I’ve been thinking about making a dinosaur ever since Knit Purl hosted a Rebecca Danger trunk show several years ago. The pattern was a little like torture for a perfectionist, but I’m so happy with the finished result. I veered from the directions in dozens of tiny ways to make the process smoother and the product more refined, and it probably took me ten times longer than the designer’s 10-hour estimate. The changes I’m most satisfied with include picking up stitches for the legs and making the feet smaller and more sock-like. Amazingly, this was the first time I had reason to use jogless jogs - so simple and effective!

I liked the idea of using 100% natural materials, so I stuffed the dinosaur with wool from Gossamer which gave it a pleasing weight. I also picked up some black felt for eyes, cutting it with a 3-hole punch. To give the dinosaur extra personality, I embroidered a tiny twinkle onto each eye. As many headaches as the project caused me, I can’t help but smile when I look at it.

Thank you to Sheila for the photos!