Onigiri Drawstring Pouch Free Knitting Pattern: Make the Cutest Rice Ball Bag You’ve Ever Seen

If you’ve ever fallen down the rabbit hole of kawaii crafts, Japanese snack culture, or simply the art of making adorable things with yarn, then this project is going to make your day. The onigiri drawstring pouch is a knitted bag shaped like a Japanese rice ball — that iconic triangular or rounded snack wrapped in a strip of nori seaweed. It’s charming, it’s functional, and best of all, you can make one for free with this pattern.

Whether you’re a beginner looking for a fun shaped project to tackle after scarves and dishcloths, or an experienced knitter who wants a quick weekend make, this pouch checks every box. It works up fast, uses minimal yarn, and the finished result is something people genuinely stop and ask about. Let’s get into everything you need to know.

What Is an Onigiri?

Before we dive into the pattern, a little cultural context makes this project even more meaningful. Onigiri (お握り) are Japanese rice balls, typically made by pressing cooked rice into a triangular, round, or cylindrical shape and wrapping the base in a crisp sheet of nori seaweed. They’re filled with all kinds of savory goodies — pickled plum (umeboshi), tuna mayo, salmon, seasoned kelp — and they’re one of the most beloved convenience foods in Japan. You’ll find them in every convenience store, school lunchbox, and home kitchen across the country.

The visual of an onigiri is immediately recognizable: a white rounded triangle with a dark rectangular band across the bottom and a small filled center. That distinctive silhouette is exactly what makes it such a perfect shape for a knitted pouch. The design is simple enough to achieve with basic knitting techniques, yet specific enough to be unmistakably what it is.

What You’ll Use This Pouch For

This pouch is genuinely versatile despite its playful appearance. Here are just a few ways knitters have used theirs:

As a coin purse. The drawstring closure keeps small items secure, and the compact size is perfect for coins, a spare key, or a lip balm.

As a gift bag. Tuck a small present inside and give the whole thing as part of the gift. It doubles as both wrapping and a keepsake.

As an earbuds or cable pouch. The interior fits tangled cords perfectly, and you’ll never struggle to find your earbuds at the bottom of a bag again.

As a jewelry travel pouch. Rings, earrings, and delicate necklaces stay safe and untangled when tucked into a soft knitted pouch.

As a kids’ snack bag. The irony of carrying actual snacks in an onigiri-shaped bag is not lost on anyone, and children absolutely love it.

As a market or craft fair display piece. If you sell handmade goods, these pouches displayed in a bowl or hanging on a pegboard draw immediate attention.

Materials You’ll Need

One of the best things about this pattern is how little you need to get started. This is an ideal stash-buster — a project that uses up small amounts of yarn you probably already have sitting around.

Yarn: Worsted weight yarn in three colors. You’ll need white or off-white for the main body of the rice ball, black for the nori band, and a small amount of any contrast color for the filling detail at the center. You only need about 50 to 80 yards of white, 20 to 30 yards of black, and less than 10 yards of the contrast color. Acrylic works beautifully for this project because it’s washable, affordable, and comes in an enormous range of whites and blacks. Wool or cotton will also work well if you prefer natural fibers.

Needles: A set of US size 7 (4.5mm) double-pointed needles or a short circular needle if you prefer magic loop. The pattern is worked mostly in the round, so you’ll want something suited to small circumference knitting.

Notions: A tapestry needle for weaving in ends, a stitch marker to mark the beginning of rounds, scissors, and about 24 to 30 inches of cord or ribbon for the drawstring. You can also spin or braid your own drawstring from leftover yarn if you’d like a fully yarn-based finish.

Gauge: Approximately 18 stitches and 24 rows over 4 inches in stockinette stitch. Gauge matters somewhat for this project in terms of the final size, but it doesn’t need to be precise. If your gauge is looser, your pouch will be bigger; tighter gauge gives you a smaller pouch. Neither is wrong — just adjust your expectations for the finished size accordingly.

Sizing Notes

The pattern as written produces a pouch that measures approximately 4.5 inches wide and 4 inches tall, which is a great all-purpose size. If you want a larger pouch — say, for a project bag or a small toiletries case — you can cast on more stitches in multiples of the stitch count given, or go up a needle size. For a tinier, more miniature version (adorable as a keychain pouch), go down a needle size or use fingering weight yarn.

