Follow this easy crochet pattern to learn how to make a crochet dinosaur backpack. It’s the perfect free crochet pattern for kids.
I can’t believe my baby girl is turning 4 in just a matter of weeks!! In the spirit of Ava’s Dino4 party, Taylor (of Taylor Lynn Crochet) and I have made Dino-Birthday Party our first crochet challenge since starting Ash and Tay Crochet!
This post may include affiliate links meaning I may receive a commission from purchases made at no extra cost to you.
For my challenge design, I created the Dino Backpack and I LOVE how it turned out!!
You can find the full pattern here on my blog, as a PDF in my Etsy shop, as a PDF in my Ravelry shop and as a full video tutorial on my YouTube channel.
Materials
Worsted weight yarn color A (backpack)
Worsted weight yarn color B (spikes and drawstrings)
4.0mm Crochet Hook
4.5mm Crochet hook
Scissors
Tapestry Needle
Stitch markers or scrap yarn
Stitch Key (US Terms)
CH= Chain
SC= Single Crochet
INC= Increase (put two stitches in the same space. In this case, single crochet stitches)
SL ST= Slip Stitch
JAYG= Join as you go
Special Stitches
Join as you go (JAYG): This is a joining technique I learned from Cypress Textiles while making her Trellis and Chevron baby blanket about 3 years ago and I have used it ever since! I love joining this way because it’s faster, there are fewer tails to weave in and it makes a really pretty join.
This is used when you are taking two crochet pieces and joining them together.
*Insert your hook into piece A and SC. Remove your hook from the loop.
Insert your hook into the same stitch but on piece B. Grab the loop still attached to piece A and pull it through piece B’s stitch. Repeat from *.
That was easier to explain in words than I thought it’d be! If you’re still not sure what’s happening though, there are pictures here in the pattern or you can jump to the 35:00 mark on the youtube video.
Back Bump: This is where you flip your starting chain over and insert your hook into the “back bump” of the chain and place your stitch there. If you are unfamiliar with this technique I would suggest watching this tutorial below by Fiber Flux on YouTube.
Crochet Dinosaur Backpack
Body | Make two
With your 4.5mm crochet hook and your A yarn
Make a slip knot and CH 41.
Row 1: Skip the back bump closest to your hook, SC 40 in each back bump. CH 1, turn. (40)
Rows 2-9: SC 40. CH 1, turn. (40)
Now we are going to turn our work into a little tunnel for the draw strings to go through.
Row 10: Fold your work in half, hot dog style, so that row 9 and row 1 are touching.
Making sure your stitches are lined up, SC row 9 and row 1 together with 40 SC. CH 1, turn. (40)
Tip: the side of your work you are seeing when you crochet row 10 is the “right side”. Put a stitch parker or a scrap piece of yarn on the “wrong side” so you know during assembly which side is which.
Rows 11- 56: SC 40. CH 1, turn. (40)
Tie off and sew in your tails.
Spikes | Make 4
Using your 4.5 mm crochet hook and your B yarn
Spikes are made crocheting in the round. So we won’t be joining and chaining up, it will be just a continuous round.
Round 1: SC 6 into a magic circle. Put a stitch marker in the 6th SC so you will know which stitch was the last stitch in the round. (6)
Round 2: INC in the first stitch (the 1st sc in round 1), SC 2, INC , SC 2 (8)
Move your stitch marker into the 8th SC in round 2. Continue moving your stitch marker to the last stitch in each round.
Round 3: INC in the first stitch, SC 3, INC, SC 3 (10)
Round 4: INC in the first stitch, SC 4, INC, SC 4 (12)
Round 5: INC in the first stitch, SC 5, INC, SC 5 (14)
Round 6: INC in the first stitch, SC 6, INC, SC 6 (16)
Round 7: INC in the first stitch, SC 7, INC, SC 7 (18)
Round 8: INC in the first stitch, SC 8, INC, SC 8 (20)
Round 9: SC in each stitch around (20)
Tie off and sew in your tails.
After all your tails are sewn in, pick up one of your spikes, flatten it between your fingers, and insert your hook into the right side corner. SL ST the spike closed all the way down.
When you reach the end of the first spike, pick up your second spike and continue SL ST down the second spike.
Do this until all 4 spikes are slip stitched in a row together. Tie off and leave a long tail for attaching onto the backpack. (like 24-36” long)
The slip stitching creates a nice base for the spikes to be attached to the backpack, and joining them all together makes sewing them onto the backpack easier.
More Easy Crochet Backpack Patterns
Drawstrings | Make 2
Using your 4.0mm hook and yarn B color (same as spikes) crochet an i-cord that is about 49” long.
