Onigiri Drawstring Pouch Free Knitting Pattern
There is something deeply satisfying about knitting a project that is both adorable and functional. The onigiri drawstring pouch checks both of those boxes with room to spare. Inspired by the beloved Japanese rice ball — that iconic triangle of seasoned rice wrapped in a sheet of nori — this knitted pouch is perfect for holding small treasures, gifting to friends, or simply brightening your knitting basket with a little handmade charm. Whether you are a beginner looking for a fun first project or an experienced knitter wanting a quick and rewarding make, this free pattern has everything you need to get started.
In this post, you will find a complete free knitting pattern for an onigiri drawstring pouch, along with tips on yarn selection, shaping the distinctive triangular silhouette, and personalizing your finished piece. Let’s cast on.
Why Knit an Onigiri Pouch?
Before diving into the pattern, it is worth taking a moment to appreciate why this particular design has captured so many crafters’ hearts. Onigiri — sometimes called omusubi — has been a staple of Japanese cuisine for centuries. It is humble, comforting, and instantly recognizable. Those same qualities translate beautifully into a knitted object.
The pouch shape mimics the classic triangle of an onigiri, complete with a dark “nori band” across the base and a pale upper section suggesting plain rice. When knitted in the round and gathered at the top with a simple drawstring, the result is a compact, charming bag that works beautifully as a coin purse, a jewelry pouch, a gift bag for small items, or even a toy for a child who loves kawaii aesthetics.
This pattern is also a genuinely great learning project. It introduces simple colorwork, basic increases and decreases to create a triangular shape, and the mechanics of a drawstring casing — all within a small, manageable project that most knitters can finish in a single weekend.
Materials You Will Need
Getting your materials together before you start will make the whole process smoother. Here is what you need for this pattern.
Yarn: You will need two colors of yarn. The main color, which we will call MC, should be a creamy white or off-white to represent the rice. The contrast color, CC, should be black or very dark charcoal to represent the nori seaweed band. A small amount of each is all you need — this project uses less than 50 grams of yarn total, making it a perfect stash buster. A smooth DK weight or worsted weight yarn works best for definition, though you can absolutely use whatever you have on hand and adjust your needle size accordingly.
Needles: For DK weight yarn, use US size 4 (3.5mm) double-pointed needles or a short circular needle. For worsted weight, go up to US size 7 (4.5mm). If you prefer to work flat and seam, straight needles of the same size will work fine.
Other supplies: You will need a tapestry needle for weaving in ends, a stitch marker, scissors, and approximately 20 to 24 inches of cord, ribbon, or I-cord for your drawstring. A small piece of felt or embroidery thread in red or pink is optional but lovely for adding a decorative “filling” detail — more on that later.
Gauge: Approximately 20 stitches and 28 rows per 4 inches in stockinette stitch on US size 4 needles with DK weight yarn. Gauge is not critical for this project since exact sizing is flexible, but keeping your tension consistent will give you the cleanest finished shape.
Finished size: Approximately 4 inches wide at the base and 5 inches tall, which makes a pouch large enough to hold a few coins, a small pair of earrings, a folded note, or a handful of candy.
Understanding the Shape
The key to making this pouch look like an onigiri rather than a plain triangle bag is in how the shaping is handled. A real onigiri is not a perfect equilateral triangle — it has a slightly rounded top, gently curved sides that narrow toward the peak, and a flat or slightly curved base. Our pattern mimics this by starting with a cast-on that forms the flat base, increasing to establish the widest point, then decreasing gradually toward the top before finishing with a gathered drawstring opening that creates that soft, rounded peak.
The dark nori band sits at the bottom, spanning roughly the first quarter of the pouch’s height. This is worked in the contrast color before switching to the main color for the body of the rice. If you want to add an extra touch of realism, you can work the very edge of the nori band with a single purl row to give it a slight visual separation from the rice section above.
The Free Knitting Pattern
Abbreviations
CO = cast on, K = knit, P = purl, K2tog = knit two together, SSK = slip slip knit, M1R = make one right, M1L = make one left, PM = place marker, SM = slip marker, BO = bind off, RS = right side, WS = wrong side, rep = repeat, st(s) = stitch(es), rnd = round.
