The Making of a Crochet Triceratops Plushy

 Many years ago I made a triceratops pattern, it started off all kinds of goofy before developing into what I had imagined. 

I really wanted it to have the pointed beak and stand on four legs, as so many other patterns are more of a teddy style. 

I had a lot of fun trying it in different yarns, my favourite will always be the Dancing Baby DK from Ice Yarns in rainbow, but it's unfortunately no longer available. It took a few tries to get it right, but being stubborn pays off sometimes.

With such pretty colours what's not to love? 

I have had the written pattern up on Etsy and Ravelry for a few years now, but have been asked many times for a video tutorial. I understand how daunting plushie patterns are to start, my heart was warmed by my testers, many of whom had never crocheted a plushie before and still jumped in!

The time has come though, and the full tutorial is available free on YouTube now, with full instructions on screen to help teach reading a pattern along side the stitches. 

To ensure I captured all the details, it is in two parts (with a third on the way for detailed sewing instructions).

Check it out now: 

Part 1 covers the equipment required, making the legs, body and tail. 

Part 2 covers the head, frill, horns and construction.

Part 3 is underway and will cover more detailed instructions on construction. An adventurous beginner or someone with experience will be able to finish using the instructions at the end of Part 2. 

I used Flinders Cotton 8ply yarn, available at Spotlight Australia, which is a thinner yarn. I would recommend going down a hook size if using similar. 

The pattern calls from 8ply yarn in one or two colours; using a variegated yarn can be a great way to get the pops of other colours without extra tails to sew in!

The hook recommendation depends on the yarn you use, as 8ply is not always consistent. I suggest testing out with a 3.5mm hook and if it has gaps then try a smaller hook. This will make the final plushie smaller, so if you want it to stay large then swapping to another yarn or using two strands at the same time will help. 

You can use safety buttons as eyes, but I have sometimes made it with crochet or embroidered eyes to make it safer for little kids (less enticing for chewing). 

Otherwise the pattern just needs a heap of polyfill stuffing, and stitch markers are helpful with keeping track of rows on the body as it's so long. 

Below you can see the final result of the one I made in the video tutorial, I absolutely love how these two colours look together:

I had received an adorable small version made by my best friend using a glittery yarn and 2.5mm yarn. Sitting next to the full sized plushie, it looks like a baby! 

She opted for embroidered eyes, as it is so little, and I love how soft it looks. This lives on my desk and always makes me smile.

The cotton triceratops made in the video is available now on my Etsy store as a one off.

The PDF / downloadable pattern is available now on Etsy here and Ravelry here. 

Purchases on these stores will help support me, as I have started running this channel full time as of February 2021. Unfortunately I have lost my job due to chronic illness, so if you enjoy my tutorials and patterns, please share these with others and if you're able purchase a pattern via Ravelry or Etsy. 

And for a bit of an out-take to round off this blog, the original triceratops with a goofy beak: