DRAGONs in Depth

What is a DRAGON?

The DRAGON, or Dangerously Radical Ambitious Gauge Of Nerve is an area of Advanced Studies reserved for those projects that require a year to complete. Who doesn’t want a dragon? Dragons are fantastic! Dragons are large! Dragons take serious effort to master! A dragon is a single item that cannot be completed in a single term or even two terms. It is large and dangerous and the pursuit to hunt and train it to mastery should take more than 8 months and up to a year. You may also pursue a two-headed DRAGON, which is made up of two projects, each of which is expected to require 4-8 months to complete. Ravelry crafts, needlework based non-ravelry crafts, or a combination are accepted.

Points for each third of the DRAGON are awarded at the end of each term. These thirds are your benchmarks along the way. If you achieve the first third during the first term, your House receives 300 points and you earn the Dragon’s Tail badge. You’ve hunted it down and tagged it! If you achieve the second third during the second term, your House receives 300 points and you earn the Dragon’s Heart badge. Ah! You’ve made great progress in training your dragon and have won its heart! If you finish the entire project during the third term, your House receives the final 300 points, and you get the Dragon’s Head badge! You’ve mastered your dragon and its training is complete!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

How do I earn points? Two things need to happen for you to earn points for your DRAGON this term: 1. You have to work on your DRAGON this term (break month counts) and 2. You have to have met the appropriate checkpoint for the term (a DRAGON that is ⅓ finished, ⅔ finished, or completely finished.) If both of these things happened, then you should submit your progress to the DRAGON thread during the last month of term (March, July, or November) and if everything is in order, you will earn 300 points for your House and a badge.

What if I change Houses? The 300 points you receive for reaching your DRAGON checkpoint for the term go to whichever House you are sorted to during that term.

Can I do another Advanced Studies? A DRAGON is like an OWL or NEWT. You may take on an Order of the Phoenix Mission each term you are pursuing your DRAGON, but not an OWL or NEWT or another DRAGON.

Can I work on the parts of the DRAGON non-consecutively? I.e. can I take a term off? No. Please devote the entire year to the DRAGON. If you need to go SOS for a term, you may still work on your DRAGON and achieve your badge, but you will not earn points for any House.

What if I change my mind and decide not to finish my DRAGON? You just need to tell the DRAGON staff about your decision. If you formally withdraw your DRAGON, you are then free to propose an OWL or NEWT.

What if I don’t achieve the Tail or Heart checkpoints but I still manage to finish? Then you collect the Dragon’s Head badge in the third term, and you earn your House 300 points in that term.

When/How do I propose? The proposal period is break month (December, April, or August) plus the first 15 days of each term.

What if I get started and run into trouble with the pattern/yarn/other major component of crafting? To give you time to get started and see if you run into any problems, change requests are accepted up to the end of the second month of the proposal term (February, June, or October of your proposal term.)

Do I have to have all my materials to start? No, but you must have some to get started with and a plan for getting the rest. For example if you’re doing a multi-colored afghan, you likely don’t need every color to begin, but at some point you are going to need the other colors. You need to know how you’re going to get them and have budgeted for their purchase.

Do I have to swatch? No, but you would be wise to do so.

Can my DRAGON include more than two projects? No, this is for a SINGLE project that a person may need up to a year to complete or TWO projects, EACH of which will take more than 4 months.

How many OWLs or NEWTs do I have to have to propose a DRAGON? ZERO. There are no prerequisites for a DRAGON. Just a big project and a heart full of courage.

Can I continue to work on my DRAGON during break months? Yes. Once your DRAGON has been approved you may work on it continuously for the year, making sure to submit your progress during the last month of each term for points.

I tried really hard to choose a project that would take me three terms, but it was too hard to estimate and I ended up accidentally finishing it in the second term. What do I do? You earn your 300 points for the second term of your DRAGON. You cannot earn points for this DRAGON in the third term, since you didn’t work on it during the third term, but since it is finished, you are free to propose an OWL, NEWT, or a new DRAGON during the third term! If you have already posted your second checkpoint, please post again in the DRAGON thread to let the DRAGON staff know what’s going on.