PlanetJune Craft Blog

Latest news and updates from June

9 new dinosaur crochet patterns

What could be better than my 9 amigurumi dinosaurs? How about 18 amigurumi dinosaurs?!

18 dinosaur amigurumi crochet patterns by PlanetJune
Click image to enlarge! The 9 new dinos are on the left in this picture, with the original 9 on the right.

This project has been a long time in the making; I kept getting requests for more dinosaur designs, but a lot of dinosaurs look fairly similar and I didn’t feel comfortable with the idea of changing a few parts and calling it a whole new pattern – that doesn’t seem fair to my customers! – so my Expansion Pack (EP) idea was born.

What’s an Expansion Pack?

Expansion Packs by PlanetJune

  • An Expansion Pack (EP) is an add-on to an existing PlanetJune pattern.
  • The EP lets you modify or add to the original pattern to create something else.
  • You cannot use the EP alone – you must also purchase the original pattern in order to be able to complete the pictured items in the EP pattern.

I put on my research hat and investigated all kinds of dinosaurs to find the most interesting types to add to the collection, and now I’d like to introduce them to you…

Meet the New Dinosaurs

Dinosaurs Set 1X Expansion Pack crochet patterns by PlanetJune: Amargasaurus, Kentrosaurus, Pentaceratops
Dinosaurs Set 1X, L-R: Amargasaurus, Kentrosaurus, Pentaceratops

  • Amargasaurus was small for a sauropod, at only 33 ft long. It could easily be recognised by its impressive neck and back spines. It was a herbivore and lived in the early Cretaceous period.
  • Kentrosaurus was 17 ft long – only half the size of its better-known relative, Stegosaurus. It was well-armoured with a spiked tail and shoulders. Kentrosaurus was a herbivore and lived in the late Jurassic period.
  • Pentaceratops was a 28-ft long relative of the Triceratops. Its name means ‘five-horned head’, but its large elongated neck frill was even more impressive than its horns. It was a herbivore and lived in the late Cretaceous period.

Dinosaurs Set 2X Expansion Pack crochet patterns by PlanetJune: Dimorphodon, Kronosaurus, Spinosaurus
Dinosaurs Set 2X, L-R: Dimorphodon, Kronosaurus, Spinosaurus

  • Dimorphodon was a member of the Pterosaur family. (Pterosaurs aren’t actually true dinosaurs, but flying reptiles that lived in the same time period.) Dimorphodon was a small pterosaur, with only a 4 ft wingspan, but had a large head, a puffin-shaped beak and a long tail with a diamond-shaped tip. It ate fish and lived in the Jurassic period.
  • Kronosaurus was a huge 30-ft long member of the Plesiosaur family. (Plesiosaurs aren’t actually true dinosaurs, but aquatic reptiles that lived in the same time period.) Kronosaurus was a short-necked plesiosaur from the early Cretaceous period. It lived in the sea and ate cephalopods.
  • Spinosaurus was 40-50 ft long – even larger than a Tyrannosaurus Rex! A long crocodile-like skull and the spines which formed a sail on its back made Spinosaurus instantly recognisable. It was a carnivore from the middle Cretaceous period.

Dinosaurs Set 3X Expansion Pack crochet patterns by PlanetJune: Protoceratops, Iguanodon, Panoplosaurus
Dinosaurs Set 3X, L-R: Protoceratops, Iguanodon, Panoplosaurus

  • Protoceratops was a small herbivorous dinosaur, at only 6-8 ft long. Unlike its relatives (including Triceratops and Pentaceratops), it had no horns, only its ridged neck frill. It lived in the late Cretaceous period.
  • Iguanodon was a herbivorous dinosaur from the early Cretaceous period. It was 30 ft long and weighed 4-5 tons. It could walk on all four legs or run on its back legs. Its name means ‘iguana tooth’ (as its teeth resemble those of modern iguanas).
  • Panoplosaurus was a 23-ft long ankylosaur from the late Cretaceous period. It was a herbivore with a heavily armoured back, a row of spikes along each side, and extra-long shoulder spikes. Unlike the related Ankylosaurus, it did not have a tail club.

EP Pricing Info

These expansion pack designs keep about half of the original pattern, and the other half is new, so I’m charging only $2.50 apiece – half the price of the original. And it gets even better if you buy a multipack set: only $6.50 for a set of 3.

The multipack EP sets correspond to Dinosaurs Sets 1, 2 and 3, so I’ve called them Dinosaurs Sets 1X, 2X and 3X to make it clear which EPs match up with which original set. And, for this launch week, you’ll only pay $6 each for any (or all!) of the three 3-pack expansion packs – a real bargain for 3 new dinosaur patterns! (No code required – the additional discounts are already set up in the shop, for this week only.)

Original Dinosaur Re-releases

All 9 of the original dinosaur patterns have now been given their makeover. If you log into your PlanetJune account, you can download the new versions of any dinosaur patterns you’ve already purchased, for no additional cost, for the next 2 weeks. (If you order any dinosaur patterns from today onwards, you’ll automatically get the updated versions.)

Dinosaur amigurumi crochet patterns by PlanetJune
18 dinosaur patterns – all in the new and improved format!

