This dinosaur crochet pattern has been in the works for a year now, and I’m so glad to have it finished!
My goal was to make a 100% no-sew dinosaur. I made countless prototypes—some crocheted tail-to-nose, some nose-to-tail—but they never looked quite right.
I finally tried making the tail separately and sewing it on. It looked so much better and I was much happier with the final result. I’m bummed I couldn’t make this dinosaur amigurumi pattern zero-sew, but I’m still calling it a win.
There are no color changes, it requires very little sewing overall, and works up super fast!
Making this crochet dinosaur pushed me out of my comfort zone.
When I started making patterns, I was afraid to attempt anything other than basic, symmetrical shapes.
While there is nothing wrong with that, I envisioned something much more dynamic than basic nubs for this dinosaur’s legs/feet.
I also wanted to give the tail a subtle upward curve, similar to a cornucopia. Creating those “irregular” shapes was a bit of a challenge, and I’m really proud of how everything turned out!
Customize your crochet dinosaur and make it your own.
My goal was to keep this pattern simple & easy, but I imagined a lot of fun embellishments as I was making my dino. Feel free to add them if you’re feeling ambitious:
- Add some spikes down the back. I’ve added optional instructions for how to make spikes at the bottom of the pattern!
- Add a belly patch. The belly from my free lion crochet pattern would work great.
- Add some spots. You can use the spots from my free giraffe crochet pattern, though I don’t think there would be room for spots if you’re adding the spikes & belly patch.
- Turn the “toes” into “claws” by crocheting the bobbles on the feet with white yarn. Adding that extra bit of visual interest would look great!
I hope you enjoy making this dinosaur as much as I did designing it. Happy crocheting!
Dan the Dinosaur
Skill level: Intermediate
Terms: US 🇺🇸Jurassic times call for Jurassic measures, but there's no need to be a nervous rex. Dan the Dino has no color changes, and requires very little sewing. What a sight for saur eyes!
Supplies
Yarn (acrylic, weight 4) – 198 total yards
- White – 3 yards (I used Red Heart Super Saver – White)
- Green – 195 yards (I used I Love This Yarn – Mid Green)
Notes
- ch – chain
- sc – single crochet
- inc – complete two single crochets within the same stitch
- dec – combine two stitches into one with an invisible decrease
- hdc – half double crochet
- dc – double crochet
- bobble – 4 incomplete double crochets worked in the same st, then yarn over and pull through all 5 loops on your hook.
- BLO – crochet in the back loop only
- *sc x* – repeat the instructions between asterisks(*) the indicated number of times.
- (sc x) – attach a body part while completing the stitches inside parentheses as instructed by the pattern.
General Instructions
- This pattern is worked in one continuous spiral.
- Use a stitch marker to keep track of where one round ends and the next begins. I prefer to place my stitch marker in the last stitch of the round.
Recommended Sequence
Here are the steps to create your dinosaur, in order:
- Crochet the Teeth
- Crochet the Arms
- Crochet the Legs
- Crochet the Tail
- Crochet the Head & Body
- Tack down the Legs
- Attach the Tail
- Add the Upper Lip
Crochet Video Tutorials
Making the Teeth
Attaching the Teeth
Indenting the Eyes
Attaching the Arms
Attaching the Legs
Tacking Down the Legs
Sewing on the Tail
Adding the Top Lip
Instructions
Teeth
With white yarn:01. *ch 4, sc in the 2nd ch from hook, hdc in next ch, dc in final ch* without fastening off, repeat for a total of 5 teeth [15] 02. ch 1, then sc 3 across the top of each tooth [15] Fasten off and tie the ending yarn tail to to the starting yarn tail. For a video tutorial, see "Making the Teeth" in the Notes section of the pattern.
