Fírnen The Dragon: Free Crochet Dragon Pattern

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been in love with all things magical and fantastic. Especially dragons. Whether they were the cute dragons from the show Dragon Tales or beasts like Smaug and Greek hydras, I am obsessed with them. Over the last few months, I’ve finally started playing with the idea of creating a series of crochet patterns for fantastic beasts, and I decided to start with what I thought would be the trickiest: a free crochet dragon pattern. 

There are so many kinds of dragons and a ton of features I wanted to include in my crochet dragon pattern, and I didn’t want to share it until it was perfect. So while this crochet dragon pattern does have a lot of bits and pieces, they really help to make Fírnen who he is. His scales are of deep green, with hints of lighter shades to help him hide in the forest where he lives. And although he’s fierce and powerful, he’s kind of a  lazybones. This dragon would much rather nap in a shady glade than check out what’s going on in the nearby towns. 

I made this crochet dragon pattern in a bunch of separate pieces that I joined together for the finished Fírnen. The wings and the spike along his back took a particularly long time since they’re small and shaped just so, but it was well worth the effort. I adore how he turned out and I can’t wait to finally share the pattern!

The full free pattern is written out below. For those who’d prefer to print the pattern and take it with you for on-the-go and to markup as you go, you can buy the inexpensive printable PDF from my Etsy and Ravelry shops. The PDF is formatted without ads or comments, so it’s easy to read.

Materials:

• #4 worsted weight yarn in green and cream – I used Yarn Bee’s Soft Secret in Cream, Honey, and Forest
• 3.25mm crochet hook
• Polyfil stuffing
• 6mm safety eyes
• tapestry needle
• Flexible wire or pipe cleaner (optional)

Abbreviations:

• ch – chain
• SC – single crochet
• DC – double crochet
• HDC – half double crochet
• sl – slip stitch

Pattern Notes:

• Skill level: Intermediate
• Sizing: 9.5 inches tall
• Gauge: 5S x 6R

Fírnen: Free Crochet Dragon Pattern

Head

Round 1: With your main color of yarn, create a magic loop and work 6 SC into in. Pull the loop closed and use a stitch marker to mark the first space. You’ll be working in continuous rounds for the entire pattern.

Round 2: Inc in each space by working 2 SC into each (12).

Round 3: *SC, inc* around (18).

Round 4: *SC 2, inc* around (24).

Round 5: *SC 3, inc* around (30).

Round 6: *SC 4, inc* around (36).

Round 7: *SC 5, inc* around (42).

Round 8: *SC 6, inc* around (48).

Rounds 9-18: SC around for 10 rounds.  

Insert the eyes on the 5th round from the last increase round and about 5 stitches apart. You can play around with the placement, but once you’re happy with it, secure the backings. Start to add in the stuffing now.

Round 19: *SC 6, dec* around (42).

Round 20: *SC 5, dec* around (36).

Round 21: *SC 4, dec* around (30).

Round 22: *SC 3, dec* around (24).

Round 23: *SC 2, dec* around (18). Finish adding stuffing.

Round 24: *SC, dec* around (12).

Round 25: Decrease around (6). Then cut the yarn and thread tail through a tapestry needle. Run the needle under the front loops of each stitch and secure yarn. Weave in the end.

Snout

Round 1: Create a magic loop with 8 SC. Pull the loop closed and mark the first stitch in the round. 

Round 2: *SC 3, inc* twice (12).

Round 3: *SC 3, inc* around (16).

Round 4-6: SC around for 3 rounds, then BO leaving a long tail to sew the snout onto the face.

Eyebrows (make 2)

Row 1: With the main color, chain 13. Turn and SC into each space. BO and leave a long tail to sew them onto the face. 

Body

Round 1: With your main color of yarn, create a magic loop and work 6 SC into in. Pull the loop closed and use a stitch marker to mark the first space. 

Round 2: Inc in each space by working 2 SC into each (12).

