Please note: This listing is for a downloadable PDF of the pattern instructions for making Smaug …there is no hard copy of the pattern available, nor a finished item. The pattern is available only in English :)

Erratum:

At the moment Round 2 of the square pattern reads:

Round 2: Ch3 (counts as first dc), then make 1dc into the ring, ch1. Make * 4 dc into ring, ch1. * Repeat from * to * twice more. Make 2 dc into ring and join with a slip stitch to the third chain of the “ch3” of the beginning of the round. (4 sets of 4dc’s separated by chain stitches)

It Should Read:

Join the next color in a ch1 space. Ch3 (counts as first dc). Make a dc in that same chain space then ch1. Make 2 dc (still in the same chain space). Move on to the next chain space of the previous round, and make the following: 2 dc, ch1, 2dc in that chain space. Repeat this in the next two chain spaces… Join with a slip stitch to third chain of beginning “ch3” of the round. (4 clusters of 2dc,ch,2dc )

Smaug the Dragon is the fourteenth of my patterns that makes use of the African Flower hexagon crochet motif and variations thereof, joined in a specific order to make a recognizable 3D item. I love this African Flower pattern and the creative possibilities of using it to make 3D items :) Smaug is an excellent stash buster project, as you only need to use very small amounts of leftover sock yarn to make a motif.

So, let’s take a look at the important points and how to start to make your own friendly dragon :)

:: Steps to making your own dragon ::

1. NB: First read the whole pattern through properly, so you have a good overview.

2. Make sure you know how to crochet the African Flower hexagon crochet motif. I have included both written and charted instructions for the African Flower hexagon in this pattern. If you are a visual learner, you can see a step by step photo tutorial on my blog: http://heidibearscreative.blogspot.com/2010/05/african-fl...

3. Make sure you are able to crochet an African Flower pentagon, octagon, heptagon, square and triangle… for clarity: the pentagon has five petals and five sides and the heptagon has seven petals and seven sides, the octagon has eight petals and eight sides and so on…. The difference is simply the number of “petal” repeats that you crochet…pentagons, octagons and heptagons etc are therefore equally easy to crochet. I have included written and charted instructions in this pattern on how to crochet an African Flower Pentagon (as well as all the other motifs). I have also posted a fully explained pentagon tutorial, on my blog, which can be found here:

http://heidibearscreative.blogspot.com/2011/09/african-fl...

1. Make sure you have gone through and practiced the join-as-you-go technique. This has been explained and illustrated in the PDF named Appendix : Joining Tutorials. Since the joining method is really very important to the success of the project, I strongly suggest that you practice joining on scrap yarn motifs before starting the project. If you would prefer to sew your motifs together, you won’t need to practice the join-as-you-go technique, but will need to be confident in your neat sewing ability. I have not included instructions on how to sew stuff together…there are plenty resources available on the internet…

2. Either choose your yarn for this project or use the sock yarn that you have left over from other projects. Make all the required motifs for your dragon, BUT only up to Round 4 of the African Flower motif if you are doing a join-as-you-go method, or the full motif up to Round 5 if you are sewing up the motifs.

: : Materials Requirements : :

The dragon that has been crocheted for this pattern, was made using sock weight/fingering/#1 weight yarn. Using this weight yarn will give you a dragon measuring approximately 65cm measured from tip of tail to nose, and approximately 21cm from the top of the back to feet.

ALL THE CROCHET STITCHES USED IN THIS PATTERN ARE BASED ON AMERICAN CROCHET TERMS

Sock weight / Fingering weight yarn/ #1 in colors of your choice… this little dragon is a great stash busting project as you can use small amounts of sock yarn for each motif, and the more colourful the prettier :) . Although I can’t tell you how much yardage of each color I used I can tell you that the total weight of yarn for the dragon was around 375g (unstuffed).

The yardage for the sock yarn I used is around 320m/100g (350yds/100g). It is a superwash merino yarn, but you can use any alternative fingering weight yarn you like…I suggest that animal fibre yarns would be preferable, as they have more stretch, making the stuffing and shaping of the dragon easier. Try to use a yarn with a similar yardage per 100g. If you use a heavier weight yarn and a larger hook, the dragon will be bigger than the one made in sock yarn, and you will obviously need more polyester stuffing.

Crochet Hook 1.75mm

If you are planning to make your dragon in a heavier weight yarn, adjust your hook size accordingly…however, use the smallest hook size possible for the weight of yarn that you can manage. Note that the hook size recommended by the yarn manufacturer would not be the correct size to use for this project…Since the dragon is stuffed, your stitch density will need to be tighter than usual to prevent the stuffing from popping out. Make a test motif in your chosen yarn and hook to see which would be the best size to use.

Polyester toy stuffing Haemostats (optional for stuffing)

Scissors Tapestry Needle used for sewing in ends

Sewing Pins

Sewing needle Curved sewing needle Long tapestry needle

Eyes (plastic safety eyes or glass wire-looped eyes).

PLEASE NOTE THAT ATTACHED EYES ARE NOT RECOMMENDED FOR TOYS CREATED FOR CHILDREN! They can be a suffocation hazard. If you are making this toy for a child, rather embroider the eyes using embroidery thread! I would still suggest sculpting the eye sockets before embroidering the eyes…it adds a lovely realistic element :)

I have used 15mm wire looped glass eyes. These can easily be sourced from sellers on eBay and Etsy.

: : Skills Requirements : :

Basic Crocheting Skills: Chain stitch (ch) , Single Crochet (sc), Double Crochet (dc), Slip Stitch (sl st), joining a chain to make a ring, joining in a new color

Join-as-you-go motif joining: This pattern will require that you join the crocheted motifs each stitch to each stitch. This is necessary to prevent the stuffing popping out of the dragon. It is imperative that you are confident in your join-as-you-go ability. The method I use is explained in the Appendix pages found at the end of the pattern. These tutorials are illustrated by using motif chart illustrations with explanatory notes. This cuts down on printing :)

However, if you are scared witless by the thought of doing a join-as-you-go joining method, all is not lost…you can simply make all your motifs in full (including Round 5), then sew them together. The order of motif placement and the number of sides needing to be joined stays exactly the same whether you join-as-you-go or sew up.

Basic sewing skills Sewing the horns to the head and the scales to the body. Sewing the wings to the body.

I hope you will enjoy making Smaug the dragon and that you will find the pattern clear and easy to follow…if you have found any errors or have any questions , please pm me on Ravelry or send me an email to heidibearscreativeblog@gmail.com and I will be happy to help :)
Happy crocheting folks!