Cast On and Nori Band
Using your CC (dark color) and your preferred method, CO 40 stitches. If you are working in the round on double-pointed needles, distribute stitches evenly across three or four needles and join to work in the round, being careful not to twist. PM to mark the beginning of the round.
Rounds 1 through 3: Knit all stitches. This creates a clean, tidy edge at the base of the pouch.
Round 4: Purl all stitches. This creates a subtle ridge line that separates the base from the nori band and gives the bottom a more finished look.
Rounds 5 through 12: Knit all stitches. You are now working the main nori band. Continue in stockinette until the band measures approximately 1 to 1.25 inches from the cast-on edge.
Switching to the Rice Section
At the beginning of the next round, drop your CC and join your MC (light color). Do not cut the CC yet — you will leave a tail of about 6 inches and weave it in later.
Round 13: Knit all stitches in MC.
You will now begin the very gentle shaping that gives the pouch its slightly trapezoidal, onigiri-like silhouette. The pouch is wider at the nori base and tapers as it climbs toward the top.
Body Shaping
Round 14: K1, SSK, knit to last 3 stitches, K2tog, K1. (38 sts)
Rounds 15 through 18: Knit all stitches without any shaping.
Round 19: K1, SSK, knit to last 3 stitches, K2tog, K1. (36 sts)
Rounds 20 through 24: Knit all stitches.
Round 25: K1, SSK, knit to last 3 stitches, K2tog, K1. (34 sts)
Rounds 26 through 30: Knit all stitches.
Round 31: K1, SSK, knit to last 3 stitches, K2tog, K1. (32 sts)
Rounds 32 through 36: Knit all stitches.
Round 37: K1, SSK, knit to last 3 stitches, K2tog, K1. (30 sts)
At this point your pouch should measure approximately 3.5 to 4 inches from the cast-on edge. The silhouette is narrowing nicely toward the top.
Upper Shaping and the Rounded Peak
This is where the onigiri shape really starts to come together. You will work a series of more frequent decreases to create the rounded, gently pointed peak.
Round 38: K1, SSK, knit to last 3 stitches, K2tog, K1. (28 sts)
Round 39: Knit all stitches.
Round 40: K1, SSK, knit to last 3 stitches, K2tog, K1. (26 sts)
Round 41: Knit all stitches.
Round 42: K1, SSK, knit to last 3 stitches, K2tog, K1. (24 sts)
Round 43: Knit all stitches.
Drawstring Casing
Now you will create the eyelet row that forms the casing for your drawstring. This is a simple YO, K2tog repeat that creates small holes evenly spaced around the circumference.
Round 44: YO, K2tog repeat from to around. (24 sts — the stitch count stays the same because each yarn over replaces the stitch lost by K2tog)
Rounds 45 through 48: Knit all stitches.
Round 49: Bind off loosely in knit. Leave a tail of about 8 inches for finishing.
Finishing the Top
Thread the long tail from your bind-off onto your tapestry needle. Using a whip stitch or a simple running stitch, gather the bound-off edge slightly so that the top of the pouch closes into a soft, rounded peak rather than a flat edge. This is what gives the onigiri its characteristic rounded tip. Do not pull it completely closed — you want the drawstring opening to remain functional. Secure with two or three small stitches and weave in the end.
Adding the Drawstring
Cut your cord, ribbon, or I-cord to approximately 20 to 24 inches. Thread it onto a blunt tapestry needle or attach a safety pin to one end to use as a threading tool. Weave the drawstring through the eyelet holes created in Round 44, going in and out of each hole around the circumference. When you return to the starting point, tie the two ends together with a simple overhand knot, or leave them as separate ties if you prefer a bow-style closure. Pull to test the drawstring action — it should gather the top of the pouch smoothly.
Weaving In Ends
Weave all remaining ends securely through the wrong side of the fabric, working each end in two directions for added security. Give the pouch a gentle block if you like — a light steam or a damp cloth pressed against the fabric will help smooth out any uneven stitches and encourage the triangular shape to settle.
Customizing Your Onigiri Pouch
One of the best things about this pattern is how easy it is to make your own. Here are some ideas for personalizing your finished pouch.
