Knit a Dragon Puppet
A free knitting pattern for a green dragon hand puppet, to make with a child. Four to six hours, and no email required.
Somewhere there is a grown-up who knits. A grandmother, an aunt, a neighbour, a friend of the family. This project is for the two of you to make together.
The pattern makes a green dragon with a long neck, a spiked spine, small bat wings and very large, surprised eyes. It takes four to six hours. If you can knit, purl, increase and decrease, you can make it.
A child does not have to knit a single stitch to be part of it. They can choose the yarn. They can decide whether this Dragon looks fierce, or worried, or ridiculous. And when he is finished, they are the one who knows what he says when he first meets the Clever Girl.
What you need
Yarn
- Main colour (body): 130–150 yards of Worsted or Aran weight yarn in a vibrant forest or kelly green.
- Contrast colour (wings & spine): 30–40 yards of Worsted weight yarn in a complementary shade — the sample uses a lighter lime green, and a dark grey or charcoal works just as well.
Needles
US 5 (3.75 mm) straight. A slightly smaller needle size creates a dense, tight fabric that prevents gaps.
Notions and tools
- Tapestry needle: for seaming the body pieces together and weaving in loose ends.
- White and black craft felt: a small scrap of each, to cut out the large, wide-eyed circles and pupils.
- Fabric glue or embroidery thread: to attach the felt eyes to the knitted head.
Sizing and gauge
- Finished size: about 14 inches from the base of the wrist to the tip of the muzzle, with an elongated 7-inch neck.
- Gauge: 20 stitches and 26 rows = 4 inches in Stockinette stitch. Matching gauge precisely is not critical here, but keep the fabric consistently tight.
1. The elongated body (make two)
- The body. Cast on 36 stitches in your green yarn. Work in Stockinette stitch (knit 1 row, purl 1 row) for 4 inches.
- The neck taper. To give him that long, skinny neck, reduce your stitches. Knit 2 stitches together (K2tog) at the beginning and the end of every other row for the next 4 rows. You will have 28 stitches remaining.
- The long neck. Continue working even in Stockinette stitch on these 28 stitches for a further 7 inches, to reach his long, slinky neck height.
- The snout. Add one stitch at both ends of the next 2 rows. Knit 3 rows even. Knit 2 stitches together at the end of the next 2 rows. On the next row, cast off loosely.
2. The features
- The spiked spine. Using your contrast colour, cast on 60 stitches. Next row: knit 1, cast off 2 stitches. Repeat across the row. Next row: cast off the remaining stitches. This creates a series of jagged, triangular bumps. Sew the strip all the way down the centre back of the puppet.
- The tiny bat wings (make two). Cast on 12 stitches. Row 1: knit across. Row 2: cast off 2 stitches, purl to the end. Row 3: knit across. Row 4: cast off 2 stitches, purl to the end. Cast off the remaining stitches loosely to form a small, jagged triangle. Sew the wings onto his upper back.
- The goofy eyes (make two). Cut two large, exaggerated circles from white felt. Use a black marker or black yarn to add a tiny, off-centre pupil to each one, for that classic wide-eyed look. Stitch or glue them to the front of the head.
- The horns (make two). Cast on 4 stitches. Knit 4 rows in Garter stitch (knit every row). Thread your yarn tail through the remaining stitches, pull tight to make a point, and sew them right above his eyes.
Assembly
- Lay your two green body pieces together with the right sides facing inside.
- Sew up the left side, across the top of the muzzle, and down the right side.
- Leave the bottom cast-on edge completely open — that is where the hand goes.
- Turn it right side out, then attach his spikes, wings, horns and eyes.
