Before You Start

  • No sewing! This dinosaur is worked in one piece from start to finish. The legs are bobbles worked right into the body, and the spikes are crocheted onto the surface at the end.
  • A small hook on purpose. A 3.5 mm hook with super bulky plush yarn makes a very tight fabric, so no stuffing peeks through. If your stitches are too hard to work into, go up to a 4 mm (US G-6) hook.
  • Work in continuous rounds, or join each round with a sl st and ch 1 if you prefer. The stitch counts are the same either way.
  • Stitch counts are in brackets at the end of each round. Count often. Plush yarn makes it hard to see stitches, so a stitch marker in the first stitch of every round really helps.

Special Stitches

  • Bobble (BO): In the same stitch, *yarn over, insert your hook, yarn over and pull up a loop, yarn over and pull through 2 loops*; repeat from * 4 more times (6 loops on your hook). Yarn over and pull through all 6 loops. The bobble pops out on the right side and makes a little foot. Counts as 1 stitch.
  • Surface crochet (for the spikes): Hold the new yarn inside or behind the body, insert your hook through a stitch on the surface, and pull up a loop. Then work the spike instructions from stitch to stitch along the line you want.

Part 1: Head and Neck

With light pink (MC). The head starts on a short chain, working along both sides of it, which gives the head its oval shape.

Chart for Round 1: a chain of 6 with single crochets worked along both sides and 3 single crochets in the last chain
Round 1 chart: single crochet along both sides of the chain.
  1. Rnd 1: Ch 6. Starting in the 2nd ch from the hook, sc in the next 4 ch, 3 sc in the last ch. Now work along the other side of the chain: sc in the next 3 ch, inc in the last ch. (12)
  2. Rnd 2: Inc, sc in the next 3 sts, inc in the next 3 sts, sc in the next 3 sts, inc in the last 2 sts. (18)
  3. Rnd 3: Sc, inc, sc in the next 3 sts, *sc, inc*; rep 3 times, sc in the next 3 sts, *sc, inc*; rep 2 times. (24)
  4. Rnds 4–5: Sc in each st around. (24)
  5. Rnd 6: Sc in the next 5 sts, dec 5 times, sc in the next 9 sts. (19)
  6. Rnd 7: Sc in the next 5 sts, dec 3 times, sc in the next 4 sts, dec 2 times. (14)
  7. Rnds 8–12: Sc in each st around. (14)
About the eyes: Place the eyes between Rnds 3 and 4, 8 stitches apart. The easiest way is to insert the safety eyes and snap on the backs before you stuff the head. If you prefer to add them at the very end, push them in and fix them with a small dab of hot glue. Glued eyes and safety eyes are not suitable for children under 3. For little ones, embroider the eyes with black yarn instead.

Stuff the head and neck firmly.

Part 2: The Body

Now a chain adds the back of the body and the tail, so the neck rises up from the front.

  1. Rnd 13: Ch 7. Starting in the 2nd ch from the hook, inc, sc in the next 5 ch, then sc in each of the 14 neck sts. Now work along the other side of the chain: sc in the next 5 ch, inc in the last ch. (28)
  2. Rnd 14: Inc, sc in the next 26 sts, inc. (30)
  3. Rnd 15: Inc, sc in the next 28 sts, inc. (32)
  4. Rnd 16: Inc, sc in the next 30 sts, inc. (34)
  5. Rnd 17: Inc, sc in the next 32 sts, inc. (36)
  6. Rnd 18: Inc in the next 2 sts, sc in the next 32 sts, inc in the last 2 sts. (40)
  7. Rnd 19: Inc, sc in the next 13 sts, *sc, dec*; rep 3 times, sc in the next 16 sts, inc. (39)
Brachiosaurus step photo: head and neck, stuffed
Head and neck, stuffed
Brachiosaurus step photo: chain 7 for the body
Chain 7 for the body
Brachiosaurus step photo: working along the chain
Working along the chain
Brachiosaurus step photo: rnd 13 complete
Rnd 13 complete
Brachiosaurus step photo: the body after Rnd 19
The body after Rnd 19

Part 3: Feet and Closing

In this round you close the tail and add all four feet at once.

  1. Rnd 20: Fold the body so the two edges of the tail meet. Working through both layers, sl st 6 times to close the tail (the slip stitches use up 12 sts and aren’t counted). Then continue around: sc in the next 2 sts, BO, sc in the next 5 sts, BO, *sc, dec*; rep 3 times, BO, sc in the next 5 sts, BO, sc in the next 2 sts. (24)

Stuff the body firmly.

  1. Rnd 21: Dec around. (12)
  2. Rnd 22: Dec around. (6)

Fasten off. Use your yarn needle to weave the tail through the front loops of the last 6 sts, pull it closed, and weave in the end.

Brachiosaurus step photo: fold and sl st the tail closed
Fold and sl st the tail closed
Brachiosaurus step photo: continue around the body
Continue around the body
Brachiosaurus step photo: working the first bobble
Working the first bobble
Brachiosaurus step photo: bobble feet taking shape
Bobble feet taking shape
Brachiosaurus step photo: all four feet done
All four feet done
Brachiosaurus step photo: stuffed and ready to close
Stuffed and ready to close
Brachiosaurus step photo: rnds 21–22: closing the base
Rnds 21–22: closing the base
Brachiosaurus step photo: the body complete
The body complete
Susie’s tip: Push the feet out from the inside with your finger before you close the body, so all four bobbles sit evenly and your dinosaur stands up on its own.

Part 4: The Spikes

With pink (CC), surface crochet the spikes along the center line of the back, starting at the tip of the tail and working up toward the neck.

  1. Spikes: Sl st in the next 2 sts, *ch 3, sl st in the next st*; rep 11 times. (11 spikes)
Brachiosaurus step photo: join the pink yarn at the tail
Join the pink yarn at the tail
Brachiosaurus step photo: ch 3, sl st for each spike
Ch 3, sl st for each spike
Brachiosaurus step photo: working up the back
Working up the back
Brachiosaurus step photo: spikes along the back
Spikes along the back
Brachiosaurus step photo: spikes finished
Spikes finished
Brachiosaurus step photo: eyes between Rnds 3 and 4
Eyes between Rnds 3 and 4
Brachiosaurus step photo: ready to play!
Ready to play!

Fasten off and weave the end into the body.

Collect the Whole Dino Family

This little one has three friends! The brachiosaurus, stegosaurus, triceratops and T-rex are all free no-sew patterns, and they look adorable lined up together on a shelf or tucked into a gift basket.

Four finished crochet dinosaurs together: a pink brachiosaurus, a purple triceratops, a pale green T-rex and a mint stegosaurus
The Dino Friends: brachiosaurus, triceratops, T-rex and stegosaurus.

Care and Safety

Hand wash in cool water with a little mild soap, gently squeeze out the water in a towel (don’t wring it), and let your dinosaur air dry. Plush yarn can shed if it’s tumbled in a dryer. If the toy is for a baby or young child, embroider the eyes and check the spikes are worked on securely.