Mossy the Baby Dragon

What You Will Need

Yarn:

• Olive or moss green (for the head, body, snout, arms, legs, tail, and ears)
• Bright lime green (for the horns, wings, spots, toes, and tail tip)
• Black (optional, for the nostrils)
• White (a tiny scrap, for the eye sparkles)
• Light pink (optional, for blushing cheeks)
• Tip: Use a DK weight cotton or acrylic yarn. A smaller hook than usual keeps your stitches tight and gives the dragon a neat, sturdy texture.

Tools:

• 2.5 mm (C/2) or 3.0 mm (D/3) crochet hook
• 8 mm black safety eyes (1 pair)
• Poly-fil or fiberfill stuffing
• Yarn needle with a large eye for sewing and weaving in ends
• Stitch markers
• Sharp scissors
• Straight pins for placing the pieces before sewing

The Basics (US Terms)

• MR = magic ring
• ch = chain
• sc = single crochet
• inc = increase (work 2 single crochets into the same stitch)
• dec = decrease (work 2 single crochets together, invisible decrease is best)
• BLO = back loop only
• Unless stated otherwise, pieces are worked in continuous rounds. Use a stitch marker to mark the first stitch of each round.
• "Olive" means the main moss green, and "lime" means the bright green.

Let Us Get Started

We will make the head, body, snout, horns, ears, wings, arms, legs, and tail, then sew them together.

Part 1: The Head

Worked with olive yarn.

1. Round 1: Work 6 sc into a magic ring. (6 stitches)
2. Round 2: Inc in every stitch around. (12 stitches)
3. Round 3: (1 sc, inc) repeat 6 times. (18 stitches)
4. Round 4: (2 sc, inc) repeat 6 times. (24 stitches)
5. Round 5: (3 sc, inc) repeat 6 times. (30 stitches)
6. Rounds 6 to 11: Work 1 sc in every stitch around. (30 stitches) If you are using safety eyes, place them now between rounds 8 and 9, about 8 stitches apart. Leave a little space in the middle for the snout. Secure them tightly on the inside.
7. Round 12: (3 sc, dec) repeat 6 times. (24 stitches)
8. Round 13: (2 sc, dec) repeat 6 times. (18 stitches)
9. Stuff the head firmly so it is nice and round.
10. Round 14: (1 sc, dec) repeat 6 times. (12 stitches)
11. Round 15: Dec 6 times. (6 stitches)
12. Cut the yarn, leaving a long tail. Pull the tail through the front loops of the last 6 stitches and pull tight to close. Weave in the end.

Part 2: The Body

Worked with olive yarn.

1. Round 1: Work 6 sc into a magic ring. (6 stitches)
2. Round 2: Inc in every stitch around. (12 stitches)
3. Round 3: (1 sc, inc) repeat 6 times. (18 stitches)
4. Round 4: (2 sc, inc) repeat 6 times. (24 stitches)
5. Rounds 5 to 9: Work 1 sc in every stitch around. (24 stitches)
6. Round 10: (2 sc, dec) repeat 6 times. (18 stitches)
7. Rounds 11 to 12: Work 1 sc in every stitch around. (18 stitches)
8. Round 13: (1 sc, dec) repeat 6 times. (12 stitches)
9. Stuff the body firmly, making sure the bottom is round and the belly is full.
10. Cut the yarn, leaving a long tail for sewing. Leave the 12 stitches open, since the head will be sewn on here.

Part 3: The Snout

Worked with olive yarn.

1. Round 1: Work 6 sc into a magic ring. (6 stitches)
2. Round 2: (1 sc, inc) repeat 3 times. (9 stitches)
3. Rounds 3 to 4: Work 1 sc in every stitch around. (9 stitches)
4. Stuff very lightly.
5. Cut the yarn, leaving a long tail for sewing. Leave the end open.

Part 4: The Horns (Make 2)

Worked with lime yarn.

1. Round 1: Work 6 sc into a magic ring. (6 stitches)
2. Round 2: (1 sc, inc) repeat 3 times. (9 stitches)
3. Round 3: Work 1 sc in every stitch around. (9 stitches)
4. Round 4: (1 sc, dec) repeat 3 times. (6 stitches)
5. Round 5: Work 1 sc in every stitch around. (6 stitches)
6. Cut the yarn, leaving a long tail for sewing. Do not stuff. Pinch the horn flat so it looks like a small leafy horn.

Part 5: The Ears (Make 2)

Worked with olive yarn.

1. Round 1: Work 6 sc into a magic ring. (6 stitches)
2. Round 2: (1 sc, inc) repeat 3 times. (9 stitches)
3. Round 3: Work 1 sc in every stitch around. (9 stitches)
4. Cut the yarn, leaving a long tail for sewing. Do not stuff. Pinch the ear flat.

Part 6: The Wings (Make 2)

Worked flat in rows with lime yarn.

