Kristi Tullus, http://sidrun.spire.ee
Size
11 cm (4 1/3") with fingering weight yarn and a 1,75 mm crochet hook.
Difficulty
2. Beginner - suitable for novice crocheters, requires patience and precision when assembling the dragon.
Skills required
Crocheting in rounds, single crochet stitch, increasing and decreasing.
Contact Info
Pattern includes unlimited support from me over email or Skype. Crochet photo tutorials and helpful tips are available on my website. http://sidrun.spire.ee Copyright @ 2012 TU Spire. Please do not post this pattern to your website or blog, instead post a link to the original blog post on http://sidrun.spire.ee. You MAY use it as a teaching aid in any free class or e-course, or as part of a free crochet pattern. Please link back to http://sidrun.spire.ee/ Feel free to sell finished items made with this pattern. I would appreciate a credit and a link to my blog (Kristi Tullus, http://sidrun.spire.ee).
Tip! You can use the same pattern to make larger or smaller toys by using finer or bulkier yarn. Pick a crochet hook at least a size smaller than suggested on yarn label and crochet tightly enough to achieve a tight gauge that will not allow the stuffing to show through the fabric. You may also need to adjust the size of the safety eyes.
Materials & Tools
· Fingering weight cotton yarn, 125m = 50g (143yd = 50g) / 1: super fine / 4 ply / 14 wpi. You will need about 23g of yarn for the body and 7 g for the spikes. · 1,75 - 2,25 mm crochet hook (US thread hook size 5 - 1) or according to the yarn. · Polyester fiberfill, wool, wadding etc. for stuffing. · 9 mm (1/3") safety eyes or buttons, beads, felt etc. · Plastic egg from a Kinder Surprise chocolate egg. · Glass or plastic beads (1.5 - 3 mm). ·Embroidery floss. · Yarn needle, scissors, stitch marker. · Ribbon, thread and sewing needle.
Abbreviations
· mr, sc n = magic ring - crochet n single crochet stitches in to the adjustable loop (see page 6). · sc = single crochet stitch (double crochet stitch in UK and Australia). · sc n = make n single crochet stitches, one in each stitch. · inc = increase - make two single crochet stitches in the same stitch. · inc3 = double increase - make three single crochet stitches in the same stitch. · dec = decrease - crochet two stitches together using the invisible decrease method (see page 7). · (sc 4, inc) x n = repeat the pattern between parentheses n times. · (sc 4, inc) x 6 (36) = number of stitches in a round after finishing round.
Notes:
· Do not join at the end of each round, work in a continuous spiral. · Use a stitch marker or a piece of yarn to mark the end or the beginning of a round. Move the marker up after completing each round. · All stitches are worked in to both loops, unless stated otherwise in the pattern.
Head
1: mr, sc 6 (6) 2: inc x 6 (12) 3: (sc, inc) x 6 (18) 4: (inc, sc 2) x 6 (24) 5: (sc 3, inc) x 6 (30) 6: sc, inc, (sc 4, inc) x 5, sc 3 (36) 7: (sc 5, inc) x 6 (42) 8: sc 2, inc, (sc 6, inc) × 5, sc 4 (48) 9-14: sc in each stitch (48) 15: sc 2, dec, (sc 6, dec) x 5, sc 4 (42) 16: (sc 5, dec) x 6 (36) 17: sc, dec, (sc 4, dec) x 5, sc 3 (30) 18: (sc 3, dec) x 6 (24) Attach safety toy eyes between rows 13 and 14, leaving 13 stitches between them (count 12 holes). Start stuffing the head. 19: (dec, sc 2) x 6 (18) 20: (sc 2, dec) × 4, sc 2 (14) Cut the yarn, leaving a long yarn tail for sewing, and fasten off. Stuff the head firmly.
Body
Fasten off and hide the yarn tail.
Muzzle
1: mr, sc 6 (6) 2: inc x 6 (12) 3: sc3, inc3×2, sc4, inc3×2, sc (20) 4-6: sc in each stitch (20) Cut the yarn, leaving a long yarn tail for sewing, and fasten off. Stuff the muzzle firmly.
Arms
1: mr, sc 6 (6) 2: (sc, inc) x 6 (9) 3-5: sc in each stitch (9) Cut the yarn, leaving a long yarn tail for sewing, and fasten off. Stuff the arms firmly.
Legs
Cut the yarn, leaving a long yarn tail for sewing, and fasten off. Stuff the legs firmly.
Tail
1: mr, sc 6 (6) 2: inc, x 6 (12) 3-5: sc in each stitch (12) Start stuffing the tail. Keep adding a bit of fiberfill after every few rounds, stuffing the tail firmly. 6-12: sc in each stitch (12) 13: inc, Sc 11 (13) 14: sc 7, inc, sc 5 (14) 15: sc 3, inc, sc 10 (15) 16: sc in each stitch (15) 17: inc x 5, sc 10 (20) Cut the yarn, leaving a long yarn tail for sewing, and fasten off. Finish stuffing.
