Yarnspirations Mushroom Pouch

Rating: 8/10

Difficulty: 3/10

Recommend?: YES

So I stumbled upon this drawstring bag while browsing Pinterest, and immediately knew I had to make it. The fact that it only required two basic colours was a bonus, as my yarn collection is still in the midst of growing and I'm constantly running out of various colours at the most inconvenient times. I also don't have the exact yarn that is used – the namesake Bernat® Blanket™. But that's okay because I have my trusty 5-ply milk cotton yarn that I use for basically every single project!

The pattern in question I'm using is free to download from Yarnspirations, and is definitely one of the cutest ones out there if what my Pinterest feed shows me is any indication. It's beginner friendly and uses basic stitches and techniques, and is very size adjustable.

Well. Where to begin? The bag itself is made in two separate pieces, plus two straps made simply by chaining. I'll elaborate on my thoughts on that later. There are no photos in the pattern save for the few (beautiful) promotional pictures shown in the download page, but the instructions are simple enough that there is no need for them. The only stitches used are single crochet, single crochet together (decrease), chain, and double crochet.

The bag part starts with crocheting into the second chain from hook, which I was admittedly skeptical about because I tend to find that anything other than a magic ring leaves a little hole in the middle. I realise that the pattern uses this method because of the chunky yarn, but it worked well enough with the milk cotton yarn I'm using too. Looking back I think I may have a prejudice against this method because I started my crochet journey with amigurumis and the magic ring is really essential there to keep the stuffing contained.

After the base is completed, there is one round where you have to crochet into the back loop only to start structuring the bag to go up. This step shouldn't trip anyone over who isn't a complete beginner. I will say that the "in the round" method without joining every round does result in a slight wonkiness after fastening off, but since that part is covered 90% of the time anyway it doesn't matter too much. Being free to build height without having to mark every round to join makes it worth it.

Mushroom cap. Straightforward until we get to the colour change, which may pose an issue for beginners but otherwise easy enough. Here we do see a more prominent problem with the no join method as there is a visible stagger where the colours touch. It's still not a big deal because it'll mostly be hidden under the mushroom cap, but worth noting. When fastening off, leave a looonnngg tail (longer than you think) and use that to add the spots. Sew through both layers at the same time to secure the upper and inner sides together, inserting the needle in between the layers to move to the next spot. That isn't explicitly mentioned in the pattern, but again, should be common sense.

The bag strap is made by chaining 150, which might have been long enough with the specified yarn and hook but I did find it to be rather short. If you're crocheting this pattern with whatever yarn you have around the house like me, I recommend doing a minimum of 150 and adding on until you reach the desired length you want. Now, i understand why the pattern calls for chaining instead of making the strap thicker, as the bag functions with the cap sliding up the strap to reveal the bag opening. However I do find the structure a little iffy, so I would opt for a double chain instead. It will retain much of the thinness of a chain, but becomes exponentially stronger. I did a double chain for both the strap and the drawstring for my brown mushroom bag.

Sewing the strap onto the bag was a bit of a headache. I didn't like trying to connect the thin piece of yarn to the sides while trying to make it structurally secure. Don't get me wrong, it should be pretty good, but the anxiety it causes me might make me add a flat piece to both ends if i ever make this bag again.

All in all, super cute bag, easy and mind numbing enough to keep your hands busy while you watch a show on the screen. 8/10 would recommend.