1. Foundation: Ch 7, leaving a long tail at the start for sewing.
2. Row 1: Sc in the 2nd ch from the hook and in each chain across. (6 stitches)
3. Row 2: Ch 1, turn. Sc in each stitch across. (6 stitches)
4. Row 3: Ch 1, turn. Dec, 2 sc, dec. (4 stitches)
5. Row 4: Ch 1, turn. Dec 2 times. (2 stitches)
6. Row 5: Ch 1, turn. Dec once. (1 stitch)
7. Fasten off and weave in the end. Do not stuff. The wide end is the bottom, and this is the end you will sew to the dragon's back.

Part 7: The Arms (Make 2)

Worked with olive yarn.

1. Round 1: Work 6 sc into a magic ring. (6 stitches)
2. Rounds 2 to 8: Work 1 sc in every stitch around. (6 stitches)
3. Stuff very lightly.
4. Cut the yarn, leaving a long tail for sewing. Leave the end open.

Part 8: The Legs (Make 2)

Worked with lime and olive yarn.

1. Round 1 (lime): Work 6 sc into a magic ring. (6 stitches)
2. Round 2 (lime): Inc in every stitch around. (12 stitches)
3. Round 3 (olive): Work 1 sc in the BLO of every stitch around. (12 stitches) The ridge around the foot makes the lime toe patch stand out, just like in the photo.
4. Round 4 (olive): (2 sc, dec) repeat 3 times. (9 stitches)
5. Rounds 5 to 8 (olive): Work 1 sc in every stitch around. (9 stitches)
6. Stuff lightly.
7. Cut the yarn, leaving a long tail for sewing. Leave the end open.

Part 9: The Tail

Worked with lime and olive yarn. Start at the tip.

1. Round 1 (lime): Work 6 sc into a magic ring. (6 stitches)
2. Rounds 2 to 3 (lime): Work 1 sc in every stitch around. (6 stitches)
3. Round 4 (olive): (1 sc, inc) repeat 3 times. (9 stitches)
4. Rounds 5 to 9 (olive): Work 1 sc in every stitch around. (9 stitches)
5. Stuff lightly.
6. Cut the yarn, leaving a long tail for sewing. Leave the end open.

Part 10: The Spots (Make 3)

Worked with lime yarn.

1. Round 1: Work 6 sc into a magic ring. Join with a sl st to the first sc. (6 stitches)
2. Fasten off, leaving a long tail for sewing. Flatten the little circle.

Assembly and Finishing

This is where your dragon hatches. Take your time pinning before you sew.

Attaching the Snout:

1. Pin the snout on the front of the head, centered between the eyes and about 2 rounds below them.
2. Stuff the snout lightly if needed, then sew it all the way around with the long tail.
3. With a tiny bit of black yarn, embroider two small nostrils on the end of the snout.

Attaching the Horns and Ears:

1. Pin the horns on top of the head, about 6 stitches apart, tilting them slightly outward.
2. Sew the horns on all the way around the base.
3. Pin the ears on the sides of the head, slightly below and behind the horns. Sew them on along their bottom edge only, so the tips can stick out a little.

Adding the Spots:

1. Pin the three lime spots on the head, near the horns and on the side, spaced unevenly for a natural look.
2. Sew them on with a few small stitches.

Finishing the Face:

1. Using a tiny bit of white yarn, add a very small stitch to the corner of each eye for a sparkle.
2. Optional: use a little light pink yarn to embroider two small cheeks below the eyes.

Attaching the Head and Body:

1. Pin the head on top of the open end of the body, tilting it very slightly forward.
2. Using the long tail from the body, whip stitch all the way around so the head feels firm. Add more stuffing in the neck before closing, if needed.

Attaching the Wings:

1. Pin the wings on the back of the body, just below the neck, about 5 stitches apart.
2. Sew the wide ends securely, leaving the tips free so they can stand out.

Attaching the Arms:

1. Pin the arms on the sides of the body, just below the head, angled slightly forward.
2. Sew them on firmly.

Attaching the Legs and Tail:

1. Pin the legs on the lower front of the body, pointing forward, so the dragon sits up on its own.
2. Pin the tail to the back, at the bottom, curling it to one side.
3. Sew the legs and tail on firmly. Weave in all remaining ends.

A Few Friendly Tips

• Keep it snug: Keep your tension tight and even. Loose stitches let the stuffing show through, especially with darker yarn.
• Lime on olive: When changing from lime to olive, pull the new color through on the last stitch of the previous round, so the color change stays neat.
• Make him sit: If your dragon tips over, sew the legs a little further forward and add a bit more stuffing to the bottom of the body.
• Make it your own: Try a purple dragon with pink wings, a blue one with silver spots, or add a few tiny spikes down the back.
• Size up: For a bigger dragon, use a chunky yarn and a larger hook with the same stitch counts.
• Safe for little ones: For babies and toddlers, skip the safety eyes and embroider the eyes with black yarn instead.

I hope you enjoy making this sweet little dragon. He is such a fun project and makes a wonderful handmade gift.

If you run into any trouble or just want to share how your dragon turned out, please reach out. I love seeing what you create.

Happy crocheting!