How to Make a No-Crochet Yarn Pumpkin (2 Easy Methods)

Lay out a small foam pumpkin from Dollar Tree, a pair of sharp scissors, an x-acto or craft knife, a paperclip, and one skein of thick chunky yarn. Pumpkin Emily uses a fluffy white chenille-style yarn that gives the pumpkin a soft heirloom texture, but any chunky yarn works - cream, pumpkin orange, mustard, or a moody black for Halloween.

The chunky yarn matters more than the color. Thin yarn will take forever to cover the pumpkin, and the result will look stringy instead of soft. Go with super bulky or size 6 yarn if you can find it. Grab a twig from the yard for the stem, or use a cinnamon stick if you want it to smell faintly of fall.

Pull the plastic stem off the foam pumpkin and set it aside - you won't need it again. Use the x-acto knife to cut a 1.5-inch circle out of the top of the pumpkin where the stem used to sit. Flip the pumpkin over and cut a matching 1.5-inch hole in the bottom.

Tip the pumpkin upside down over a trash can and shake out the loose foam crumbs. You want a hollow path running straight through the body from top to bottom. This is what the yarn will wrap through.

Cut a long piece of chunky yarn - at least three or four feet to start. Push one end of the yarn down through the top hole and out the bottom. Now wrap the strand around the outside of the pumpkin and back up through the bottom hole and out the top. That's one wrap.

Keep going. Each pass adds another vertical line of yarn across the pumpkin body. Slip the paperclip onto the working end whenever the yarn is being stubborn - it makes pulling through the holes much faster. Rotate the pumpkin slightly between wraps so the yarn spreads evenly around the surface.

Keep wrapping until the entire foam pumpkin is hidden under yarn. When you can't see the orange anymore, you're done. Tuck the loose end of the yarn down inside the pumpkin through the top hole. Wrap it once around one of the side strands to lock it in place, then trim any excess with scissors.

Push a small twig or cinnamon stick straight down into the top hole as the stem. The yarn holds it in place naturally - if it wobbles, add a tiny dab of hot glue at the base. That's Method 1 finished. No crochet, no needles, no stitches. Just yarn wrapped through a foam pumpkin.

For the braided pumpkin you need a second foam pumpkin, one skein of orange worsted-weight yarn (regular thickness, not chunky), the x-acto knife, scissors, and another twig for the stem. The paperclip stays in the drawer for this one - you won't need it.

Pull the stem off the foam pumpkin and cut a 1.5-inch hole in the top, just like Method 1. This time you can skip the bottom hole - the braids tuck into the top only, so the bottom stays sealed. Set the pumpkin aside and grab the orange yarn. You're about to make a lot of braids.

Cut nine pieces of yarn, each about 30 inches long. A ruler or measuring tape helps - or just measure the first one and use it as a template for the rest. Stack the nine strands together and tie one end in a tight overhand knot, leaving a small tail.

To braid, tape the knotted end to the table or clip it onto a clipboard so it stays put. Separate the nine strands into three groups of three. Now braid - left over middle, right over middle, repeat - all the way down to the other end. Tie a second knot to lock the braid in place. That's one braid done.

Repeat the braiding process until you have a stack of about 20 finished braids. Each one should be roughly the same length so the pumpkin looks even when they're all on. The exact count depends on how thick your yarn is and how big your pumpkin is - thicker yarn means fewer braids, smaller pumpkin means fewer braids.

Start with 20 and adjust as you go. If you cover the pumpkin and still see orange foam between the braids, make a few more. If you have braids left over, save them for a second pumpkin.

Lay out the first braid flat on the table. Set the pumpkin in the middle so the braid runs underneath it from one side to the other. Pick up both ends of the braid and tuck them down into the hole at the top of the pumpkin. The braid now runs from the top, down one side, under the bottom, up the other side, and back into the top.

Rotate the pumpkin a few degrees, lay the next braid the same way, and tuck both ends into the top hole. Keep rotating between braids so they spread evenly around the pumpkin and the ridges look like the segments of a real pumpkin.

Once the foam pumpkin is fully covered, flip it over and tuck or rearrange any braid ends sticking out the bottom so it sits flat on a surface. The braids will spread naturally with a little finger work.

Push a small twig or cinnamon stick into the top hole as the stem. The braid ends bunched up at the top hold the stem snug - no glue needed unless it leans badly. Add a faux leaf or a snip of plaid ribbon tied around the base of the stem for a little extra fall touch. Done. Two yarn pumpkins, no crochet, no needles, no patterns to read. Set them on the mantel with a no-sew cheesecloth ghost and you've got a Halloween table that took one afternoon to build.