Arms (make 2)
With green yarn: 01. start 6 sc into a magic ring [6]02. inc in each st around [12]03. *sc 2, inc* 4 times [16]04. sc in each st around [16]05. *sc 2, dec* 4 times [12]06 – 07. sc in each st around [12]08. *sc 4, dec* 2 times [10]09. sc in each st around [10]10. *sc 3, dec* 2 times [8] Stuff the arm. Fasten off, leaving a 10” tail. Pinch the final round together and slip stitch closed. Hide the remaining tail inside the work. Your arm is now ready to attach while crocheting the body at a later step.
Legs (make 2)
With green yarn: 01. ch 3, inc in 2nd ch from hook, 5sc in the last ch. Continue on the other side of the chain base, 3sc in the last ch [10]02. inc, sc 2, *inc* 3 times, sc 2, *inc* 2 times [16]03. inc, sc 4, *inc* 2 times, sc, inc, sc 4, *inc* 2 times, sc [22]04. inc, sc 6, *inc, sc* 2 times, inc, sc 6, *inc, sc* 2 times [28]05. inc, sc 8, inc, sc 2, inc, sc, inc, sc 8, inc, sc 2, inc, sc [34]06. sc 9, *bobble, sc 3* 2 times, bobble, sc 16 [34]07. sc in each st around [34]08. sc 12, *dec* 3 times, sc 16 [31]09. sc 7, *dec* 6 times, sc 12 [25]10. sc 4, *dec* 6 times, sc 9 [19]11. sc 4, *dec* 3 times, sc 9 [16]12 – 14. sc in each st around [16] Stuff the foot. 15. sc 5, inc, sc 2, inc, sc 7 [18]16. sc 4, *sc, inc, sc* 3 times, sc 5 [21]17. *sc 6, inc* 3 times [24]18. *sc 3, inc* 6 times [30]19 – 20. sc in each st around [30]21. *sc 3, dec* 6 times [24]22. sc, dec, *sc 2, dec* 5 times, sc [18]23. *sc, dec* 6 times [12] Finish stuffing the leg. Fasten off, leaving an 12” tail. Pinch the final round together and slip stitch closed. Hide the remaining tail inside the work. Your leg is now ready to attach while crocheting the body at a later step.
Tail
- With green yarn:
01. start 6 sc into a magic ring [6]02. *sc, inc* 3 times [9]03. sc, inc, *sc 2, inc* 2 times, sc [12]04. *sc 3, inc* 3 times [15]05. sc in each st around [15]06. sc 2, inc, *sc 4, inc* 2 times, sc 2 [18]07. *sc 2, inc* 3 times, *sc, dec* 3 times [18]08. *sc 5, inc* 3 times [21]09. sc in each st around [21]10. sc 3, inc, *sc 6, inc* 2 times, sc 3 [24]11. sc, dec, *sc 2, inc* 4 times, *sc, dec* 3 times [24]12. *sc 7, inc* 3 times [27]13. sc in each st around [27]14. sc 4, inc, *sc 8, inc* 2 times, sc 4 [30]15. *sc, dec* 2 times, *sc 2, inc* 5 times, *sc, dec* 3 times [30]16. *sc 9, inc* 3 times [33]17. sc in each st around [33]18. sc 5, inc, *sc 10, inc* 2 times, sc 5 [36]19. sc in each st around [36] Fasten off, leaving a 3 ft yarn tail for sewing the tail to the body at a later step.