Future Plans

As I moved further into designing the Expansion Packs, I realised that the dinosaur I’ve had most requests for – Velociraptor – wouldn’t be possible here: in order to make a raptor, every component of the closest pattern (T rex) would have to be rewritten, which means it’s not an EP; it’s a whole new pattern! So, although 18 dinos is already an impressive collection, if these EPs sell well, it may not be a completely crazy idea for me to design Dinosaurs Set 4 (and maybe even Set 4X?) before I call this range complete 😀

Handy Links

  • If you’ve already bought the original Dinosaur patterns, you can pick up the new Expansion Packs (individually or in sets) from the Expansion Packs section of my shop.
  • If you’d like to pick up any original Dinosaurs + EPs, you’ll find each relevant EP as an add-on for the original patterns and sets, in the Prehistoric & Mythical section.
  • If you’d like to add any of the 9 new dinosaurs to your Ravelry queue and/or favourites, there’s a link from each individual pattern page in my shop.
  • If you’re admiring the colours of my dinosaurs, they are all made from Lion Brand Vanna’s Choice yarn – it has the best range of beautiful colours, and nothing in the range clashes with anything else, so you can’t go wrong.

Oh, and if you’re intimidated by the thought of crocheting the thin spikes on some of the dinos, don’t worry – those will be the subject of my next video tutorial, coming later this week! And then I may just need to collapse for a little while and recover from this mammoth project…

I really hope you love my new (and improved) dinosaur collection!

12 Comments »

  1. Amy said

    Hi
    is there a bundle prise if I buy all 18 dinosaur patterns
    As I I have a son with asperger’s how love his dinosaurs
    Please let me know thankyou from Amy ?

  2. marilyn Smith said

    why does this site come up when I request FREE dinasaur patterns if I have to pay you for the patterns?

  3. They are all fabulous! Most comprehensive collection of amigurumi pre-historic animals ever!

  4. Else T said

    June, is there any way to make the plesiosaur so its neck curves up, like Nessie?

    • June said

      Hmmm, not easily, I’m afraid, Else. I designed it in the realistic plesiosaur swimming shape. It’s not just a matter of changing the neck angle, as the head would also then be the wrong shape – with a vertical neck, it’d look up instead of forwards.

      You’d really need something like the Amargasaurus head and neck on the Plesiosaurus body (started with a magic ring at the base of the neck) but I don’t think it’d be stable with no legs to anchor it – it might well tip forward and fall on its face…

  5. Silverleaf said

    Great stuff! They look awesome. 🙂

    I have six of the original dino patterns, but I’m pretty sure I bought then from your Etsy store. I guess I won’t be able to download the new versions from here?

    • June said

      Um, good point… Another reason to buy direct from my shop in future! 😉

      There’s no automatic way for me to handle orders from Etsy (or manual orders from prior to July 2008, when I set up my shop – the dinos all date from after that time, but it’ll be a problem for my earlier patterns). I’m going to have to think if there’s something I can set up – I reeeeally don’t want to send thousands of emails…

      Leave it with me for a while? I’m too tired to think up tech solutions at the moment, but if I can find a way to add Etsy orders to my shop that’d save me time in the long run – I’d have no need to email patterns at all if I could do that (emailing my Etsy orders every day is a ridiculous manual task I’d LOVE to be able to automate).

      • Silverleaf said

        No problem – honestly, it isn’t a big deal. It’s just aesthetic changes, right?

        I can totally wait. 😉 And even if we didn’t get updated patterns, I’m happy with the old ones. They still make cute dinosaurs!

        • Silverleaf said

          Oh and I’m about to rectify the fact that I only have 2 of the original 3 sets of patterns. I don’t know why I’ve waited so long!

        • June said

          Essentially, yes, it’s mostly layout changes with these ones, to reduce the page count and make them clearer to read, and changing the sc2togs to say invdec.

          I updated the Triceratops to say neck frill instead of fan, to keep it in line with the new releases (neck frill is the proper term!), but that’s about it – the actual patterns were essentially perfect to begin with 🙂

          I do need to come up with a solution though – I’ve had 2 requests already and I imagine there’ll be (at least) hundreds more by the end of this project. So I will have a plan ready by the time all the patterns are re-released.

  6. OMG! These are GREAT! AMAZING!!! I just LOVE all the new dinosaurs! This will be a great Christmas gift for my boys, if I, myself, can keep it a secret until then! 😀 Thanks June!!! I’m so excited!!! 😀

RSS feed for comments on this post

Leave a Reply to June Cancel reply

Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment here! I read and appreciate every comment. I only respond to questions here on the blog, so please return to this page to see my reply, or check the box below to subscribe to new comments by email.

Please note that I can only answer questions related to PlanetJune patterns and tutorials (see details), and I can only respond to questions or comments written in English. Thank you :) - June

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  • Quick Links: Crochet

    navigation: arrow

    buy crochet patterns and accessories from my online store

    'Everyday Crochet' and 'The Essential Guide to Amigurumi' crochet books by June Gilbank

    Crochet video tutorials and step-by-step photo tutorials

    Free PlanetJune crochet patterns

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Quick Links: Crafts

    navigation: arrow

    Punchneedle Embroidery information, ebook & patterns

    Papercraft ebook & tutorials

    Free PlanetJune craft projects & tutorials

  • Blog Post Categories

  • Blog Archives

  • Welcome to PlanetJune!

    June Gilbank

    Hi, I'm June. Welcome to my world of nature-inspired crochet and crafting. I hope you enjoy your visit!

    If you'd like to get in touch, you can contact me here.
    crocheted Canadian flag by PlanetJune
  • A fanned-out pile of the books Everyday Crochet and The Essential Guide to Amigurumi, with text 'The answers to all your crochet questions at your fingertips - find out more'
  • Support PlanetJune!

    Want to say thanks? You can send me money in seconds at paypal.me/planetjune (over $20) or paypal.me/planetjune2 (under $20) or send me a donation through my shop.

    Or simply click through from my links before you shop at Amazon, Etsy, KnitPicks, LoveCrafts or Crochet.com, and I'll make a small commission on your purchase, at no cost to you! Start here:

    ♥ Support PlanetJune ♥

    Tip: This link is also in the footer of every page!

    Thank you so much for your support!