Free Dino Crochet Video Tutorial 🦖 | Easy T-Rex Lovey & Plushie Pattern for Beginners

If you’ve been searching for a fun, beginner-friendly crochet project that will have everyone in your life absolutely obsessed, look no further than this free dino crochet video tutorial. Whether you’re making a T-Rex lovey for a new baby, a squishy plushie for a toddler, or just want to add a roaring little dinosaur to your collection, this pattern has everything you need to get started — even if you’ve only just picked up a crochet hook for the first time.

Dinosaurs have made a massive comeback in kids’ rooms, nurseries, and toy boxes everywhere, and honestly? We are here for it. A handmade T-Rex lovey or plushie is one of those gifts that feels genuinely special. It’s soft, it’s adorable, and it’s something you made yourself with care and intention. Let’s dig into everything you need to know to bring this prehistoric little friend to life.

Why Crochet a Dinosaur Lovey or Plushie?

Before we get into the pattern itself, let’s talk about why this particular project is such a great choice for beginners and experienced crafters alike.

A lovey is a small security blanket with a stuffed animal head attached — usually around 12 inches square — that babies and toddlers can cling to for comfort. They’re one of the most popular handmade baby gifts because they’re small enough to finish in a weekend, practical enough to actually get used, and adorable enough to make people gasp when they see them. A T-Rex lovey hits all three of those marks and then adds an extra layer of personality that sets it apart from the standard bunny or bear.

A plushie version, on the other hand, is a standalone stuffed dinosaur — great for older kids, teens who are into kawaii-style plush toys, or adults who just love dinosaurs (which is a completely valid group of people). Both versions use very similar techniques, and this tutorial walks you through both so you can choose whichever one suits your project best.

The other reason this is a great beginner project is that T-Rex proportions are naturally forgiving. Those tiny arms? They’re supposed to be small. A slightly uneven body? Dinosaurs aren’t perfectly symmetrical creatures. This pattern lets you relax into your crochet without stressing about every stitch being museum-quality perfect.

Materials You’ll Need

One of the best things about this pattern is that you don’t need a huge stash of supplies to get started. Here’s what to gather before you press play on the video tutorial:

Yarn: You’ll want a soft, worsted-weight yarn (also labeled as size 4) in your main color. Green is the classic choice — think olive green, bright lime, sage, or a deep forest green — but honestly, crochet dinosaurs look amazing in any color. Pink T-Rex? Absolutely. Purple and teal? Go for it. Mustard yellow? Chef’s kiss. For the lovey version, you’ll also need a contrasting or coordinating color for the blanket portion.

Hook: A 4.0 mm or 4.5 mm crochet hook works well with most worsted-weight yarns. Check your yarn label for the recommended hook size and use that as your starting point.

Safety eyes: 12 mm safety eyes are ideal for the plushie version. If you’re making this for a baby or very young child, embroider the eyes instead using black yarn or floss, since safety eyes are a choking hazard for children under three.

Polyfill stuffing: You’ll need this to stuff the head and body of your dinosaur. Don’t skimp on the stuffing — a well-stuffed plushie holds its shape much better over time and through lots of love.

Tapestry needle: For weaving in ends and sewing pieces together.

Stitch markers: Optional but genuinely helpful for keeping track of your rounds, especially when you’re just getting started.

Scissors: A good pair of small craft scissors makes a big difference.

For the lovey version, you’ll also want a soft baby-weight or DK yarn in a coordinating color for the blanket square, along with a slightly smaller hook (around 3.5 mm) to get a tighter, denser fabric.

Understanding the Basic Stitches

This pattern uses a small handful of crochet stitches that you’ll see over and over again. If you’re brand new to crochet, don’t worry — the video tutorial covers each one clearly before asking you to use it. But here’s a quick rundown so you can get familiar with the terminology:

Magic ring (also called magic circle): This is how most amigurumi and plushie pieces start. It lets you create a tight, closed center for crocheting in the round. If you find the magic ring frustrating as a beginner, you can start with a chain 2 and work your first stitches into the second chain from the hook — it creates a slightly larger center hole but works just as well.

Single crochet (sc): The workhorse of amigurumi. You’ll use this stitch for almost every piece of the dinosaur.