Head & Body
With green yarn: 01. start 6 sc into a magic ring [6]02. inc in each st around [12]03. *sc, inc* 6 times [18]04. sc, inc, *sc 2, inc* 5 times, sc [24]05. *sc 3, inc* 6 times [30]06. sc 2, inc, *sc 4, inc* 5 times, sc 2 [36]07. *sc 5, inc* 6 times [42]08. sc 3, inc, *sc 6, inc* 5 times, sc 3 [48]09. *sc 7, inc* 6 times [54]10. sc 4, inc, *sc 8, inc* 5 times, sc 4 [60]11. *sc 9, inc* 6 times [66]12 – 16. sc in each st around [66] 17. sc 24, BLO: sc 2, Attach the teeth in BLO: (sc 15), BLO: sc 2, Both loops: sc 23 [66] For additional details and a video tutorial, see "Attaching the Teeth" in the Notes section of the pattern. 18. sc 23, *dec, sc 8* 2 times, dec, sc 21 [63]19. sc 18, *dec, sc 7* 3 times, dec, sc 16 [59]20. sc 23, dec, sc 11, dec, sc 21 [57]21. sc 20, *dec, sc 7* 2 times, dec, sc 17 [54]22. *sc 7, dec* 6 times [48]23. sc 16, *dec, sc 2* 3 times, dec, sc 3, dec, sc, dec, sc 10 [42]24. *sc 5, dec* 6 times [36]25. sc 2, dec, *sc 4, dec* 5 times, sc 2 [30]26. sc 8, dec, sc, dec, sc 2, dec, sc 3, dec, sc 2, dec, sc, dec, sc [24] Stuffing the Head & Adding the Eyes: Stuff head ¾ full. Mark stitches for the eyes 30 stitches apart between rounds 14 & 15, centered above the teeth. Create indents for the eyes, then insert your safety eyes and secure the backings. For additional details and a video tutorial, see "Indenting the Eyes" in the Notes section of the pattern. Without fastening off, Continue on with the rest of the body: 27. *sc 3, inc* 6 times [30]28 – 29. sc in each st around [30]30. sc 2, inc, *sc 4, inc* 5 times, sc 2 [36]31. sc in each st around [36] 32. sc 15, Attach the first arm: (sc 4), sc 8, Attach the second arm: (sc 4), sc 5 [36] At the end of round 32, the arms should appear centered on the body. If your arms appear off center, redo the round and adjust the placement of the arms as necessary. For additional details and a video tutorial, see "Attaching the Arms" in the Notes section of the pattern. 33. *sc 5, inc* 6 times [42]34 – 35. sc in each st around [42]36. sc 3, inc, *sc 6, inc* 5 times, sc 3 [48]37. sc in each st around [48] 38. *sc 7, inc* 6 times [54] 39. sc 48, Attach the first leg: (sc 6) [54]40. sc 18, Attach the second leg: (sc 6), sc 30 [54] At the end of round 40, the legs should appear centered on the body. If your legs appear off center, redo rounds 39 & 40, and adjust the placement of the legs as necessary. For additional details and a video tutorial, see "Attaching the Legs" in the Notes section of the pattern. 41. sc 4, inc, *sc 8, inc* 5 times, sc 4 [60]42 – 47. sc in each st around [60]48. sc 4, dec, *sc 8, dec* 5 times, sc 4 [54]49. *sc 7, dec* 6 times [48]50. sc 3, dec, *sc 6, dec* 5 times, sc 3 [42]51. *sc 5, dec* 6 times [36]52. sc 2, dec, *sc 4, dec* 5 times, sc 2 [30] Stuff the body 3/4 full. 53. *sc 3, dec* 6 times [24]54. sc, dec, *sc 2, dec* 5 times, sc [18]55. *sc, dec* 6 times [12] Finish stuffing. 56. *dec* 6 times [6] Fasten off, leaving a tail of about 8 inches. Close with an Ultimate Finish, then hide the tail inside the work. Next, tack down the legs and sew on the tail. For additional details and video tutorials, see "Tacking Down the Legs" and "Sewing on the Tail" in the Notes section of the pattern.
Top Lip
Work into the exposed front loops above the teeth, holding the dinosaur upside down. With green yarn: 01. sc 2, hdc 15, sc 2 [19] Fasten off, leaving a 6 inch yarn tail. Secure with a knot, then hide the yarn tails on each side inside the work. For additional details and a video tutorial, see "Adding the Top Lip" in the Notes section of the pattern.
Spikes (optional)
With a contrasting yarn color: 01. start 6 sc into a magic ring [6]02. *sc, inc* [9]03. sc, inc, *sc 2, inc* 2 times, sc [12]04 – 05. sc in each st around [12] Do not stuff. Fasten off and slip stitch closed. Make as many as you like and sew them on in a straight line down the dinosaur's head, back & tail.