Round 3: *SC, inc* around (18).

Round 4: *SC 2, inc* around (24).

Round 5: *SC 3, inc* around (30).

Round 6: *SC 4, inc* around (36).

Round 7: *SC 5, inc* around (42).

Rounds 8-15: SC around for 10 rounds.  

Round 16: *SC 1, dec* 6 times to shape the belly. SC around the body to the end of the round (36).

Rounds 17-18: SC around for 2 rounds.

Round 19: *SC 3, dec* around (30).

Rounds 20-21: SC around for 2 rounds.

Round 22: *SC 3, dec* around (24).

Rounds 23-24: SC around for 2 rounds, then BO leaving a long tail.

Belly

Row 1: With gold yarn, chain 13. Turn and SC along the row (12).

Row 2-5: HDC in each space for 4 rows. 

Row 6: Dec, HDC to the last 2, dec (10).

Row 7: SC along the row. 

Row 8: Dec, HDC to the last 2, dec (8).

Row 9: SC along the row. 

Row 10: Dec, HDC to the last 2, dec (6).

Row 11: SC around the whole piece, working into the sides of the rows to give it a neat edge. BO and leave a long tail for sewing. 

Tail

Round 1:  Create a magic loop with 4 SC in it. Pull the loop closed. 

Round 2: Inc, SC to the last stitch, inc (6).

Rounds 3-14: Repeat Round 2 until you have 30 stitches in the round (30).

Round 15: SC around and BO, leaving a long tail. 

Legs (make 2)

Round 1: With your main color of yarn, create a magic loop and work 6 SC into in. Pull the loop closed and use a stitch marker to mark the first space. 

Round 2: Inc in each space by working 2 SC into each (12).

Round 3: *SC, inc* around (18).

Round 4: *SC 2, inc* around (24).

Round 5: SC tbl fo 1 round (24)

Round 6: Switch to cream-colored yarn for the toes. [SC 1, *YO and pull up a loop 4X, YO and pull through all the loops to make a toe*]. Repeat everything in the []s 4 times, then SC the rest of the round (24).

Rounds 7-20: Switch back to the main color of yarn and SC around for 14 rounds.

Round 21: *SC 2, dec* around (18).

Round 22: SC around, and then BO leaving a long tail.

Arms (make 2)

Round 1: With your main color of yarn, create a magic loop and work 6 SC into in. Pull the loop closed and use a stitch marker to mark the first space. 

Round 2: Inc in each space by working 2 SC into each (12).

Round 3: *SC, inc* around (18).

Round 4: SC tbl fo 1 round (18).

Round 5: Switch to cream-colored yarn for the toes. [SC 1, *YO and pull up a loop 4X, YO and pull through all the loops to make a toe*]. Repeat everything in the []s 3 times, then SC the rest of the round (18).

Rounds 6-23: Switch back to the main color of yarn and SC around for 18 rounds. Then BO, leaving a long tail.

Wings

The wings for this free crochet dragon pattern are made in a few parts. There are 4 green pieces that make up the base /back of the wing and 4 gold pieces that make the underside/front of the wings. Then those pieces are stacked together and joined into one piece attached to the limb. The pictures should help explain it a bit more. 

Green triangles (make 6)

Row 1: Chain 9, turn and SC 8. 

Row 2: SC along the row (8). 

Row 3: Dec, SC to the last 2 spaces, dec (6).

Rows 4-5: SC for 2 rows. 

Row 6: Dec, SC to the last 2 spaces, dec (4).

Rows 7-8: SC for 2 rows.

Row 9: Dec, SC to the last 2 spaces, dec (2).

Row 10: Decrease and then BO.  

Green rectangle (make 2)

Row 1: Chain 16. Turn and SC 15. 

Rows 2-17: SC for 16 rows and BO. 

Gold triangles (make 6)

Row 1: Chain 8, turn and SC 7. 