Increase (inc): Two single crochets worked into the same stitch. This is how you make your pieces wider.

Decrease (dec): Combines two stitches into one. This is how you shape and close up your pieces. The invisible decrease technique (inserting your hook through the front loops only of two consecutive stitches) gives a much neater result, so the video shows you how to do it that way.

Slip stitch (sl st): Used for joining rounds or finishing off pieces cleanly.

Chain (ch): A basic chain stitch, used mostly for the blanket portion of the lovey.

That’s genuinely all you need to know to complete this pattern. If you can do those five things, you can make this dinosaur.

The Pattern: T-Rex Head

The head is the star of the show, so let’s start there.

Begin with a magic ring and work 6 single crochets into it. Pull the ring closed. From here, you’ll work in continuous rounds (no joining, no turning) and use a stitch marker to keep track of where each round begins.

Round 1 is your foundation of 6 stitches. Round 2 doubles it to 12 by increasing in every stitch. Round 3 increases alternately — one increase, one single crochet — to bring you to 18 stitches. Continue in this pattern, adding one more plain stitch between increases each round, until you have 36 stitches. This is your standard amigurumi sphere beginning, and once you’ve done it a couple of times, it becomes muscle memory.

Work a few more rounds even (no increases or decreases) to build the middle of the head, then add the snout by shaping a flatter, more oval section using short rows or by attaching a separately crocheted snout piece. The video tutorial shows both methods so you can pick whichever feels more comfortable. The separate snout gives a more defined, cartoonish look, which is perfect for an expressive T-Rex face.

Once you’ve placed and secured your safety eyes (or embroidered them on), stuff the head firmly with polyfill and begin your decrease rounds, mirroring the increases from the beginning. Close up with a final decrease round down to 6 stitches, pull the yarn through, and you’ve got yourself a dinosaur head.

The Snout and Teeth

The snout is crocheted as a separate flat oval and sewn onto the front of the head. It gives the T-Rex that distinctive pushed-forward jaw look that makes the character so recognizable.

For the teeth, you have a couple of options. You can crochet tiny individual triangles in white or cream yarn and sew them around the bottom edge of the snout, or you can embroider teeth using white yarn directly onto the finished snout piece. The crocheted teeth take more time but give a wonderfully dimensional, textured look. The embroidered teeth are quicker and still look charming — great for smaller projects or when you’re making multiples.

Add a small smile embroidered in black yarn and maybe a little nostril detail with a French knot or a short straight stitch. These tiny details are what transform a simple green ball into a personality-filled dinosaur.

The Body, Arms, and Legs

The body follows the same basic sphere technique as the head, just slightly larger. Work up to 42 stitches at the widest point, work a few even rounds, then decrease back down. Leave the bottom open rather than closing it fully — this gives you an opening to attach the body to the blanket portion for the lovey, or to secure the legs for a standalone plushie.

The arms are tiny and absolutely hilarious, which is part of the T-Rex’s charm. Work them as small tubes of just 6 to 8 stitches, about 4 to 5 rounds long, with a slight point at the end. Stuff them lightly or leave them unstuffed — both work. These get sewn onto either side of the upper body, positioned so they look as adorably useless as a real T-Rex’s arms.

The legs are sturdier than the arms and are meant to give the dinosaur some stability if you’re making the standalone plushie version. Start with an oval foundation and build up in rounds to create a rounded foot shape, then continue up in a tube to form the leg. Stuff them firmly before sewing them to the body.

The Spikes and Tail

The dorsal spikes are what really make this dinosaur look like a dinosaur. Crochet a row of small triangles in the same color as the body or in a contrasting color — a burnt orange or yellow on a green dino looks especially striking. These can be crocheted as individual pieces and sewn along the back, or worked as a single strip with spike shapes built in. The video tutorial shows the strip method, which is faster and creates a neater finish.

The tail is a tapered tube that starts wider where it attaches to the body and gets narrower at the tip. You can leave it as a plain rounded tail or add a spike at the end for extra personality.

