Start by crocheting a plain magic circle, end up with the perfect piece for fall (video)

It’s time to toss your summer crochet works in progress (WIPs) aside and start thumbing through fall designs! Autumn is nearly upon us, and pumpkin spice lattes (#PSL) have already made their grand entrance at Starbucks, so what better time to start crocheting the perfect pumpkin applique?
This quick and easy pumpkin applique from Crochet to Z can affix to anything your heart desires to give it a little fall flair. My personal favorite place to put this pumpkin patch is on warm beanies in fall colors like cranberry and mauve.
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But the uses for this small pumpkin pattern don't stop there! A few of these crochet pumpkin appliques would look spectacular as a pumpkin patch motif on an autumn bag or as embellishments on a sweater.
This beginner pumpkin pattern uses simple stitches like single crochet (SC), double crochet (DC), half double crochet (HDC) and slip stitches (SL ST) to create an oval pumpkin design with a little stem.
Gather up your orange worsted weight yarn and begin with a magic circle — also called a magic ring or adjustable loop — followed by a chain 1 to help anchor the loop.
Two more chains should be added to act as the first half double crochet stitch, followed by nine half double crochet (HDC) stitches in the loop (10 total). You can also change the first chain into a slip knot as seen in Crochet Ever After's quick YouTube tutorial on how to make a magic adjustable loop below.
After you've got your 10 half double crochets in the loop (that's a chain 2 and 9 HDCs), then there's only one more row of varying stitches to crochet this adorable oval pumpkin design.
Count back 10 stitches from your hook and join to the beginning of the loop with a single SL ST and SC in the same stitch. In the next stitch, HDC and DC. In the third and fourth stitches, DC 2 in each, followed by a DC and HDC in the fifth stitch. The sixth stitch calls for SC 2, marking the middle of the pattern and signaling its reverse.
Continuing the round, HDC and DC the seventh stitch. The eighth and ninth stitches get two DC each, followed by DC and HDC in the 10th and final stitch. Voilà! You've made a little pumpkin!
To add the stem, switch to a small amount of brown worsted weight yarn during the final HDC stitch, join with one SL ST in the top of the first SC (the beginning of the round), and chain four times, using the fourth chain to make a knot. Leave long tails for sewing to hats, bags, sweaters and more!
Don’t forget to check out Crochet to Z's accompanying YouTube tutorial below for a stitch-by-stitch visual on how to crochet your own perfect pumpkin applique!
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