Row 2: SC along the row (7). 

Row 3: Dec, SC to the last 2 spaces, dec (5).

Rows 4-5: SC for 2 rows. 

Row 6: Dec, SC to the last 2 spaces, dec (3).

Rows 7: Dec, SC 1. (2)

Row 8: Decrease and BO. 

Gold rectangle (make 2)

Row 1: Chain 15. Turn and SC 14. 

Rows 2-7: SC for 6 rows and BO. 

Limb (make 2)

Round 1: With the main color, create a magic loop and SC 6 into it. 

Rounds 2-21: SC around for 20 rounds and BO, leaving a long tail. Use a chopstick to push stuffing into the tube so it’s firm, or use a thick wire or pipe cleaner instead of stuffing. It will add a little bit more support for the wings. I used wire so the wings were also posable.

To assemble the wings SC the green pieces together as shown in the image below. Then, place a gold section over each of the green and use green yarn to sew them in place. Next, place the limb along the top of the wing and use a whipstitch to attach it to the rest. Weave in the loose ends and trim the excess yarn. 

Horns (make 2)

Round 1: With main color, chain 14 and join with a slip stitch to work in the round.

Rounds 2-3: SC around for 2 rounds (14).

Rounds 4-5: Switch to the cream yarn and SC around for 2 rounds (14). 

Round 6: Dec, SC around to the last 2 spaces, dec (12).

Round 7-9: SC around for 3 rounds. 

Round 10: SC 4, dec twice, SC 4 (10). 

Rounds 11-13: SC around for 3 rounds (10). 

Round 14: SC 3, dec twice, SC 3 (8). 

Rounds 15-17: SC around for 3 rounds (8). 

Round 18: SC 2, dec twice, SC 2 (6). 

Rounds 19: Decrease around (3). BO and hide the tail inside the horn. 

Back ridge

Row 1: With cream, chain 37. Turn and SC along the row (36).

Row 2: *SC, picot, SC* along the chain to create the peaks. BO and leave a long tail. 

Assembly

Now that we finally have all the pieces of our free crochet dragon pattern done, let’s assemble it! It helps to use as many pins as you need to hold it all together. 

Start by assembling all the features onto the face. Add a small amount of stuff to the snout and position it onto the face about 3 rows under the eyes. Use a whip stitch to sew it into place then use the same yarn to embroider on the nostrils with a few straight stitches. Position the horns onto the head and sew them into place as well. Then, align the eyebrow ridges so that they start on the outside of the horns, go over the eyes and join to the snout, in line with the nostrils. Sew them in place. 

Next, whipstitch the belly piece to the body. Align the legs to sit on either side of the dragon so he can sit and sew them into place as well, making sure the toes are facing out. Position the arms to the body where the neck decreases begin and sew them into place with the toes facing up. Then position the tail to the back of the dragon with the line of increases facing up. Use a whipstitch to sew it into place. 

Now, center the head onto the body and use the tail end of the body to whipstitch it in place. Place the wings on either side of the body, meeting in the center of the back and sew them down the center and to the body using a new piece of yarn. To finish, line up the back ridge along the tail, up the body and to the back of the head. It helps to pin in place while you sew it into place. Weave in all the loose ends and trim the excess yarn. 

And you’re *FINALLY* done! 

I am completely THRILLED with how my crochet dragon pattern turned out and although it’s a lot more involved than my other patterns, it’s totally worth it. It still uses the same simple stitches and techniques, but there are more pieces and therefore more seaming involved. I encourage you to try it even if you think it’s a bit advanced, just take it one piece at a time!

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This dragon is the first of many crochet patterns for magical creatures. If you liked this, please subscribe! Just use the box below to sign up for emails with freebies, tips, new patterns, and the best yarny deals! I’d love if you would share this post on Pinterest and Facebook. It helps a ton and let’s me keep sharing free patterns on this blog. Thank you!

See you soon 🙂 

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