Apr
Getting Started With Your Mushroom Thing
So basically you’re gonna need a smaller hook than you think. I always grabbed a 3.5mm or 3.75mm because if you go bigger the stuffing shows through and it looks terrible. Trust me I made like five mushrooms last spring 2022 when I was basically avoiding my actual responsibilities and every single one I tried with a 4mm hook looked cheap.
The yarn matters more than people say it does. I used Red Heart Super Saver for my first batch because I had a ton of it laying around in this bright red color called Cherry Red or something. It worked fine but it’s kind of stiff? For the white stem part I switched to Lily Sugar’n Cream because that’s what I had but honestly any worsted weight works. Just make sure your cap color is something fun. The Caron Simply Soft in like Autumn Red or whatever gives you that classic toadstool look without being too plasticky.
The Cap Part
Start with a magic ring. If you don’t know how to do a magic ring just look it up real quick because trying to explain it in text is basically impossible. Make 6 single crochets into the ring and pull it tight.
Then you’re increasing every round for a while. Round 2 is 2 sc in each stitch so you end up with 12. Round 3 is increase then 1 sc, repeat around so that’s 18 total. Round 4 is increase then 2 sc repeated which gets you to 24. You see the pattern here right?
Keep going until you hit about 42 or 48 stitches depending on how big you want your mushroom cap. I usually stop at 42 because I like them kinda small and cute but not too tiny. My cat knocked one off the shelf once and it rolled under the couch and I didn’t find it for like three weeks.
The annoying part and this really drove me crazy is that you have to work even rounds after the increases. Like you get to your full width and then you just go around and around doing plain single crochets with no increases or decreases. This is SO BORING. I think I did like 6 or 7 rounds of just straight stitching and I was watching that show Severance while doing it which honestly made it less tedious but still.
After your even rounds you start decreasing but not as aggressively as you increased. Do one decrease round where you go sc2tog then maybe 4 or 5 regular sc stitches. This gives you that rounded mushroom cap shape instead of making it look like a weird cone.
Adding The Spots
Okay so the white spots can happen two ways. You can either crochet little circles separately and sew them on or you can do surface crochet or you can just use felt dots if you’re feeling lazy. I’ve done all three.
For crocheted spots just make tiny magic rings with maybe 6 sc then slip stitch to join and fasten off. Leave a long tail for sewing. Make like 5 or 6 of these in different sizes. The variety actually looks better than making them all identical because real mushrooms have random spots anyway.
I used Bernat Premium in white for the spots on my summer 2024 batch and it was actually really nice and bright against the red. Sewing them on is tedious though not gonna lie. You gotta position them so they look natural and not like you just slapped them on there randomly but also not too organized or it looks weird and fake.
The Stem Section
This is more straightforward thank god. Start with another magic ring and 6 sc into it. Then you’re gonna increase less dramatically than the cap. Maybe go to 12 stitches over two rounds then work even for like… I don’t know, 8 rounds? It depends on how tall you want it.
The stem should be slightly wider at the bottom than the top usually. So after your even rounds you can do 1 or 2 decrease rounds to narrow it slightly at the top where it’ll attach to the cap. This is optional though honestly.
Stuff the stem firmly as you go. Don’t wait until the end because getting stuffing into a narrow tube is basically impossible without a chopstick or something and even then it’s annoying. I use polyfil stuffing from literally anywhere, the brand doesn’t matter just grab whatever’s cheap at the craft store.
Joining Everything Together
So you’ve got your cap and your stem and now you gotta attach them. Some people crochet them together which is probably the “right” way but I always just sew mine because I can control the placement better.
Turn the cap upside down and position the stem in the center opening. The stem top should fit snugly into that opening you created when you were decreasing the cap. Pin it if you want or just hold it and start whipstitching around the edge. Go all the way around at least once, maybe twice if you’re paranoid about it coming apart.
Make sure both pieces are stuffed before you close everything up completely. The cap needs enough stuffing to hold its dome shape but not so much that it looks like it’s gonna explode. Finding that balance is honestly just trial and error.
Variations And Extra Stuff
You can add gills under the cap if you want to get fancy. I tried this exactly once and it took forever so I never did it again but it did look cool. Basically you crochet into the underside of the cap in rows radiating from the center out toward the edge. Use a lighter color than your cap, like cream or light tan with Red Heart Soft or whatever.
Some patterns tell you to make a little grass base by crocheting a flat circle in green and attaching the stem to it. I made one like this in spring 2022 using some random green acrylic I had, might have been Vanna’s Choice in Kelly Green? It looked cute but also made the whole thing less portable because the base was floppy.