Add a face. Many kawaii renditions of onigiri include simple facial features — two small dots for eyes and a curved line for a smile. You can embroider these onto the white section of your pouch using black embroidery floss for a truly adorable result. A small red triangle or oval beneath the eyes suggests rosy cheeks and takes only a few stitches.
Represent a filling. Traditional onigiri comes with a filling tucked inside — umeboshi (pickled plum), salmon, tuna mayo, or konbu seaweed are all popular. You can represent the filling by embroidering a small colored shape on the surface of the pouch. A pink oval for salmon, a yellow-orange triangle for pickled plum, or a simple red dot for umeboshi all work beautifully as embroidered decoration.
Use different yarn textures. A slightly fuzzy yarn in the MC will give your onigiri a soft, pillowy look that is wonderfully tactile. A smooth, mercerized cotton in the CC will give the nori band a subtle sheen that mimics the real thing.
Adjust the size. Cast on more or fewer stitches to scale the pouch up or down. A larger version worked in bulky yarn makes a fun project bag or a gift bag for a bottle of wine or a candle. A miniature version worked in fingering weight yarn on tiny needles becomes a darling ornament or a pouch for a single piece of jewelry.
Add a lining. If you plan to use the pouch for loose items like beads, coins, or earrings, sewing a simple fabric lining inside will keep things from slipping through the stitches. Cut a triangular piece of cotton fabric slightly smaller than the pouch’s interior, fold the edges under, and whip stitch it to the inside along the nori band.
Tips for Knitting Success
A few small techniques will make your finished pouch look its most polished. When you switch from your CC to your MC at the color change round, twist the two yarns around each other once on the wrong side before working the first stitch. This closes any gap at the color join and keeps the transition crisp. As you decrease toward the top of the pouch, keep your tension consistent — it can be tempting to knit more tightly when working with fewer stitches on the needles, but maintaining even tension will keep the shaping smooth. When working the eyelet round, make sure your yarn overs are loose enough to allow the drawstring to thread through easily; if your YOs come out tight, try going up one needle size just for that single round.
If you have never worked with double-pointed needles before, this project is a wonderful introduction. The stitch count is small enough that you will not feel overwhelmed, and the constant interest of seeing the triangular shape develop keeps the process engaging from start to finish. If you genuinely prefer to avoid DPNs, you can work the pouch flat in two identical pieces, seam the sides, and add the drawstring through the eyelets at the top. The result is nearly identical; you will simply have a side seam running up each edge of the triangle.
Gifting Your Onigiri Pouch
This pouch makes an exceptionally thoughtful handmade gift, especially for anyone who loves Japanese culture, kawaii aesthetics, or cute stationery. Tuck a few pieces of wrapped candy inside and present it as a party favor, fill it with earrings or a small pendant for a jewelry gift, or load it with coins and offer it as a birthday treat for a child. A set of three pouches in different colors or with different embroidered fillings makes a charming and cohesive gift set that takes very little extra time to produce once you have the pattern committed to memory.
If you are giving the pouch to someone who knits, consider including a small skein of the yarn you used along with a printed copy of this pattern — a gift within a gift.
Sharing Your Finished Make
When you finish your onigiri drawstring pouch, we would love to see it. Share your project on social media with a relevant hashtag — #onigiriknit, #knittedpouch, or #kawaiiknitwear are all great options for connecting with other crafters who share your enthusiasm for food-inspired needlework. Taking a photo with the actual contents of the pouch, or staging it alongside some real onigiri or Japanese stationery, makes for an especially charming image.
If you make any modifications to the pattern — a different color scheme, a new decorative embroidery element, a change in scale — note your changes in your project notes so you can reproduce your version in the future. And if you find any part of the pattern unclear, please leave a comment or reach out. Knitting patterns are living documents, and feedback from knitters working through them always makes them better.
Final Thoughts
The onigiri drawstring pouch is one of those patterns that rewards you far beyond the time and yarn it requires. It is quick to knit, endlessly customizable, and consistently delightful as both an object to make and one to give. Whether you are drawn to it for its kawaii charm, its practical functionality, its celebration of Japanese food culture, or simply because it is a free pattern that uses up leftover yarn, we hope it brings you as much joy to knit as it does to hold in your hands when it is finished.
Happy knitting.
