It's the Great Pumpkin

Fall is upon us and that means partaking in some of our favorite traditions. My family will be watching the Great Pupmkin before too long along with, "You're Not Elected Charlie Brown". So, with fall upon us and everyone proudbly displaying their pumpkin hats, I had to join the fun and create my own version.

This is a guide of how I made my pumpkin. The hat has three sections: the crown, the body and the border. The crown and border are standard with a fun stitch in the body. Then, the elements are taken from all kinds of places, but I have given options for where you can find similar elements, too. :)

The Hat

I started with Lion Brand Homespun in Wildfire and my "L" hook.

I start all of my hats the same way with a magic circle and increasing each round by 8 stitches until it is the desired size around.

Round 1: hdc 8 times into magic circle and join with slip stitch (8)

Round 2: ch1, inc around and join with slip stitch (16)

Round 3: ch1, *inc, hdc* around and join with slip stitch (24)

Round 4: ch1 *inc, hdc 2* around and join with slip stitch (32)

Round 5: ch1, *inc, hdc 3* around and join with slip stitch (40)  -- This is where I got to the desired size for a 6-12 month of 17"

Measure after each round using this size chart as a reference for when to stop.

Place Marker for Beginning of Hat Body

This section is worked in continuous rounds of: *Skip next two stitches, (sc, hdc, dc) in next stitch *

Continue until hat is .5" to .75" shorter than the desired length based on the chart below measuring each time you come back to the stitch marker. When you reach this size, continue to the hat border section below.

Hat Border:

Place marker.

Round 1: hdc around and join with slip stitch

Round 2: sc around and finish off with invisible join (or slip stitch if you prefer)

The Stem:

Round 1: 8 sc into magic circle (do not join - stem is worked in continuous rounds)

Round 2-4: sc around (8)

Finish off leaving a long tail for sewing onto hat.

Tendrils:

Make a few of these curly fringe pieces and tie them to the inside of the stem.

How to Crochet Curly Fringe from CrochetSpot

The Leaf:

Here's a free pattern for the leaves!

Free Pattern from Craft Stylish 

Attach the Pieces

Sew the stem onto the hat. Then, attach the tendrils. You can use the excess yarn as stuffing in the stem. Attach the leaf to the base of the stem. Again, you can use the excess material as stuffing in the stem.