You could also make different mushroom types not just toadstools. Brown caps with tan stems look more like actual edible mushrooms if that’s your thing. Or go wild with purple and blue for fantasy mushrooms. I saw someone online make a whole set in pastel colors and they were really cute, very cottagecore vibes but like, that’s not really my style so I stuck with classic red and white.
Sizing Options
The size depends entirely on your starting stitch count and how many increase rounds you do. My standard mushroom uses 42 stitches at the widest point of the cap and ends up maybe 4 inches tall total. If you want tiny ones for like a fairy garden or whatever just stop your increases earlier, maybe at 24 or 30 stitches.
Giant mushrooms are possible too but they eat through yarn like crazy and take forever. I started one that was gonna be huge, stopping the cap increases at like 72 stitches, but I got bored halfway through and it’s still sitting in my WIP basket. Maybe I’ll finish it someday or maybe it’ll just live there forever with all my other abandoned projects.
The hook size affects the final size too obviously. If you use a 3mm hook with the same pattern you’ll get a smaller mushroom than with a 4mm hook. I prefer the 3.5mm with worsted weight because it’s that sweet spot where the stitches are tight enough but you’re not fighting with the yarn.
Common Problems I’ve Run Into
The cap edge can get ruffly if you increase too much or too fast. If this happens you either need to skip some increase rounds or decrease more aggressively before you start working even. It’s annoying to frog back and redo it but a ruffly mushroom cap looks sloppy.
Stuffing showing through the stitches means your tension is too loose or your hook is too big. Size down the hook or really focus on keeping your stitches tight and consistent. This was my biggest problem when I first started making these and it drove me absolutely crazy until I figured out the hook size was the issue.
The stem can end up wobbly if you don’t stuff it enough. Pack that thing tight. It should feel firm when you squeeze it not squishy. A floppy stem makes the whole mushroom tip over and look sad.
Sometimes the magic ring in the cap loosens up over time and you get a little hole at the top. To prevent this I always weave the tail end through the center stitches a few times before cutting it off. That extra security helps a lot.
What Yarn Actually Works Best
Honestly most acrylic worsted weight yarn works fine for these. I’ve used Red Heart Super Saver, Caron Simply Soft, I Love This Yarn from Hobby Lobby, Big Twist from Joann’s, whatever. The more expensive yarns like Malabrigo or fancy merino aren’t necessary for a mushroom that’s gonna sit on a shelf.
Cotton yarn like Lily Sugar’n Cream or Bernat Handicrafter Cotton works too but it doesn’t have the same give as acrylic so the stuffing process is slightly different. Cotton also tends to stretch out more over time which can make your mushroom look droopy eventually.
I tried making one with some fancy hand-dyed yarn I got as a gift once and it was pretty but also felt like a waste of expensive yarn on something so simple. Save the good stuff for wearables or blankets.
How Long Does This Actually Take
A basic mushroom takes me maybe 2 hours if I’m focused and not stopping every ten minutes to check my phone or whatever. That includes making the cap, stem, spots, and assembling everything. If you’re new to amigurumi it’ll probably take longer, maybe 3 or 4 hours.
The spots add extra time, maybe another 30 minutes to make them and sew them on. This is the part I usually do while watching TV because it doesn’t require much concentration once you get the rhythm down.
I made six mushrooms over the course of like a week in summer 2024 because I was on vacation and needed something to do with my hands while sitting by the pool. They worked up pretty quick once I had the pattern memorized and didn’t have to keep checking instructions.
Tips That Actually Help
Use stitch markers to mark your rounds especially in the cap section. I just use bobby pins or scraps of different colored yarn. This keeps you from losing count and ending up with wonky increases.
Weave in ends as you go instead of saving them all for the end. Future you will thank present you for this because having like 8 yarn ends to weave in after assembly is the worst.
If your stem keeps twisting while you work try using a smaller hook for just the stem part. Sometimes the tension difference between the cap and stem causes weird twisting and a hook size adjustment fixes it.
Don’t stress about perfect stitches. These are mushrooms, they’re supposed to look a little organic and irregular. Nobody’s gonna examine your stitch tension that closely unless you’re entering it in like a fair or something.
Make the spots slightly different sizes and don’t worry too much about placement. Random looks more natural than perfectly spaced. I used to stress about making everything symmetrical and it just made the mushrooms look stiff and artificial.
