Hello lovelies! As Halloween draws closer, it’s the perfect time to add a bit of playful charm to your seasonal décor. Enter the Jaunty Jack o’ Lantern, a free pattern crochet creation that’s not only fun to make but is perfect to add a dose of spooky whimsy to your space.
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The tradition of carving jack-o’-lanterns dates back centuries, with its roots in Ireland. People used to carve scary faces into turnips and potatoes to ward off evil spirits, particularly a wandering soul named Stingy Jack. When Irish immigrants came to America, they found pumpkins more plentiful and much easier to carve. Thus, the iconic jack-o’-lantern we know today was born! From spooky grins to playful expressions, this tradition has become a Halloween staple, with every home sporting its own glowing, carved masterpiece.
Made with Ricorumi DK, this adorable pumpkin is full of personality, whether you’re decorating for a big Halloween party or just adding a festive touch to your home. I love Ricorumi DK yarn, which, if you’re not familiar with it, is a 100% cotton yarn that comes in 25g [57.5m] balls. It’s definitely a firm favourite with me. It’s perfect for amigurumi as it’s available in 80 solid shades there’s so much to chose from!
I used a 3.5mm hook (US E/4 hook) for this project, and the only other things you will need are some stitch markers, a tapestry needle, some toy stuffing and some black felt.
Inspired by this timeless tradition, the Jaunty Jack o’ Lantern is a delightful crochet version, perfect for adding some handmade charm to your Halloween setup. His cheeky grin and playful personality bring the fun, while the bright and durable cotton yarn makes him a long-lasting part of your seasonal décor. Whether you’re popping him on your mantel, adding him to a centrepiece, or letting him guard the candy bowl, Jaunty Jack will be a cheerful reminder of Halloween’s rich folklore.
Jaunty Jack o’Lantern can be accessed for free at the pattern below or you can buy it as an ad-free PDF using the links below (handy if you’d like all the instructions and pictures in a nice document which you can print and take notes on without relying on your phone or an internet connection).
Jaunty Jack o’ Lantern
The pattern below is written just in UK terms but you can view a handy conversion chart here on the blog.
Skill Level: Easy
Yarn: Rico Designs Ricorumi DK used in photos, 8ply / Double Crochet; 25g / 27.5m 100% Cotton
- 5 balls Orange (027) – YARN A
- 1 ball Olive (048) – YARN B
Pattern will work in other hooks and yarns though finished item will be different.
Hook: 3.5mm hook (US size E).
You will also need
- Scissors
- A yarn needle
- stitch markers
- toy stuffing
- black felt
- glue gun (optional) or black sewing thread and a needle
Gauge: 5dc = 2.5cm / 1 inches
Obtaining the correct gauge is not critical to this project but if your gauge does not match mine then the finished headband might turn out differently.
Finished size: Pumpkin diameter = 16cm [6.3 inches] / Pumpkin height = 16cm [6.3 inches]
STITCH GUIDANCE:
- Chain (ch): Bring yarn over hook from back to front and grab it with hook. Draw hooked yarn through slip knot and onto hook.
- Slip Stitch (sl st): Insert hook in st indicated, yarn over and draw through all loops.
- Double Crochet (dc): Insert hook in st indicated and pull up a loop (two loops on hook), yarn over, pull through both loops on hook.
- Double crochet 2 together (dc2tog): Invisible double crochet decrease method: Invisible decreasing is a method of removing stitches to shape your fabric without gaps. Insert hook in the FRONT LOOP ONLY of the first stitch indication and pull up a loop (two loops on hook), insert hook in the FRONT LOOP ONLY of the next st, pull up a loop (three loops on hook), yarn over, pull through three loops on hook; decrease made.
- Back Loop Only (BLO): Work in the back loop of the stitch as indicated
PATTERN NOTES:
- Magic ring: is also known as a Drawstring Ring or Magic Loop and is often used as a start for working amigurumi. If you are not familiar with this technique you could substitute with a ch2 and then work in the second ch from the hook.
- Working in the round: Most of the sections of this pattern are worked in the amigurumi style without joining in continuous rounds. Place the stitch marker in the top of the first st to mark the start of each round.