How to make an i-cord (or you can skip to 20:30 in the video to see me make an i-cord)
CH 3. With the loop from the 3rd CH still on your hook, insert your hook into the second CH from your hook and pull up a loop. Now you have 2 loops on your hook.
Insert your hook into the 3rd CH from your hook and pull up another loop. Now you have 3 loops on your hook and this is where is starts to get weird.
* Take your hook out of the 2nd and 3rd loops BUT don’t let the loops fall out, leave them looped up just without your hook in them.
Grab your working yarn and gently pull through the loop thats still on your hook.
Insert your hook into the 2nd loop from your hook (first loop being on your hook already), pull up a loop. (2 loops total now)
Insert your hook into the 3rd loop from your hook, pull up a loop. (3 loops total now)
Then you just start all over from * until it’s about 49″ long. (If you making one for a young adult or an adult you will need to make your straps a few inches longer than 49″)
Spike assembly
Fold the back piece of your backpack in half, hot dog style. Use a binder clip to clamp the piece together (where the sides come together, not on the actual folded side) so it will stay folded.
With contrasting yarn, sew a running stitch down the folded side. This is just a temporary line to help you line up your spikes.
Line your first spike so it’s in the center of the backpack and so the top edge (where your tail is) is just under the bottom of the drawstring tunnel.
Thread your tail onto a tapestry needle and begin sewing the spikes onto the backpack.
If you need to see this being done you can skip to the 27:50 mark in the video.
Backpack Assembly
The backpack pieces will be joined using the Join As You Go method. It is explained under special stitches, but I will explain it again (with pictures here).
You can also skip to the 35:00 mark in the video to see it if that will help you more. If you are still struggling with the JAYG method, you can probably just SC the pieces together if you’d like, your seem will just look different.
Lay your two backpack pieces together, right sides touching and with the drawstring tunnels at the top. Lay your spikes down flat so it doesn’t get in your way of joining the backpack.
Let’s refer to the piece on top as piece T (for top) and the piece on bottom as piece B (for bottom)
You will be working along the raw edge so you’ll have to make your own spots for joining the sides of the backpack, but the spots are pretty easy to see once you get the hang of it.
You have one spot that looks like you are going under a bar, then the next spot looks like you are going into a little hole.
So you’ll go bar, hole, bar, hole all the way down.
Insert your hook into the first stitch after the tunnel on T, attach your yarn with a CH.
Tip: This stitch will look like a bar
Insert your hook into the first stitch after the tunnel on B, place a SC.
Tip: this stitch will look like a hole
Take your hook out of the loop
Insert your hook back into the same space where you joined the yarn on T. (bar)
Grab the loop, pull it through.
You will repeat this all the way down the left side of the backpack for a total of 45 JAYO stitches.
Tip: Your next SC should be going into a Bar space on B.
Now it’s time to JAYG across the bottom of the backpack. This is much simpler because you can actually see where the stitches you need to be joining together are.
After you finish your 45th stitch on the left side, insert your hook into the first stitch on the bottom of B and SC.
Take your hook out of the loop, insert your hook into the first stitch on the bottom of T, grab your loop and pull it through.
Next insert your hook into the 2nd stitch on the bottom of B and complete the JAYG stitch by pulling through the second stitch on the bottom of T.
Continue attaching the bottom for a total of 40 stitches.
One more side and you’re finished with the JAYG method!
Right after you finish the 40th stitch across the bottom, go directly into the first space (bar) on B, put a SC then pull the loop through the first space on T (hole).
Continue back up the right hand side of the backpack for 45 stitches.
Tie off and sew in your tails. Flip your back right side out.
Drawstring Assembly
To add the draw strings you will need to use a crochet hook (one without a rubber handle works best) to thread your straps through the tunnels we created when making the body pieces.
If you are looking at your backpack, right side up (spikes on the back), your first strap will go into the left side of the front piece and out the right side of the front piece. Then you will thread it through the back piece, going into the right side and out the left side.
For the second strap you do the complete opposite. Go in the front piece right side and out the left, then in the back piece left side and out the right.
Using your crochet hook, pull the ends of the straps into the backpack and knot them together. The knot should be on the inside of the backpack.
Tip: It helped me to put the backpack inside out again for this step.
Sew in any remaining tails and you’re all finished!!
I hope you guys love this pattern!! If you make a Dino Backpack please tag me in the pics @ACraftyConcept because I would LOVE to see them! I’m always obsessed with all the beautiful color combinations y’all come up with!
Also be sure to check out my Dino4 Challenge video if you want a behind the scenes look at the design process and Taylors video too because her design is also DINO-mite!!
Happy Crocheting
❤️Ashley