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 children absolutely love, you’ve landed in exactly the right place. This free dino crochet video tutorial walks you through every single step of creating an adorable T-Rex lovey and plushie — no prior experience required, no confusing abbreviations left unexplained, and no frustrating gaps in the instructions. Whether you’re a complete newcomer to crochet or someone returning to the craft after a long break, this pattern is designed to feel approachable, enjoyable, and genuinely satisfying to complete.
Dinosaurs never go out of style. From toddlers obsessed with Jurassic Park to babies who just love anything soft and snuggly, a handmade T-Rex toy carries a kind of magic that store-bought plushies simply can’t replicate. When you make something with your own hands, you pour a little bit of yourself into every stitch — and the person who receives it can feel that. So let’s get into everything you need to know to make your very own crochet dinosaur from scratch.
Why a T-Rex Lovey and Plushie?
A lovey is one of those objects that becomes deeply precious to a small child. It’s a comfort item, a sleep companion, and often the first stuffed animal a baby truly bonds with. Combining the classic lovey design — a small blanket with a stuffed head attached — with a T-Rex character gives you something that checks every box: it’s soft enough for a newborn, interesting enough to hold a toddler’s attention, and cute enough that parents will want to keep it long after their kids have outgrown it.
The standalone plushie version is just as beloved. Slightly firmer, fully three-dimensional, and sized perfectly for little hands to grip, the T-Rex plushie works beautifully as a nursery decoration, a birthday gift, a baby shower present, or just a weekend project you make for the joy of it.
Making both versions from the same base pattern is incredibly efficient. Once you understand how the head is constructed, you can attach it to a lovey blanket or stuff and close it as a plushie with just a few adjustments. This tutorial covers both options so you can choose — or make one of each.
Materials You’ll Need
Before you start crocheting, gathering your supplies is the most important step. Here’s what you’ll need for both the T-Rex lovey and the plushie version.
Yarn: Choose a soft, washable yarn in worsted weight (size 4) for both projects. Acrylic blends like Lion Brand Pound of Love, Paintbox Simply DK, or Caron Simply Soft are excellent choices because they’re machine washable, hypoallergenic, and come in a wide range of colors. For your dinosaur, classic choices include sage green, forest green, teal, or even a fun lavender or coral if you want a more whimsical look. You’ll also want a small amount of white or cream yarn for the teeth, and a contrasting color for the belly if you’d like to add that detail.
Hook: A 5.0mm (H/8) crochet hook works well with worsted weight yarn. If your tension tends to run loose, size down to a 4.5mm. If you crochet tightly, a 5.5mm will keep your stitches even.
Safety eyes: For the plushie, 12mm to 15mm safety eyes work beautifully. For the lovey version, if the toy is intended for babies under three years old, it’s safer to embroider the eyes using black yarn instead of attaching safety eyes, since small parts can pose a choking hazard.
Polyfill stuffing: A standard polyester fiberfill works perfectly. You won’t need a large bag for either project — just enough to give the head and the plushie body a firm, huggable shape.
Stitch markers, scissors, a yarn needle, and a tape measure round out your supply list. If you’re making the lovey, you’ll also need a larger blanket base either crocheted or purchased — more on that below.
Understanding the Stitches
This pattern uses only a handful of basic crochet stitches, which is part of what makes it so beginner-friendly. If you can chain, single crochet, increase, and decrease, you have everything you need.
A magic ring (also called a magic circle) is used to start the head and the body pieces. It creates a tight, closed center so there’s no hole at the top of your work. If you’re new to it, it can feel a little awkward the first time, but after two or three tries it becomes second nature. The video tutorial linked below shows this technique clearly and slowly.
Single crochet (sc) is the primary stitch throughout the pattern. It creates a dense, tight fabric that holds stuffing well and gives the finished toy a clean, professional look.
Increases are made by working two single crochets into the same stitch. They’re how you expand your work as you build the shape of the head, snout, and body.
Decreases — specifically the invisible decrease — are used to close up the pieces as you finish them. The invisible decrease is a slightly more elegant technique than a standard sc2tog because it leaves a smoother surface on the outside of your work. The tutorial demonstrates this in real time so you can follow along visually.
Slip stitch (sl st) is used occasionally to join rounds or to move your hook position without adding height.
That’s genuinely it. No trebles, no clusters, no post stitches. Just clean, simple construction that lets the character design do all the talking.
The T-Rex Head: Step-by-Step Overview
The head is the heart of the whole project, so it gets the most attention in both the written pattern and the video tutorial. It’s worked in continuous rounds (also called a spiral), which means you don’t join or turn at the end of each round — you just keep going, using a stitch marker to track where each round starts.
You’ll begin with a magic ring, work a set number of increases in the first few rounds to build the dome of the skull, then hold steady for several rounds as the head grows into a satisfying sphere. From there, you’ll begin decreasing to close the back of the head.
Before you finish closing the head, you’ll attach your safety eyes (or embroider them if the toy is for a very young child), stuff the head firmly with polyfill, and then complete your decreases and fasten off. Weave in your ends neatly, and the head is done.
The snout is worked separately and sewn on. It’s a flattened oval shape with just enough stuffing to give it dimension. The key to getting the T-Rex look right is placement — the snout sits low and forward on the face, with the eyes positioned above and slightly to either side. The video tutorial shows you exactly where to pin the snout before sewing so you can get that classic, slightly grumpy, deeply lovable dino expression.