PATTERN:
PUMPKIN BODY
Rnd 1: With YARN A; working in a magic ring, 6 dc. 6sts
Rnd 2: (2 dc in each st) 6 times.12sts
Rnd 3: (1 dc, 2dc in next st) 6 times.18sts
Rnd 4: (2 dc, 2 dc in next st) 6 times. 24sts
Rnd 5: (3 dc, 2 dc in next st) 6 times. 30sts
Rnd 6: (4 dc, 2 dc in next st) 6 times. 36sts
Rnd 7: (5 dc, 2 dc in next st) 6 times. 42sts
Rnd 8: (6 dc, 2 dc in next st) 6 times. 48sts
Rnd 9: (7 dc, 2 dc in each st) 6 times. 54sts
Rnd 10: 4 dc, 2 dc in next st, (8 dc, 2 dc in next st) 5 times until last 4 sts, 4 dc. 60sts
Rnd 11: (9 dc, 2 dc in next st) 6 times. 66sts
Rnd 12: 5 dc, 2 dc in next st (10 dc, 2 dc in next st) 5 times until last 5 sts, 5 dc. 72sts
Rnd 13: (11 dc, 2 dc in next st) 6 times. 78sts
Rnd 14: 6 dc, 2 dc in next st (12 dc, 2 dc in next st) 5 times until last 6 sts, 6 dc. 84sts
Rnd 15: (13 dc, 2 dc in next st) 6 times. 90sts
Rnd 16: 7 dc, 2 dc in next st, (14 dc, 2 dc in next st) 5 times until last 7 sts, 7 dc. 96sts
Rnd 17: (15 dc, 2dc in next st) 6 times. 102sts
Rnd 18: 8 dc, 2 dc in next st (16 dc, 2dc in next st) 5 times until last 8 sts, 8 dc. 108sts
Rnd 19 – 43: dc around
Start to stuff, continue to stuff as you go
Rnd 44: (16 dc, dc2tog) 6 times. 102sts
Rnd 45: (15 dc, dc2tog) 6 times. 96sts
Rnd 46: (14 dc, dc2tog) 6 times. 90sts
Rnd 47: (13 dc, dc2tog) 6 times. 84sts
Rnd 48: (12 dc, dc2tog) 6 times. 78sts
Rnd 49: (11 dc, dc2tog) 6 times. 72sts
Rnd 50: (10 dc, dc2tog) 6 times. 66sts
Rnd 51: (9 dc, dc2tog) 6 times. 60sts
Rnd 52: (8 dc, dc2tog) 6 times. 54sts
Rnd 53: (7 dc, dc2tog) 6 times. 48sts
Rnd 54: (6 dc, dc2tog) 6 times 42sts
Rnd 55: (5 dc, dc2tog) 6 times 36sts
Rnd 56: (4 dc, dc2tog) 6 times 30sts Start to stuff, continue as you go
Rnd 57: (3 dc, dc2tog) 6 times. 24sts
Rnd 58: (2dc, dc2tog) 6 times 18sts
Rnd 59: (1 dc, dc2tog) 6 times 12sts
Rnd 60: (dc2tog). 6sts
Fasten off and use the yarn tail to sew up the remaining sts
PUMPKIN BOTTOM
Rnd 1: With YARN A; working in a magic ring. 6 dc. 6sts
Rnd 2: (2 dc in each st) 6 times.12sts
Rnd 3: (1 dc, 2dc in next st) 6 times.18sts
Fasten off and leave a long tail
PUMPKIN STALK
Rnd 1: With YARN B; working in a magic ring, 6 dc. 6sts
Rnd 2: (2 dc in each st) 6 times.12sts
Rnd 3: (1 dc, 2dc in next st) 6 times.18sts
Rnd 4: BLO; dc around
Rnds 5 – 10: dc around
Rnd 11: (Dc2tog) six times, (2dc) six times. 18sts
Rnds 12 – 14: dc around
Rnd 15: (Dc2tog) six times, (2dc) six times. 18sts
Rnds 16 – 18: dc around
Rnd 19: (Dc2tog) six times, (2dc) six times. 18sts
Rnds 21: dc around
Fasten off and leave a long yarn tail.
Stuff the stalk.
PUMPKIN TENDRILS
Make 2.
Ch25, 3dc in the second ch from hook and in each ch along until end. Fasten off but leave a long yarn tail.
FINISHING
- Take the length of yarn tail, and wrap your yarn around your pumpkin twice; taking it through the centre of the pumpkin and pulling it taut to shape your pumpkin into segments, tie in a secure knot at the top.
- Repeat step 1 twice more in equal segments (creating six segments in total).
- Sew the pumpkin bottom of your pumpkin on the bottom using it to cover up where the yarn for your segments cross.
- Attach the pumpkin stalk to the top of the pumpkin using it to cover up where the yarn for your segments cross.
- Attach the tendrils alongside of the stalk on one side of the pumpkin.
- Using the black felt cut out a face for your Jack o’Lantern using the photos as a guide. Then either glue or sew them into place.
And that’s it!
I hope you’ll let Jaunty Jack o’Lantern bring some crochet magic to your spooky season! If you liked this pattern, you can view a list of my other free patterns here.
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Until next time folks! Happy hooking and keep calm and crochet on my friends xx
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