Baby Dragon Amigurumi

Order and balance: make the body first, then the arms, the two back legs and the tail, and sew the back legs and the tail on before anything else. Stand the body up on a table. The back legs and the tail are the three points the dragon sits on, so if it rocks, move a back leg or swing the tail a few millimetres until it stays put. Only then sew on the head, which is the heaviest part. If you add the wings, horns and spikes to an unbalanced body, you will be fixing it with the lightest pieces, and they cannot correct it.

The wings are the feature that turns a green lizard into a dragon. Each is a stuffed teardrop that grows to a broad rounded end (291 stitches over 18 rounds on the left, 284 over 17 on the right), with a small opening of 5 stitches on the left and 9 on the right, so read each wing's own section and do not copy one for the other. Stuff them lightly, just enough to take the creases out, and sew them high on the back, angled up and outward. Look at the dragon from behind before you finish sewing: the two wings should make an even V, with the tips at the same height.

Horns and spikes: the two cream horns are tall, thin cones (148 and 140 stitches, 15 and 14 rounds), worked with a small number of stitches around so they stay slim. Stuff them firmly all the way to the tip, or they will bend, then sew them upright on top of the head, a little apart. The two dark green spikes are smaller (117 stitches each): sew one at the back of the neck and one halfway down the back, pointing backwards. Their darker green is what makes the line of the back read as a ridge rather than a lump.

The face: the two eyes are small black crocheted domes (46 and 39 stitches, with a 4-stitch and a 6-stitch opening), sewn to the head over two flat off-white eye rims, each about 26 mm across. The nostrils are two small black stitches, and the smile is a single black curve about 38 mm wide and low on the face, embroidered after everything else is sewn. Put the rims on first and pin the eyes over them: moving the eyes a few millimetres closer together or further apart changes the dragon from mischievous to sleepy, so try a few positions with pins.

The eggshell is worked as a rounded cream bowl (370 stitches over 17 rounds) and sewn to the right arm at the bottom, so the dragon seems to hold on to it. The two jagged points on its rim are separate small cones, stuffed and sewn on opposite sides of the rim. A flat brown oval, about 37 mm across, goes inside the bowl as the lining of the shell. Fix it in place after the points are sewn on, with the opening of the bowl facing up, so that it reads as half of a cracked egg and not a cup.

Colour: leaf green is 2,853 of the 4,637 stitches (62%, about 61 yd of the roughly 100 yd in total), then cream for the horns, the eggshell and the belly patch (890 stitches), orange for the two wings (575), dark green for the spikes (234) and black for the eyes (85). A red version is also available: it has a red body, golden wings and darker red spikes; the stitch counts do not change, only the yarn. Buy the leaf green from one dye lot: it is by far the largest part, and a change of shade between the head and the body is visible.

Stuffing and hook: use worsted yarn with a 4 mm hook, a size under what the label suggests, so the fabric is tight and the stuffing does not show. Check this with a swatch of 10 single crochet, which should measure about 50 mm; if it is wider, go down a hook size. Stuff the body firmly, because it carries the head, and the legs and the tail firmly too, so the dragon sits upright. Stuff the wings and the horns differently: the wings lightly and the horns until they are hard, because a floppy horn spoils the silhouette.

Changing the size: these counts are for worsted yarn at about 5 mm per single crochet. DK yarn with a hook half a size to a size smaller gives a dragon of roughly 5.5 inches, and bulky yarn with a larger hook one of about 9 inches, and you will need less or more yarn than stated. The wings and the horns look best when they are in proportion, so use the same yarn for every piece, and keep the hook the same for the whole project so the parts still fit each other.

Is this a beginner pattern? It is better as a third or fourth amigurumi. You need the magic ring, increases and decreases, stuffing and neat sewing, and to join 18 pieces. The body and the head are regular, and the small pieces are quick. The parts that ask for patience are the placement of the head, the two wings and the horns, and working out the three flat details by yourself. Plan to make it over several days, pieces first, then sewing.

Care: spot clean with a damp cloth. If it needs a full wash, put the dragon in a pillowcase, wash by hand or on a delicate cycle in cool water, press the water out in a towel, and let it dry flat, turning it from time to time. The wings and the horns hold a lot of water, so let it dry completely before it goes back on a shelf or into a cot. Shape the wings and the horns with your fingers while it is still damp.

Checking your work: the interactive 3D preview on this page lets you turn the finished dragon around. Look at it from the side first, to see how the head leans forward and where the tail sits, then from behind, to see how the wings and spikes line up. Each piece's section below names the piece it is sewn to, so you can check a placement against the preview before you sew.

Make the parts in the order of the sections. A part is sewn to the one it names, which is always made before it.

Stuff firmly before closing or sewing a part: it should be full and hold its shape. Pin each part in place and check the look from the front before sewing; weave the ends in.

Belly patch on Body, cream, about 55 mm across, about halfway up, 40 mm up, towards the front: a flat piece, cut from felt or crocheted flat, 7 mm thick, sewn on. Add it last, after the stuffing and sewing, so you can place it by eye.

Left eye rim on Head, off-white, about 26 mm across, high, 37 mm up, on the left, towards the front: a flat piece, cut from felt or crocheted flat, 8 mm thick, sewn on. Add it last, after the stuffing and sewing, so you can place it by eye.

Right eye rim on Head, off-white, about 26 mm across, high, 37 mm up, on the right, towards the front: a flat piece, cut from felt or crocheted flat, 8 mm thick, sewn on. Add it last, after the stuffing and sewing, so you can place it by eye.

Left nostril on Head, black, about 6 mm across, about halfway up, 25 mm up, towards the front: embroider it, or sew on a small piece of felt or yarn. Add it last, after the stuffing and sewing, so you can place it by eye.

Right nostril on Head, black, about 6 mm across, about halfway up, 25 mm up, towards the front: embroider it, or sew on a small piece of felt or yarn. Add it last, after the stuffing and sewing, so you can place it by eye.

Shell lining on Eggshell, brown, about 37 mm across, at the top, 34 mm up: a flat piece, cut from felt or crocheted flat, 5 mm thick, sewn on. Add it last, after the stuffing and sewing, so you can place it by eye.

Smile on Head, black, about 38 mm across, low, 16 mm up, towards the front: embroider it, or sew on a small piece of felt or yarn. Add it last, after the stuffing and sewing, so you can place it by eye.

The yarn amounts are an estimate from the stitch count; buy a little extra.