7 Free Crochet Thanksgiving Patterns (Linked to Each Designer)

These free crochet Thanksgiving patterns are all real published patterns with written instructions, each linked to the designer who wrote it. Three turkeys, three pumpkins and a slice of pumpkin pie — enough for a whole table, and small enough that you can still get them made before the day.

Everything here is a small project. The longest is an 11.5-inch turkey; the shortest is two inches and uses scraps. If you are making place settings for a crowd, work out which one you can face repeating eight times before you commit.

What you will need

All seven are amigurumi or applique, which means a hook smaller than the yarn label suggests so the stuffing cannot show through. Between them they use 3 to 5 mm hooks with sport, DK and worsted yarn. You will also want polyester stuffing, a darning needle, and safety eyes for the turkeys.

1. Tutt the Turkey

The centrepiece of the list, and the most ambitious: Joanne Loh’s turkey stands 11.5 inches tall. The tail is what takes the time — a multi-layered shell pattern in alternating white, yellow and brown, with the layers outlined by crocheting through both at once as you join them. DK acrylic on a 3 mm hook for the body and head, dropping to 4.5 mm for the tail so it splays properly. Rated intermediate to advanced; give it a few evenings rather than one. Free pattern: Crochet Turkey Amigurumi — Tutt.

2. Turkey Amigurumi by StringyDingDing

The approachable turkey. The head leads straight into the body as one continuous piece, so there is no neck seam to line up — the step that most often leaves a beginner’s amigurumi with a crooked head. Medium weight yarn in brown, yellow, orange and red on a 4 mm hook. Rated easy, and the feathers, wattle and feet are all worked separately and sewn on, which means you can stop and come back to it. Free pattern: Turkey Amigurumi.

3. Tiny Roasted Turkey

Two inches of roasted turkey, complete with little drumstick tips made from half double crochet bobbles at the ends of the legs. Nicole Riley works it in Premier Minikins sport weight on a 3 mm hook, and it uses so little yarn that it is a genuine scrap-buster. Make a dozen as place settings, or one as a joke on the tree. Quickest project here by a distance. Free pattern: Tiny Crochet Roasted Turkey Amigurumi.

4. Crochet Pumpkin Pie

Heather Corinne’s pie is about 3 inches wide and 2 tall, in worsted weight on a 4 mm hook. The whipped cream is the detail worth stealing: it is a plain chain row that curls up on its own as you work it, then gets spiralled into a rosette and stitched onto the pie — no shaping, no stuffing, and it looks like piped cream. Beginner-friendly amigurumi. Free pattern: Crochet Pumpkin Pie.

5. Small Pumpkin by Peach Unicorn Designs

A proper little pumpkin at 7 cm across and 3 cm high, worked in continuous rounds from a magic circle in Scheepjes Catona cotton on a 3 mm hook. The ridged sections are made at the end by running yarn through the centre several times and pulling — the same technique that turns a ball into a pumpkin in about two minutes. Rated beginner, and the round-by-round counts are written out in full. Free pattern: FREE Small Pumpkin Crochet Pattern.

6. Autumn Pumpkin by Bella Coco

Sarah-Jayne Fragola’s pumpkin is not crocheted in the round at all — it is a flat rectangle, 16 stitches by 34 rows, seamed up the side and then gathered at both ends with a darning needle. Because the shape comes from the seaming rather than the stitch count, you can make it any size by changing the yarn, the hook or the length of the foundation chain. DK on a 5 mm hook in the sample. Beginner-friendly, with a video. Free pattern: Autumn Pumpkin.

7. Pumpkin Applique

Elisa Sartori’s pumpkin stays flat, which makes it the one to use on a table runner, a bag or a card rather than standing on a shelf. It is assembled from five sewn-together bumps — a central one with the stem, two medium and two side pieces — so it has real dimension without being stuffed. About 7.5 cm square, on a 3 mm hook. Rated easy. Free pattern: Pumpkin Applique.

The seven patterns compared

Frequently Asked Questions

How far ahead should I start Thanksgiving crochet?

For a single decoration, a week is plenty — nothing here takes more than a few evenings. For place settings, count properly: eight tiny turkeys is eight hours, and eight full-size ones is not realistic. Start the centrepiece first and fill in the small pieces afterwards.

What is the quickest way to turn a ball into a pumpkin?

Run a length of yarn through the centre from top to bottom and pull it tight, then repeat around the circumference — each pass creates one ridge. The Peach Unicorn pattern uses exactly this. Bella Coco’s version gets there differently, by seaming a flat rectangle and gathering both ends, which gives softer segments.

Can these be made without safety eyes?

Yes, and for anything going near a small child you should. Embroidered French knots or small stitched ovals in black yarn work on all three turkeys. The pumpkins and the pie have no eyes at all, so they are safe for any age as they are written.

What yarn holds its shape best for table decorations?

Cotton. It has less stretch than acrylic, so a cotton pumpkin keeps its ridges and a cotton pie keeps its edges crisp rather than softening over a season in a box. Acrylic is fine for the turkeys, where a little squash does no harm and the colours are easier to find.

Start with whichever project matches the time you actually have. The tiny roasted turkey and the small pumpkin are both under an hour; Tutt is the one to begin now if you want a centrepiece on the table in November. Each link goes to the designer’s own page with the full instructions.