I want to start off this pattern review by saying “I love my new baby dragon!” I came across this pattern a few times on Pinterest and Etsy. I finally decided to do it. A few days ago, I purchased this pattern on Etsy for $5.50 from the designer Madelenon. I have seen a few of her designs before because I follow her on Instagram. This dragon pattern was my favorite. Stick around for a breakdown of this pattern. I’ll discuss my favorite parts of the pattern and also my struggles with it. If you would like to view this pattern, the Etsy page is linked at the bottom of the page.
First, let’s talk about the dragon’s construction. The head, body, and tail are all crocheted in one piece. I really like how the whole body is crocheted in one piece because it gives this project a “sleepy dragon” feel. After you finish this part of your dragon, it will have a “wormlike” appearance. The rounded parts will be on top, and the belly lies down flat. Next, you crochet the legs, cheeks, horns, ears, wings, and spikes to add to your dragon. This makes the dragon come alive. After all of the pieces are made, you sew it all together. I recommend using pins to help you place your pieces before sewing them, especially the spikes. The pattern instructs you to make ten spikes, but I only used nine spikes on my dragon. If I used all ten spikes, they would have appeared crowded on his back. So I decided to space them out and only use nine.
My dragon was larger than the original pattern. The pattern designer used fingerling weight yarn and a 2 mm crochet hook. I wanted a bigger dragon, so I used worsted weight yarn with a 3.75 mm crochet hook. From my experience, this pattern will probably work with any type of yarn or hook size of your choice. The other materials needed for this project are pretty basic: stuffing, a yarn needle, pins, stitch markers, and scissors.
As you guys probably know, I love and appreciate patterns that include photos. When designers add pictures to their patterns, it shows the detail and effort that went into those patterns. Also, photos are always helpful with difficult steps. This pattern does include pictures. However, when you download the PDF of the pattern, the pictures are very low quality. It’s hard to see what’s actually going on in each photo. I did have to use the photos when it came to certain steps, but it took me a second to figure out what each picture was trying to show.
The only other issue I had with this pattern, other than the low-quality pictures, was that some of the pattern instructions were hard to follow. For example, I had a problem with the tail portion of the body. My stitches didn’t add up even though I had followed the previous steps of the pattern. I had to unravel my project a few times and crochet the rounds again, but I was getting the same results. I’m not sure if the confusion was on my part or if the counted stitches in the pattern were wrong, but it did not drastically change the result of my project. I also wish the designer would have given more detail when it came to the assembly of the project. The designer tells you what rows to sew each piece between, but I had to figure out how to sew on the front legs. Most of my sewed pieces were placed the way I thought they looked good instead of having the pattern instruct me on how to place them.
This pattern is very beginner-friendly. The only unique techniques you will need to know are working in the front and back loops of stitches and a cluster stitch which is just four double crochets in the same stitch. There are some challenging parts to this pattern, but I’m someone who likes to encourage beginners to try any pattern they want. Don’t let a challenging pattern or challenging part of a pattern discourage you. Practice makes perfect.
I highly recommend this pattern despite some of its issues. I had a blast making this project, and I absolutely love cuddling with my new baby dragon! I love how this pattern is unique and interesting. I encourage you to have fun with it. You should try to make it as big or small as possible using different colors. I already have plans to make one of these dragons with bulky yarn. I can’t wait to see how it comes out. This dragon would be a great gift for someone who loves mythical beasts. It’s also great to keep one for yourself.
I hope you guys liked this post and found it helpful. Hopefully, it’s an inspiration for your next project. If you like my pattern reviews, I have plenty more on my blog for you to check out. You can also subscribe to my blog for email updates every time I post new content. The Bratt The Baby Dragon pattern is linked below. Go check it out!
Pattern -> Bratt The Baby Dragon Pattern
More crochet reviews by me -> Crochet Reviews
Free patterns -> Critter Crochet Free Patterns
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