Abbreviations Used in This Pattern

CO — cast on
BO — bind off
k — knit
p — purl
k2tog — knit two stitches together (a right-leaning decrease)
ssk — slip, slip, knit (a left-leaning decrease)
pm — place marker
sm — slip marker
RS — right side
WS — wrong side
St(s) — stitch(es)
rnd(s) — round(s)

The Free Onigiri Drawstring Pouch Knitting Pattern

Getting Started: The Bottom of the Pouch

This pouch is worked from the bottom up. You’ll start with a small flat base that creates the rounded bottom of the rice ball shape, then join to work in the round for the body.

Using your white yarn and US size 7 needles, CO 8 sts using the long-tail cast on. Distribute evenly across your double-pointed needles (2 or 3 stitches per needle depending on your preference).

Round 1: Knit all sts.
Round 2 (increase round): (K1, kfb) repeat to end of round — 12 sts.
Round 3: Knit all sts.
Round 4 (increase round): (K2, kfb) repeat to end of round — 16 sts.
Round 5: Knit all sts.
Round 6 (increase round): (K3, kfb) repeat to end of round — 20 sts.
Round 7: Knit all sts.
Round 8 (increase round): (K4, kfb) repeat to end of round — 24 sts.
Round 9: Knit all sts.
Round 10 (increase round): (K5, kfb) repeat to end of round — 28 sts.
Round 11: Knit all sts.
Round 12 (increase round): (K6, kfb) repeat to end of round — 32 sts.

You now have 32 stitches and a small flat oval/circle forming the base. At this point, your base should measure roughly 2.5 to 3 inches across.

The Body of the Pouch

Work even in stockinette (knit every round) until the body measures 3 inches from the base. This is the white rice section of the onigiri.

Switch to black yarn.

Work 8 rounds of stockinette in black. This creates the nori band. Try to keep your tension consistent when switching colors to avoid a tight or puckered join at the color change.

After completing the nori band, switch back to white yarn and work 2 more rounds in stockinette.

Adding the Filling Detail

Now for the fun embellishment — the small circular or oval shape at the center front that represents the filling peeking through the nori. This is worked as a small embroidered or duplicate-stitched detail after the pouch is complete, or if you prefer, you can use Swiss darning with your contrast color to create a small circular cluster of 3 to 5 stitches at the center of the nori band.

Set a stitch marker at the center front stitch of your nori band before you switch colors so you know exactly where to place this detail later.

The Drawstring Eyelets

After completing the 2 white rounds above the nori, you’ll work the eyelet round that creates the channel for your drawstring.

Eyelet Round: (K2tog, yo) repeat to end of round.
Following Round: Knit all sts.

Work 4 more rounds in white stockinette.

Shaping the Top

Now you’ll begin decreasing to shape the top of the pouch. This gives the onigiri its characteristic triangular appearance at the top.

Round 1 (decrease): (K6, k2tog) repeat to end — 28 sts.
Round 2: Knit.
Round 3 (decrease): (K5, k2tog) repeat to end — 24 sts.
Round 4: Knit.
Round 5 (decrease): (K4, k2tog) repeat to end — 20 sts.
Round 6: Knit.
Round 7 (decrease): (K3, k2tog) repeat to end — 16 sts.
Round 8: Knit.
Round 9 (decrease): (K2, k2tog) repeat to end — 12 sts.
Round 10: Knit.
Round 11 (decrease): (K1, k2tog) repeat to end — 8 sts.

Cut yarn leaving a 6-inch tail. Thread through remaining 8 stitches and pull tight to close the top. Weave in the end securely on the inside.

Finishing the Pouch

Weave in all ends on the inside of the pouch, being careful to close any small gaps at color change points.

Add the filling embellishment by threading your contrast color yarn onto a tapestry needle and working duplicate stitch or surface embroidery at the center of the nori band. A cluster of 4 to 5 stitches worked in a small oval or circle looks like a beautiful little salmon piece, tuna, or umeboshi depending on the color you choose — orange, pink, coral, red, or even pale lavender.

