Crochet dragon pattern: 132 rounds across ten pieces
A free crochet dragon pattern for a long-necked dragon about 27 cm from nose to tail tip and 21 cm across the wings, worked in five colours on a 4.0 mm hook over roughly five hours. The cream belly is not a patch sewn on afterwards: twenty-three of the thirty-four body rounds and the first seven tail rounds each carry a run of emerald, then cream, then emerald, and the run lengths are given round by round. All 132 rounds are here across ten pieces, each one with the stitch count it ends on.
Maths verified, not yet made. Every one of the 132 rounds was checked against the round before it by machine — the counts, the increases and the decreases all add up. What nobody can promise you yet is how it sits in the hand.How we check
6 of 8 checks ran on 2026-09-04
- 1 format and stitch chainscripts/validate.py — 113 patterns, all counts chain.
- 2 catalogue auditscripts/audit-patterns.py — 113 audited, 0 errors, 66 warnings.
- 3 geometrygeometry-check.py — 113 checked, 0 errors, 4 warnings.
- 5 not a duplicate113 distinct display names across 113 patterns
- 6c target on the recordseo.headKeyword, confidence and demand present and cross-checked by scripts/validate.py
- 8 page readinessscripts/check-completeness.py --gate — 0 required fields missing, 114 editorial flags, 0 unearned claims.
Not yet checked
- 4 render matches the pattern — no image has been compared against its own prompt, so a render showing a piece the rounds do not make would not be caught here. Nothing has counted how many do.
- 6a recognisability — provenance.recognisability is empty in every pattern, so there is no feature list to check the parts against.
Why it is rated High
Thirty of the 132 rounds carry a three-part colour run whose lengths change while the piece is still shaping, and ten pieces must be pinned symmetrically before anything is sewn.
Sell what you make. Anything you crochet from this pattern is yours to sell — any quantity, no fee, no credit required.
00
00What you need before you start
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What you need before you start
Yarn — five colours, all weight 4
1 skein, most of itWorsted acrylic or cotton, weight 4
1 skein, under a third of itWorsted acrylic or cotton, weight 4, the same brand as the emerald so the two sit at one thickness
1 skein, around a third of itWorsted acrylic or cotton, weight 4, a lighter green than the body
scrapsWorsted acrylic or cotton, weight 4
scrapsWorsted acrylic or cotton, weight 4
Tools
6 you probably own, 3 to buyYou likely have
Tapestry needle
Scissors
Stitch markers
Pins
Measuring tape
Row counter
You need to buy
Polyester stuffing (~45 g)
8 mm black safety eyes x2, or charcoal yarn to embroider the eyes for a child under three
A second stitch marker in a contrast colour, to hold the centre of the belly line
Optional
A yarn bobbin or small clip for the cream, so it does not tangle with the emerald
Two pipe cleaners cut to the length of the back legs, if you want the dragon to stand rather than sit
A chopstick or similar for pushing stuffing down the neck
Gauge and finished size
the last check before you cast onTension
Not critical, with one exception. Work tight enough that stuffing cannot show between stitches, and keep the twenty-three belly rounds at the same tension as the plain ones — carrying two yarns pulls the fabric in, and a tight belly narrows the middle of the animal.
Finished size
~27 cm nose to tail tip laid straight, and about 21 cm wingtip to wingtip
The colourwork behaves the same at any weight, but a smooth yarn keeps the carried strand even and a fluffy one blurs the belly line. Going up a hook size lengthens the dragon and widens the wings in proportion.
How to make the dragon, piece by piece
Switching rewrites every round:US6 sc in mrUK6 dc in mrWork a US sc as a UK single crochet and the fabric comes out looser and taller.
1
01The body and head
Thirty-four rounds, nose to hips, with the belly changing colour…34 RNDS
starts in emerald· magic ring· Piece 1 of 10
First six rounds[6] [12] [12] [12] [18] [24]
Snout and head
RND 1–91[6]
2[12]
3[12]
4[12]
5[18]
6[24]
7[24]
8[24]
9[24]
Neck — the belly colour starts
RND 10–1510[18]
11[12]
12[12]
13[12]
14[12]
15[12]
Body opening out to thirty
RND 16–3016[18]
17[24]
18[30]
19[30]
20[30]
21[30]
22[30]
23[30]
24[30]
25[30]
26[30]
27[30]
28[30]
29[30]
30[30]
Hips, closing to eighteen
RND 31–3431[24]
32[24]
33[18]
34[18]
US termsmrmagic ringscsingle crochetincincreasedecdecreasest(s)stitch, or stitches
When this piece is doneStuff the head hard before the neck narrows, keep the neck firm so it holds the head up, then fill the body and stop at the hips. Leave the last eighteen stitches open for the tail.
