This little guy has been sitting around for a long time with just one arm and no eyes. I finally got him finished up this past weekend, and he’s just as cute as I’d hoped.

Meet Tarragon:

This is a free pattern by Knit-a-Zoo – you can download it here on Ravelry.

I knit him out of a fingering yarn—Lichen & Lace 80/20 Sock, in Citron—held together with a strand of Rowan Kidsilk Haze in the fabulous shade called Jelly. He’s not just lime green: he’s fuzzy! The contrast colour is Shibui Knits Sock. (It’s discontinued so that’s a Ravelry link.) All the yarns came out of my stash of partial balls so I’m not sure how much I used.

I did make a few changes to the pattern. I added ears, as suggested by other Ravellers, and used a navy seed bead for each nostril. I also made the wings in two colours, suggested on Ravelry, and am really pleased with how they look. There are a lot of projects for this little guy on Ravelry and I’m not sure who first suggested the contrast wings or the ears. Both are terrific ideas!

Like most toys, this dragon is a bit fiddly to assemble but totally worth it. I couldn’t find small enough eyes until after I’d stuffed and sewn the head – I came across them quite by surprise, but then, you never know what you’ll find at Len’s Mills – so maybe I’ll have to make another. This guy has button eyes instead.

I love the detail at the end of his tail!

We did go to the Woolstock Fleece Festival last weekend, which was held in Paris, Ontario, this year, and it was wonderful to be able to squish yarn again. There were a lot of indie dyers in attendance and the displays were beautiful. I found a purple handpainted sock yarn that’s perfect to finish my Crystal Twist Shawl. I bought a cake of a gradient dyed fingering yarn – Merino Silk Shawl Length – from Coriand3r Knits, which was just what I’d been hoping to find for the Don’t Panic shawl by Nim Teasdale. And I fell hard for yarn from The Loving Path—I bought a kit for a Love Note sweater from them but am knitting a cardigan with it instead. That project has jumped to the front of the line, so I may have a finished project to show you soon. All in all, it was a wonderful day. 🙂