Halloween gave us nine days of tiny makes, and this morning we strung them
all into a garland. But October is bigger than one holiday: after the pumpkins
come down, autumn keeps going — and nothing says autumn like an apple.
This little apple is a palm-sized amigurumi you can finish in 30 to 45 minutes. It never bruises, never browns, and it is the classic teacher gift without the sticky desk. If you can crochet a sphere, you can make this apple — the rest is one stem, one leaf, and a pulled-through yarn indent that turns a plain ball into fruit.
What You'll Need
- Yarn (worsted weight, Category 4): red, about 20 g — or green or golden for the other colourways; small scraps of brown (stem) and green (leaf)
- Hook: 3.5 mm (E-4)
- Eyes: 6 mm safety eyes for display pieces; embroider the face with black yarn instead for young children or classroom-safe gifts
- Stuffing: polyester fiberfill
- Notions: stitch marker, tapestry needle, scissors
Stitches You'll Use
Magic ring (MR), single crochet (sc), increase (inc), invisible decrease (dec), slip stitch (sl st), chain (ch). That is the whole list — i
The Pattern: Apple Body
Work in continuous rounds. Mark the first stitch of each round.
- R1: MR, 6 sc (6)
- R2: inc around (12)
- R3: (sc, inc) ×6 (18)
- R4: (2 sc, inc) ×6 (24)
- R5: (3 sc, inc) ×6 (30)
- R6–R10: sc around (30) — 5 rounds even
- R11: (3 sc, dec) ×6 (24)
- R12: (2 sc, dec) ×6 (18) — if you are using safety eyes, set them now between R9 and R10, about 6 stitches apart, then stuff the body firmly
- R13: (sc, dec) ×6 (12)
- R14: dec around (6)
Fasten off, leaving a long tail. Thread the tail on a tapestry needle, run it through the front loops of the remaining 6 stitches, pull snug, and weave the end inside. This is the invisible close — no pucker, no hole.
Finished size: about 7 cm (2.75 in) tall with worsted-weight yarn and a 3.5 mm hook.
The Top Indent (the Trick That Makes It an Apple)
A plain sphere reads as a ball; an apple needs that little dip at the top. Here is the honest method, and it takes under a minute:
- After stuffing and closing, thread a 20 cm length of your red yarn on a tapestry needle.
- Push the needle into the bottom center of the apple and out through the top center.
- Pull gently until the top sinks into a shallow dimple, then knot the yarn and hide the ends inside.
That is it — one pull-through, and the silhouette changes completely.
Stem and Leaf
Stem (brown):
- R1: MR, 4 sc (4)
- R2–R4: sc around (4)
- Fasten off, leaving a tail for sewing. Sew the stem firmly into the dimple you just made, so it sits upright and a little proud.
Leaf (green):
- Ch 7. In the 2nd ch from the hook: sc, hdc, dc, hdc, sc. Sl st in the last ch.
- Working up the other side of the chain: sc, hdc, dc, hdc, sc. Sl st to the first stitch.
- Fasten off, leaving a tail. Sew the leaf flat beside the stem — one small leaf is all an apple needs.
Three Colourways From One Pattern
- Classic red — the desk apple, the lunchbox apple, the teacher gift.
- Granny green — work the body in green yarn for a tart-looking apple that photographs beautifully against fall leaves.
- Golden — golden-yellow yarn makes a Golden Delicious that glows on an autumn shelf.
Teacher apple: skip the safety eyes and embroider two small French-knot eyes (or a smile) with black yarn, then stitch the teacher's initial on the side in contrasting thread. That is the classroom-safe version — nothing that can come loose, and the personal touch is what makes people keep handmade gifts.
Desk-size apple: repeat the exact same rounds in plush chenille yarn with a 6 mm hook. You will get an apple about 10 cm tall — the perfect weighty desk companion. No count changes needed.
Ways to Use Your Apple
- Teacher and classroom gifts: one apple on a desk says more than a card. The embroidered-face version is the one to gift to anyone with small children around.
- Autumn bowl filler: drop your apples into a wooden bowl with a few of our October pumpkin minis for a centerpiece that works from Halloween straight through Thanksgiving.
- Lunchbox surprise: tuck the embroidered-face apple into a lunchbox — a note that never gets crumpled.
- Photo prop: a red apple beside your Halloween makes is peak autumn. If you strung this morning's Halloween garland, lay an apple or two at its base for the photo — the red against the orange minis is gorgeous.
Troubleshooting
- My apple looks like a plain ball: the indent is too shallow. Re-thread and pull a little firmer — and seat the stem deep in the dimple, which reinforces the dip.
- The leaf curls: work the leaf stitches a touch tighter, or press it flat under a book for an hour. A gentle curl at the tip actually looks natural, so do not fight it too hard.
- A gap at the close: do not knot across the opening — use the front-loop-only weave-in close described above. It disappears completely.
Make One in Every Colour
That is the whole pattern: one sphere, one pulled indent, one stem, one leaf, and about 45 minutes. Make the red one first, then the green and golden — a trio in a bowl is the simplest autumn decoration you will make all season, and the teacher in your life will thank you for the version with their initial on it.
Happy crocheting — and see you in the morning with a brand-new make.