2
02The tail
Eighteen stitches picked up around the open hips, tapering over…20 RNDS
starts in emerald· picked up· Piece 2 of 10
First six rounds[18] [18] [15] [15] [15] [12]
The cream belly runs on
RND 1–71[18]
2[18]
3[15]
4[15]
5[15]
6[12]
7[12]
Emerald, twelve down to six
RND 8–168[12]
9[12]
10[9]
11[9]
12[9]
13[6]
14[6]
15[6]
16[6]
The last taper to three
RND 17–2017[4]
18[4]
19[4]
20[3]
US termsmrmagic ringscsingle crochetincincreasedecdecreasest(s)stitch, or stitches
When this piece is doneStuff the first eight rounds lightly and leave the rest empty, then close the tip with its own tail of yarn. An empty end lets you curl it.
3
03The wings
Two the same. Out to thirty stitches, straight for two rounds, then…15 RNDS
starts in jade· magic ring· Piece 3 of 10
First six rounds[6] [12] [18] [24] [24] [30]
Out to thirty
RND 1–61[6]
2[12]
3[18]
4[24]
5[24]
6[30]
Two straight rounds
RND 7–87[30]
8[30]
Back down to six
RND 9–159[24]
10[24]
11[18]
12[18]
13[12]
14[12]
15[6]
US termsmrmagic ringscsingle crochetincincreasedecdecreasest(s)stitch, or stitches
When this piece is donePress each one flat, close the last six stitches, and leave a long tail on each for sewing. No stuffing in either — they read better thin.
4
04Right wing
— the same 15 rounds again, worked from piece 0315 RNDS
starts in jade· magic ring· Piece 4 of 10· mirrors the wings
First six rounds[6] [12] [18] [24] [24] [30]
1[6]
2[12]
3[18]
4[24]
5[24]
6[30]
7[30]
8[30]
9[24]
10[24]
11[18]
12[18]
13[12]
14[12]
15[6]
US termsmrmagic ringscsingle crochetincincreasedecdecreasest(s)stitch, or stitches
5
05The front legs
Two small charcoal-footed legs, eight rounds each. The colour changes…8 RNDS
starts in charcoal· magic ring· Piece 5 of 10
First six rounds[6] [12] [12] [9] [9] [9]
1[6]
2[12]
3[12]
4[9]
5[9]
6[9]
7[9]
8[9]
US termsmrmagic ringscsingle crochetincincreasedecdecreasest(s)stitch, or stitches
When this piece is doneStuff each one lightly and sew the open end to the sides of the body at about round 20, angled forward.
6
06Right front leg
— the same 8 rounds again, worked from piece 058 RNDS
starts in charcoal· magic ring· Piece 6 of 10· mirrors the front legs
First six rounds[6] [12] [12] [9] [9] [9]
1[6]
2[12]
3[12]
4[9]
5[9]
6[9]
7[9]
8[9]
US termsmrmagic ringscsingle crochetincincreasedecdecreasest(s)stitch, or stitches
7
07The back legs
Two the same as the front pair but longer, with a thigh that opens…10 RNDS
starts in charcoal· magic ring· Piece 7 of 10
First six rounds[6] [12] [12] [12] [9] [12]
1[6]
2[12]
3[12]
4[12]
5[9]
6[12]
7[12]
8[12]
9[9]
10[9]
US termsmrmagic ringscsingle crochetincincreasedecdecreasest(s)stitch, or stitches
When this piece is doneStuff to the thigh and leave the top open, then sew each one on at about round 30 with the thigh sitting against the hip.
