How to Crochet a Dragon (Pocket Dragon Amigurumi, Step by Step)

1. 1

   Step 1: Gather Your Yarn, Hook and Eyes

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   Grab your supplies before you start. You want super bulky chenille yarn in your main dragon color, plus white for the belly and inner wings and a little yellow for the horns. Add a 5mm hook, a pair of sparkly safety eyes, fiberfill, a yarn needle and scissors.

   The head, body and tail are one continuous piece that you make first from Sweet Softies' Tiny Rex tutorial. Once that base is stuffed and closed with the eyes in place, you are ready for the dragon-only parts covered here.

   Tip:

   Watch this step Chenille yarn hides stitches, so keep a stitch marker in the first stitch of each round to track where you are.

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   Used in this stepsuper bulky chenille yarn5mm crochet hooksparkly safety eyespolyester fiberfill stuffing

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2. 2

   Step 2: Attach the First Ear

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   The ears go straight onto the finished head, no separate piece to sew. Insert your hook under a stitch in round three, toward the back of the head, and pull your yarn through. Leave a short tail to weave in later.

   Chain two, then work a single crochet into the second chain from the hook. Go back into that same round-three stitch and finish with a slip stitch. That tiny loop is one whole ear. Keep them toward the back and balanced on both sides.

   Tip:

   Watch this step If you cannot see the stitch under the fuzz, feel for it with the hook tip. Chenille is worked as much by touch as by sight.

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   Used in this stepsuper bulky chenille yarn5mm crochet hookstitch markers

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3. 3

   Step 3: Make the Second Ear

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   Repeat the same attach-chain-single-crochet-slip-stitch sequence on the other side of the head. Eyeball it against the first ear so the pair sits level and symmetrical. Small differences in placement change the whole expression, so take a second to compare before you fasten off.

   Pull the starting tails through to the inside and weave them in with your hook or a needle. The head now has two soft little ears near the back, and the dragon face starts to come together.

   Tip:

   Watch this step Line the second ear up with the first by counting stitches from the center, not by eye alone. It keeps them even.

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   Used in this stepsuper bulky chenille yarnyarn needle

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4. 4

   Step 4: Crochet the Horns

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   Switch to your yellow yarn for the horns. Work into round two, one round above the ears, and put each horn just above and in front of an ear. Pull the yarn through the stitch to start.

   Chain two, slip stitch into the second chain from the hook, then slip stitch back into your starting stitch and fasten off with a short tail. Make a second horn to match on the other side. Pinch each one between your fingers so it stands up tall.

   Tip:

   Watch this step A contrasting horn color pops against the body. Yellow or cream reads as a classic dragon horn, but any bright shade works.

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   Used in this stepsuper bulky chenille yarn5mm crochet hook

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5. 5

   Step 5: Start a Wing with White Yarn

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   Each wing is worked in two colors, starting with white for the inner section. Make a slipknot and chain five. Then work back along that chain to build the pale center of the wing.

   Put a half double crochet into the second chain from the hook. In the next chain, work a double crochet increase, which is two double crochets in the same stitch. Follow with one half double crochet, then a single crochet in the last stitch. You now have the white half of the wing.

   Tip:

   Watch this step Keep your chain a little loose. A tight starting chain is hard to work back into, especially with fuzzy chenille.

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   Used in this stepsuper bulky chenille yarn5mm crochet hook

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6. 6

   Step 6: Finish the Wing in Turquoise

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   Switch to your dragon color for the outer edge of the wing. Slip stitch to join, then turn the piece and work back along the top of the stitches you just made. Skip the first slip stitch, then single crochet across, adding two single-crochet increases along the way to round the outer curve.

   Fasten off with a long tail so you can sew the wing on later, and weave in the short ends. Make a second wing the same way so you have a matching pair.

   Tip:

   Watch this step Leave the sewing tail longer than you think you need. It is easier to trim excess than to re-thread a short tail mid-seam.

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   Used in this stepsuper bulky chenille yarnyarn needle

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7. 7

   Step 7: Sew On the Wings and Finish

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   Thread the long turquoise tail onto your yarn needle and sew a wing to each side of the body. Position them around rounds seven and eight, roughly at arm level, and line them up with the ears so the dragon looks balanced from the front.

   Weave in the last of the tails and hide them inside the body. That is your pocket dragon done. It is squishy, pocket-sized, and makes a great gift or fidget toy - and now you have the pattern to make a whole hoard of them.

   Tip:

   Watch this step Pin the wings on before you sew. A couple of stitch markers hold them in place so you can check the look from every angle first.

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   Used in this stepyarn needlestitch markersscissors

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Keep going

How to Crochet a Lion (Beginner Amigurumi)

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Tools we recommend

• Clover

  Clover Amour Crochet Hook Set (10 sizes)

  Soft, easy-grip handles that warm to the touch and a full size range in one case. The set most crocheters upgrade to and never look back.

• Lion Brand

  Lion Brand 24/7 Cotton Yarn

  Mercerized cotton with crisp stitch definition and a subtle sheen. Machine washable, and the go-to for amigurumi, bags, and dishcloths.

• Clover

  Clover Locking Stitch Markers (20-pack)

  Lock onto stitches so they never slip while you mark rounds, increases, and repeats. A dollar-store fix that actually holds.

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