pumpkin that shows through.
  5. Flip the pumpkin back over. This time you should be able to avoid the glue and just tuck the braids into the center of the hole. Go back and forth adding a few braids to the bottom and then tucking them in the top until you are satisfied with the look of your pumpkin.

Step 4: Add Embellishments

  1. Cut a piece of your twine tendril to the length you want and place it on the top of your pumpkin.
  2. Add your leaves. I used 2 leaves on most of my pumpkins but sometimes went for a few more. It just depends on what looks best to you.
  3. Use small dots of hot glue to hold the tendril and leaves in place.
  4. Put a bead of glue around the bottom edge of your wine cork as well as a layer on the bottom.
  5. Push the wine cork down into the center of your pumpkin.
  6. Adjust the tendril and leaves as necessary.

Completed Pumpkin

I hope you’ve enjoyed this project. These projects are great in displays on your front porch or mantel. They give texture and interest to any fall décor.

Check out these other pumpkin related crafts on the blog:

Glitter Pumpkins to Make Yourself - ALifeOfBalance.com
Decorated Fall Lantern - https://janetscraftcorner.com/fall-lantern/

 

 

 

 

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58 Comments

  1. Janet, these are so darn cute and clever! And, what a great tutorial. Pinned! I’m going to try and find time to make some to go with my sweater pumpkins made previously. Thinking they’d make a great table favor for Thanksgiving.

  2. These are absolutely darling! Thank you for the detailed tutorial. I’m pinning this to my Autumn board!

    Thanks so much for joining the Grace at Home party at Imparting Grace. I’m featuring you this week!

  3. They are super cute Janet!!
    Thank you for sharing your chunky yarn pumpkins at Create, Bake, Grow and Gather this week. I’m delighted to be featuring your DIY at this weeks party and pinning too.
    Hugs,
    Kerryanne

  4. Janet, I love how you braided the yarn in your pumpkins. It gives them such a unique look! The instructions are excellentl, too. Now I’m off to check out your video. It was fun pumpkin crafting with you!

  5. I really like that you braided the yarn with variegated yarn It gives the pumpkin a whole new dimension. Such a fun and easy tutorial. Pinned to make for later. Thanks!

  6. I love your chunky yarn pumpkins, Janet! These would be perfect for Fall decor at home. I loved your YouTube video for this craft too – very cool!