I started this design over a year ago after I won some aran wool in a competition. I only knit with DK wool as a rule so I decided I’d use my winnings to crochet some novelty cushions - a whole range of the things!

BUT! It turns out that, because it’s thicker and works up quicker, aran isn’t that well suited to a project where you want to incorporate lots of shaping. Well, not unless you want a GIANT finished project. And, being aran, the yardage is lower so, even if you did want a GIANT finished project, you’d need to buy more wool… which would defeat the whole point of trying to use up the stuff you’d won in a competition. At that point, my head exploded!

Twelve months later, I decided to have another go but using DK wool and, in about a month, my tubby toadstool was complete. I’m sure there’s a moral to this story but I’m not sure what it is!