Spike 1 - make three
1: mr, sc 6 (6) 2: inc, sc 5 (7) 3: sc in each stitch (7)
Spike 2 - make two
1: mr, sc 6 (6) 2: inc x 6 (12) 3: (sc 5, inc) x 2 (14) 4-7: sc in each stitch (14)
Spike 3 - make three
1: mr, sc 6 (6) 2: (inc × 2, sc) × 2 (10) 3-5: sc in each stitch (10)
Spike 4 - make three
1: mr, sc 6 (6) 2: (inc x 2, sc) x 2 (10) 3-4: sc in each stitch (10)
Spike 5 - make one
1: mr, sc 6 (6) 2: inc x 6 (12) 3-5: sc in each stitch (12) Make the spikes and stuff them firmly. Leave long yarn tails for sewing.
Head
a) Attach safety toy eyes after finishing round 18. Tip! If your gauge is on the looser side, put a thin layer of your stuffing material between the fabric and the washer to keep it from showing through the fabric.
1. Place the eyes between rows 13 and 14, leaving 13 stitches (count 12 holes) between them.
2. Make sure you are satisfied with the placement of the eyes before pushing the washer in to place. c) Sew the muzzle to the head. Embroider the face with cotton embroidery floss. Tip! Use embroidery floss or a yarn that will not bleed color - toys may get wet or need to be washed.
1. Sew the muzzle to the head so the top edge is just below round 11.
3. Fasten all yarn tails securely with a knot under the head. 2. Embroider the face.
Body
ed to make small adjustments to make sure the body will fit snugly around the rattl a) Insert the plastic egg into the body after finishing round 7 and make sure the body fits snugly around the rattle. You may need to increase or decrease the number of increases on round 5. Make the same number of decreases on round 15. b) Insert the plastic egg in to the body after finishing round 14. If the body is too short or too long, add or skip a round of single crochet stitches, before starting to decrease.
Assembling the Dragon
α) Finish all the pieces, stuff them and hide yarn tails. Tip! You can either leave one long yarn tail on the head and one of the spikes and use them to assemble the whole dragon or leave shorter yarn tails on each piece and use them to sew on individual pieces. Make sure you fasten all yarn tails securely (see page 8). b) Sew arms, legs and tail to the body and spikes to the head, body and tail. Tip! Sew the head to the body first. Use sewing pins to attach the pieces to the head and body before sewing to find the right placement and get a symmetrical result.
1. Sew the head to the body.
2. Add a bit more stuffing before closing the seam.
3. Sew the arms, legs and tail to the body.
4. Sew on the spikes, starting from the nose - 1, 5, 3, 2 (in pairs), 4 (on the back), 3, 2, 1 (on the tail.) 5. Add a ribbon around the neck or a bow to the head. Stitch it to place with matching thread.
Amigurumi Essentials
Magic Ring
A magic ring is a way to begin crocheting in round by crocheting the first round in to an adjustable loop and then pulling the loop tight. Alternatively you can chain 2, crochet n single crochet stitches into the second chain from hook.
1. Make a loop an inch from the yarn end. Grab the join with your thumb and forefinger.
2. Insert the hook through the loop from front to back, yarn over and draw up a loop.
3. Yarn over and draw through the loop.
4. Pull the yarn tight. This does not count as the first single crochet stitch.
5. Start the first sc. Insert the hook through the starting loop from front to back. 6. Draw up a loop. Yarn over and draw through both loops.
7. Continue crocheting over the loop and the yarn tail until you have the required number of sc for the first round, usually six.
8. Grab hold of the yarn tail and pull until the center is tightly closed.
Invisible decrease
1. Insert the hook under the front loop of the first single crochet stitch. Do not yarn over.
2. Insert the hook under the front loop of the second stitch and pick it up onto the hook.
3. Pick the yarn up with the hook and draw through the first two loops. Yarn over, draw all loops.
Finishing an open piece
1. Make a slip stitch in the next stitch. Cut the yarn and draw the yarn tail through the loop.
2. Insert the hook through the next stitch. Grab the yarn and draw the yarn tail through the stitch from back to front.
3. Insert the hook through the next stitch and draw the yarn tail through the stitch from front to back.
Sewing an open piece to a closed piece
1. Bring the needle up through the fabric under a stitch of the open piece. Go down through both loops of the stitch and into the same hole.
2. Bring the needle back up directly under the next stitch.
3. Draw the yarn tight after every stitch. Make sure your stitches are parallel to one another.
Fastening with a knot and hiding the yarn tail
This tutorial will show how to knot the yarn tail and hide it inside a piece. This method can be used when the yarn tail and the main piece are the same color.
1. Bring the yarn up through the fabric after you have finished sewing.
2. Insert the needle under one loop of a stitch right next to the hole. 3. Pull until you have a small loop.
4. Make a double knot. Do not push the first knot close to the fabric.
6. Insert the needle into the same hole, going up and through the piece. 5. Cut off the loop end.
7. Pull lightly until the knot disappears into the fabric.
9. Yarn tail will completely disappear into the fabric 8. Pull lightly on the yarn tail and cut it off close to the fabric.