Thread the drawstring by cutting a length of cord, ribbon, or braided yarn approximately 28 to 30 inches long. Using a large blunt tapestry needle or a small safety pin, weave the drawstring in and out of the eyelets all the way around. Pull both ends to an equal length and tie them in a small knot to prevent them from pulling out of the eyelets. If you’d like a tidier finish, tie the two ends together with a small bow or slide a small wooden bead over both ends before knotting.

Tips for Getting the Best Results

Tension at color changes. The join between white and black can sometimes pull tighter than the rest of the fabric. To prevent this, use the Russian join when switching colors or leave a longer tail and weave it in a way that slightly loosens the join point.

Choosing your filling color. Part of the charm of this pattern is that each one can look slightly different depending on what “filling” color you use. Here’s a quick guide: bright pink or salmon for salmon onigiri, red-pink for umeboshi, pale teal for seasoned kelp, yellow for egg, or medium pink for tuna mayo.

Blocking. A light wet block after finishing helps the pouch hold its shape beautifully, especially if you’re working in a natural fiber like wool or cotton. Gently squeeze out excess water after soaking, reshape by hand, and allow to dry flat.

Stitch markers are your friend. Placing a marker at the center front of your nori band before you switch colors makes it easy to position your filling embellishment perfectly centered.

Double-pointed needles vs. magic loop. Either method works for this project. If you’re new to knitting in the round, DPNs often feel more natural for shaped pouches like this because you can see the stitch distribution easily. If you’re comfortable with magic loop, it’s slightly faster.

Variations to Try

Once you’ve made the basic version, there are so many fun ways to adapt this pattern.

Mini keychain onigiri. Use fingering weight yarn and US size 1 or 2 needles. Cast on half the number of stitches and work the same proportion of increases. Attach a small split ring or keychain hardware to the drawstring end.

Giant snack bowl cozy. Scale the pattern up significantly using bulky or super bulky yarn. Instead of a drawstring top, end with a simple bind-off for an open-top bowl-shaped basket — perfect for holding small items on a desk or nightstand.

Seaweed variation. Instead of just a band of black, work the entire lower third of the pouch in black, then transition to white. This looks like a more heavily wrapped onigiri.

Umeboshi design. Skip the nori band entirely and work the whole pouch in a soft warm pink, adding a small red embroidered center. This reads as a plum-flavored rice ball and is incredibly charming.

Set of three. Make three pouches in slightly different sizes and use them as a nested set for organization — one for coins, one for earbuds, one for small jewelry. Arrange them together in photos and they look like a little family of rice balls.

Why Kawaii Knitting Projects Are So Worth Making

There’s something particular about knitting an object that has personality. Functional items like socks, hats, and shawls are tremendously satisfying to make, but a project like this one carries a kind of delight that goes beyond usefulness. People light up when they see it. Kids want to hold it. Knitting friends immediately want the pattern. There’s real joy in making something this recognizable and charming.

Kawaii-inspired crafts also have a beautiful way of connecting craft communities across cultural lines. Onigiri are beloved in Japan and increasingly recognized all over the world, and this pouch is a small, handmade tribute to that cultural icon. If you’ve ever watched a Studio Ghibli film, visited a Japanese convenience store, or simply loved the look of these little rice balls on the internet, making this pouch feels like bringing a bit of that warmth into your everyday life.

Sharing Your Finished Onigiri Pouch

If you make this pouch, please share it! The crafting community thrives on seeing finished objects, and your version might inspire someone else to pick up their needles for the first time or try their first colorwork project.

Tag your photos on Instagram with something like #onigiripoucknitting or #kawaiikniit so others can find them. Ravelry is also a wonderful place to log your project, note your yarn and needle details, and see how other knitters have customized the pattern.

Feel free to sell finished items made from this pattern — just please don’t redistribute the pattern itself as your own. A link back to this post is always appreciated if you share the pattern with friends.

Final Thoughts

This onigiri drawstring pouch is the kind of project you’ll make once and then want to make a dozen more. It’s fast, it’s free, it uses almost no materials, and the finished object brings a smile to everyone who sees it. Whether you keep it for yourself, give it away, or make a whole batch to sell at a craft market, it’s a project that rewards the time you put into it many times over.

Now gather up those little scraps of white and black yarn, find a contrast color that speaks to you, and cast on. Your very own handknitted onigiri is waiting to be made.