Making the Lovey Blanket

For the lovey version, the blanket is a simple granny square or a basic single crochet square worked in soft baby yarn. A 12 by 12 inch square is a standard size, but anywhere from 10 to 14 inches works well. The key is using a soft yarn with good washability, since loveys end up in the washing machine a lot.

Work the blanket separately, then attach the finished head to one corner of the square. Some makers prefer to attach it to the center, but the corner placement is more traditional for loveys and gives baby an easy way to hold onto the blanket while clutching the head.

Finish the blanket edges with a simple single crochet border or a shell stitch border for something prettier. A contrasting color border ties the whole thing together visually.

Tips for Getting the Best Results

A few things make a big difference in how your finished dinosaur turns out, and the video tutorial covers all of these in detail.

Tension is everything in amigurumi. You want a fairly tight tension so your stuffing doesn’t show through the stitches and so the dinosaur holds its shape. If you can see the polyfill through your fabric, try going down a hook size.

Weave in your ends as you go rather than waiting until the end. It’s much easier to secure yarn tails before pieces are assembled and stuffed.

When sewing pieces together, use the same yarn you used for the pieces and a tapestry needle. Take your time with this step — good seaming can make an okay project look great, and rushed seaming can make a great project look okay.

Pin your pieces in place before sewing. A few straight pins or locking stitch markers can save you from having to undo a whole seam because an arm ended up crooked.

Don’t overstuff or understuff. Overstuffed pieces get lumpy and misshapen. Understuffed pieces look floppy and sad. Aim for firm but not rock-hard.

Customization Ideas

Once you’ve got the basic pattern down, the customization options are genuinely endless. Change the color combination to match a nursery theme. Make a Stegosaurus version by adjusting the spikes. Add a graduation cap and make a little dino gift for a graduate. Crochet a tiny Santa hat and you’ve got a Christmas ornament. Use glow-in-the-dark yarn for the spikes and make the most exciting version imaginable.

You can also adjust the scale easily. Work with a thinner yarn and a smaller hook for a keychain-sized mini dino. Use bulky yarn and a bigger hook for an oversized jumbo plushie that’s practically a pillow. The pattern structure stays the same — you’re just working with more or fewer stitches at the widest point.

How to Follow the Video Tutorial

The video tutorial is designed to walk you through every single step in real time, so you can pause, rewind, and crochet along at your own pace. It’s broken into chapters — materials and setup, the head, the body and limbs, the spikes and tail, and final assembly — so you can jump to whatever section you need without watching the whole thing over again.

The tutorial also includes a written pattern in the description for reference, with stitch counts for every round clearly spelled out. Many crocheters like to watch the video for a technique and then use the written pattern as their reference as they work. Either approach is completely valid.

If you run into trouble, drop a comment on the video or post a photo in the comments — the crochet community is one of the most genuinely helpful and welcoming crafting communities out there, and someone will almost certainly have advice for whatever snag you’ve hit.

Finishing and Gifting Your T-Rex

Once everything is assembled and all ends are woven in, give your dinosaur a little fluff and a gentle squeeze to even out the stuffing and settle the seams. If any pieces look slightly wonky, a damp cloth and a steam iron held a few inches away can help smooth things out without flattening the texture of the yarn.

For gifting, a handmade tag with the fiber content and washing instructions is a thoughtful touch. Most acrylic yarns are machine washable on a gentle cycle and can go in the dryer on low heat — perfect for baby gifts, since parents are washing things constantly. If you used wool or a wool blend, note that it needs to be hand washed and laid flat to dry.

Pop your finished dinosaur into a little box or a clear bag tied with a ribbon, and you’ve got a gift that genuinely cannot be bought in any store. There is something irreplaceable about a handmade toy — the time, the care, the intention behind every stitch. That T-Rex lovey or plushie carries all of that with it.

Ready to Start Your Dino?

This free T-Rex crochet video tutorial is designed to be the most approachable, fun, and rewarding beginner project you’ve ever tried. Whether this is your very first crochet project or your hundredth finished amigurumi, a handmade dinosaur is always a good idea. Grab your yarn, pull up the video, and let’s make something roarsome together. 🦖

Don’t forget to share your finished dinos — there is truly nothing better than seeing all the different color combinations and creative variations people come up with. Happy crocheting!