Autumn amigurumi: pumpkins and goldfish purse; a spot of nature

“If I were a bird, I would fly about the Earth seeking the successive autumns.” – George Eliot

Happy Halloween, my friends! I love this time of year, as not only is the weather cooler and more conducive to hunkering down with crafts – we’re also on the cusp of some of my favorite holidays, and I have loads of ideas, even if I’m bereft of time. It’s just a few days before Halloween, and I have finished a couple of adorable amigurumi pumpkins to share with you, using a new pattern by Ukrainian designer Natalia Erkhova. (I made another one of her clever designs a few months ago – the Ukrainian flag butterfly.)

The pumpkins were created in the round, using mostly single crochet stitches in the back loop. The beautifully-textured leaves are shaped with single crochet stitches along chains that radiate from a center point.

For both pumpkins, I used two different kinds of yarn: the fruit is made with Phildar Coton 3, one of my favorite amigurumi yarns of all time. It’s hard for me to get this yarn in Korea unless I special order it, but I do hoard as many colors as possible when I get a chance.

The white leaves are made with two threads held together: a white cotton Korean brand of fingering yarn, and a tiny gold-toned polyester filament that together make the leaf, stem, and tendrils shimmer. The green leaf and stem are made with fingering-weight Korean linen/viscose yarn, which imparts a more rustic, traditional look. I used a 3.00mm hook for the pumpkin, and a 2.5mm hook for the leaves and stem.

Another more unusual item I just finished is a goldfish purse. The clasp of the purse forms the fish’s mouth. I have been wanting to make this one for such a long time, and it was great fun and surprisingly, not too complicated. I used Ricorumi yarn in neon orange, and I found the purse clasp on the Internet. (One thing to note – if you want to use Ricorumi neon yarn colors, keep in mind they’re 100% acrylic, not cotton.)

I used 10mm safety eyes with red irises, and a little fiber-fill for the eyeballs and tail. That’s it! This fish makes me smile every time I look at it (him? her?).

Finished size is 20cm in length including the clasp, and 18cm wide from fin to fin – big enough to hold a smartphone, or other small items like money, cards, and a bit of Halloween candy. If you’re interested in making it, check out the Laura Loves Crochet Ravelry store. She has some of the most creative and adorable amigurumi patterns out there. You might see more of her stuff here soon!

I’ll leave you with some October views of my local folk village. Those of you who’ve followed me for awhile know that this is a favorite area for me to visit any time of year, but especially now, when the fiery colors are starting to show. Rice paddies and gingko trees fade to gold, Japanese maples are russet-hued, and the sky is the most vivid blue it will be all year. All so vibrant and intense, a last burst of color to saturate the landscape and my memory before the bleak winter.