Crochet a Chinese dragon – Henry, 50 cm with optional music box (EN & DE)

IMPORTANT: You are buying a PDF pattern, NOT the finished item.

The pattern is bilingual: you get it in English AND in German – both PDFs are included in the download.

Henry is a Chinese dragon in red and green: about 50 cm / 20 inches long and 25 cm / 10 inches tall, with a long curved body, a friendly face, green spikes running from his head down to the tip of his tail and a pale belly. His feet have yellow claws, and two green tufts hang beside his mouth.

This is not an afternoon project, it is a collector's piece. The back spikes alone are 21 pieces in three sizes, the belly scales 29 pieces in four sizes – and that is exactly what makes the dragon. Every round is listed separately with its stitch count, so you never lose track.

If you like, you can build in a music box: it goes inside the body, the pull cord is hidden between the back spikes and ends in a wooden bead. The pattern works just as well without it – it is up to you.

26 pages, step by step with stitch-count control
finished size: about 50 cm / 20 inches long and 25 cm / 10 inches tall
music box optional – how to fit it is explained as well
basic stitches only: chains, single crochet, double crochet, increases and decreases
English and German – both PDFs are included in the download
materials: 200 g red, 50 g white, 50 g each of light green and green, a left-over in light yellow
available as an instant PDF download to read and print right after your purchase

Photo note: The crocheted item is real and made by me. On some photos the background was AI-generated or digitally edited.

If you run into any trouble, please send me a message first – I am happy to help and we will sort it out together. And if everything works out, I would be delighted about a good review.

Stitches used: chains, single crochet, double crochet, magic ring as well as increases and decreases. Worked in spiral rounds, one part in rows. Plus a fair amount of sewing.

All of these are basic stitches – what makes this dragon demanding is not the technique but the sheer size of the project. Every round is listed separately and ends with its stitch count, so you can check at any point that you are still on track.

Level: intermediate – very doable, but a long project

The finished dragon is about 50 cm / 20 inches long and 25 cm / 10 inches tall.

Gauge: 26 stitches x 24 rows = 10 x 10 cm / 4 x 4 inches (Schachenmayr Catania).

Worked with a 2.5 mm hook; the 2 mm hook is used on the body only, at the points named in the pattern.

• 200 g of yarn in red
• 50 g in white
• 50 g each in light green and green
• a left-over in light yellow for the claws
• 1 pair of black safety eyes, 8 mm
• stuffing
• optional: a music box (no larger than 5 cm) and a wooden bead of about 1 cm
• crochet hook 2.5 mm and 2 mm
• darning needle and scissors

Sample: Schachenmayr Catania.