8
08Right back leg
— the same 10 rounds again, worked from piece 0710 RNDS
starts in charcoal· magic ring· Piece 8 of 10· mirrors the back legs
First six rounds[6] [12] [12] [12] [9] [12]
1[6]
2[12]
3[12]
4[12]
5[9]
6[12]
7[12]
8[12]
9[9]
10[9]
US termsmrmagic ringscsingle crochetincincreasedecdecreasest(s)stitch, or stitches
9
09The horns
Two little gold cones worked point first, six rounds each. They are…6 RNDS
starts in gold· magic ring· Piece 9 of 10
First six rounds[6] [6] [8] [8] [10] [10]
1[6]
2[6]
3[8]
4[8]
5[10]
6[10]
US termsmrmagic ringscsingle crochetincincreasedecdecreasest(s)stitch, or stitches
When this piece is doneLeave them unstuffed, flatten the open base a little, and sew one on each side of the top of the head at about round 8, leaning back.
10
10Right horn
— the same 6 rounds again, worked from piece 096 RNDS
starts in gold· magic ring· Piece 10 of 10· mirrors the horns
First six rounds[6] [6] [8] [8] [10] [10]
1[6]
2[6]
3[8]
4[8]
5[10]
6[10]
US termsmrmagic ringscsingle crochetincincreasedecdecreasest(s)stitch, or stitches
You are here
Ten pieces from six lists. Four lists — the wings, the front legs, the back legs and the horns — are written once and worked twice, identical round for round; the grey bars are piece length, all drawn to the same scale.132 ROUNDS IN ALL
Thirteen notes on the dragon
Read themClose
01An original Crochet Genie design.
02The whole dragon is smooth single crochet worked in a continuous spiral. There are no scales, spines, ridges or open gaps anywhere in the stitch work — what makes it read as a dragon is the long neck, the wings and the horns, not the surface. Anything scaly you want on top is embroidery of your own.
03Nothing is joined and nothing is turned, so mark the first stitch of every round and carry the marker up with you.
04The cream belly is not a patch sewn on afterwards. It is worked into the body: rounds 12 to 34 of the body, and rounds 1 to 7 of the tail, each carry a run of emerald, then cream, then emerald, and the app gives you the exact run lengths round by round. Change colour where the run changes, and let the yarn you are not using ride along the inside of the work.
05Keep the cream centred over the same line of stitches all the way along. Put a second marker in the middle cream stitch of body round 12 and move it up as you go — a belly that wanders by five stitches reads as a mistake, while one that drifts by a stitch reads as an animal.
06The cream opens from four stitches at the throat to twelve across the middle of the body, then narrows back to four at the hips and two along the tail. That taper is what gives the underside its pointed ends.
07The body and head are one piece, nose first: a short snout, a wide head, a narrow neck of four rounds, then the body opening out to thirty. Stuff the head firmly before the neck closes over it, because the neck is too narrow to reach back through.
08The tail starts on the eighteen stitches left open at the hips, which is why it has no magic ring. Stuff it lightly for the first eight rounds and leave the last few empty so the tip can curl.
09The wings are worked as flattened tubes and left unstuffed. Press each one flat, close the last six stitches, and sew the flat side to the back over body rounds 20 to 24, one on each side of the spine and the same number of stitches out from it on both sides.
10The horns are worked point first, so each one comes off the hook as a small cone with an open base. Sew them to the top of the head at about round 8, angled back, leaving four or five stitches between them.
11The feet are the first three or four rounds of each leg in charcoal, worked before the change to emerald. Legs are stuffed lightly — overstuffed legs go round and the dragon will not sit.
12Pin all four legs and both wings before sewing any of them, and count stitches rather than trusting your eye. Front legs sit at about body round 20, back legs at about round 30. Symmetry is most of what makes this read as a dragon.
13At 4 mm with worsted this comes out around 27 cm nose to tail tip. The same stitch counts in bulky yarn with a 6 mm hook give roughly a 40 cm dragon, if you would rather have a big one.
Four questions this pattern answers
Not questions anybody asked. Each one is written from this pattern's own record, and every answer is read off the fields it names.
How is the colour worked into the dragon?
How much yarn will the dragon take?
What hook will the dragon need, and what is the finished size?
How long will the dragon take to crochet?
A round that will not add up?
Tell us the piece and the round number — the stepper already knows where you are.There is nowhere to send one yet.
Put the laptop down mid-round
The iPhone app keeps your place — piece of 10, round of — and hands it back where you left it.