The teeth are made from small white triangles worked flat and sewn to the outer edge of the snout. You can make two or four, depending on how much personality you want your T-Rex to have.
The Tiny Arms (Yes, They’re Part of the Pattern)
You cannot make a T-Rex without those hilariously short little arms, and this pattern absolutely includes them. They’re worked as small tubes with a slight curve and attached on either side of the body — low enough to look accurate but high enough to look adorable. Each arm takes about ten minutes to make and adds so much charm to the finished toy that they’re worth every stitch.
Building the Lovey Base
If you’re making the lovey version, the head gets attached to a small blanket rather than a full plushie body. You have two main options here.
The first option is to crochet your own blanket base using a simple granny square, a corner-to-corner (C2C) pattern, or a basic single crochet rectangle worked back and forth in rows. A finished size of roughly 12 by 12 inches is typical for a baby lovey — large enough to be cozy but small enough to be safe in a crib or car seat. You can use the same green yarn as the dinosaur for a cohesive look, or choose a contrasting color like cream, white, or pale yellow.
The second option is to use a pre-made fleece square or a small knit blanket. Some crocheters prefer this because it cuts down on time and lets them focus all their energy on the amigurumi head.
Either way, the head is attached by sewing it firmly to the center of the blanket using your yarn needle and a length of yarn in the matching color. Work several passes through the base stitches of the head and through the blanket to make sure the attachment is very secure. This is especially important for a toy intended for infants.
Building the Plushie Body
For the standalone plushie, the body is worked much like the head — in continuous rounds, starting from a magic ring and increasing outward before holding steady for the middle section and then decreasing to close. The body is wider and taller than the head, giving the finished toy a satisfying, chubby silhouette. You’ll add a small tail at the back (worked flat and curled slightly before sewing on) and attach the tiny arms near the top of the body before joining the head.
Joining the head to the body securely is arguably the most important finishing step in the whole project. Work slowly, use plenty of yarn, and check the join from every angle before fastening off. A wobbly head is the most common issue beginners run into, and it’s easily avoided by taking your time with this step.
Finishing Touches
Once your dinosaur is assembled, a few small touches can elevate the final result significantly.
If you added embroidered eyes, take a moment to make sure they’re even. It helps to measure from the center of the snout to each eye rather than eyeballing it.
Weave in all your ends thoroughly. A yarn needle and a bit of patience here will prevent loose threads from appearing over time, especially after the toy goes through the wash.
If you’d like to add nostrils, two small French knots in a slightly darker green or black add a lot of realism. If you want a belly patch, cut an oval of felt in a cream or yellow color and hand-stitch it to the front of the body before attaching the head.
Finally, for a lovey, consider adding a small tag with the child’s name or a care label. You can print custom labels affordably online, and they give handmade gifts a finished, thoughtful look.
Tips for Getting the Best Results
Working in good light makes a surprisingly big difference when you’re counting stitches and checking your tension. Natural daylight is ideal, but a dedicated craft lamp is worth the investment if you crochet often in the evenings.
Count your stitches at the end of every round, especially during the increases and decreases. A missed increase or an extra decrease can throw off the whole shape of a piece, and catching it early is much easier than trying to frog several rounds later.
Use a contrasting stitch marker rather than a spare piece of yarn if you have one. It’s easier to spot at a glance, which makes tracking your rounds less mentally demanding.
Don’t rush the stuffing. Understuffed amigurumi look saggy and lose their shape after handling. You want pieces to feel firm without being so stuffed that the stitches stretch and show gaps. If you can see the white stuffing through your stitches, you’ve probably gone too far — try a smaller hook or loosen your grip on the yarn slightly.
Caring for Your Finished Toy
Because this pattern uses washable acrylic yarn, the finished toy is fully machine washable on a gentle cycle in a mesh laundry bag. Tumble dry on low, or lay flat to dry if you want to preserve the shape perfectly. The safety eyes won’t be affected by washing, but it’s always a good idea to check the attachment before and after each wash if the toy belongs to a young child.
Watch the Full Free Video Tutorial
Every step described above is covered in detail in the accompanying video tutorial. Watching someone crochet in real time — seeing the yarn tension, the hook angle, the way the pieces are assembled — fills in all the gaps that written instructions sometimes leave behind. The video is filmed in high definition with close-up shots of the trickier steps, and there are timestamps in the description so you can jump directly to any section you need to revisit.
Whether you follow the video from start to finish in a single sitting or work through it over several sessions, it’s designed to be a genuinely pleasant companion for your crochet time. Pause, rewind, and replay as many times as you need — that’s exactly what it’s there for.
Share Your Finished Dinosaur!
One of the best parts of the crochet community is watching what everyone makes from the same pattern. Every T-Rex comes out slightly different — different colors, different expressions, different finishing touches — and each one is completely wonderful. If you make this dino lovey or plushie, share a photo in the comments below or tag your project on Instagram. Seeing your finished work is genuinely one of the highlights of putting a free pattern out into the world.
And if you have questions at any point — about yarn substitutions, sizing adjustments, or any step in the process — drop them in the comments. No question is too basic, and the whole point of a beginner-friendly pattern is that beginners actually feel welcome asking for help.
Happy crocheting, and may your T-Rex be as soft, squishy, and roarsome as possible. 🦖
