Create a very cute amigurumi with this free crochet pattern, I have added a lot of step by step photo’s to help you with crocheting this lion plush toy.
This cute lion loves to laying under the sun watching the clouds in the sky. He is a very friendly lion, who does not mind that the birds like to play with his long manes. But watch out when he gets hungry, he will get a very different attitude.
I used cotton yarn to make this lion, but if you want you can use any yarn to crochet him. Always use the smallest crochet hook recommended on the label of your yarn.
In the material list below I have put links to the exact yarn that I used to create this cute lion Amigurumi.
SMC Catania yarn is my favorite yarn to make Amigurumi, it is very high quality and it has the OEKO-TEX® label, which means that it does not contain any harmful substances and it is produced in a human and environmentally friendly way.
I have a basic stitches tutorial if you are a beginner. The tutorial has a lot of videos included.
Materials that I used to make Louie the Lion:
Beige cotton – catania color: 130
2x Yellow cotton – catania color: 249
Brown cotton – catania color: 157
Black cotton – catania color – 110
Synthetic Poly filling
1 pair safety eyes size: 10mm
Supplies:
– Scissors
– Tapestry needles with blunt point, nr. 16 or 17
– Pins
– Crochet hook size 2.5 mm 4/0
Head (in yellow yarn)
- Start with a magic ring
- Rnd 1: start 6 sc in a magic ring (6)
- Rnd 2: inc 6 times (12)
- Rnd 3: (sc, inc in next st) repeat 6 times (18)
- Rnd 4: (sc in next 2 st, inc in next st) repeat 6 times (24)
- Rnd 5: (sc in next 3 st, inc in next st) repeat 6 times (30)
- Rnd 6: (sc in next 4 st, inc in next st) repeat 6 times (36)
- Rnd 7: (sc in next 5 st, inc in next st) repeat 6 times (42)
- Rnd 8: (sc in next 6 st, inc in next st) repeat 6 times (48)
- Rnd 9-10: sc in all 48 st (48)
- Rnd 11: (sc in next 7 st, inc in next st) repeat 6 times (54)
- Rnd 12-13: sc in all 54 st (54)
- Rnd 14: (sc in next 8 st, inc in next st) repeat 6 times (60)
- Rnd 15-21: sc in all 60 st (60)
- Insert both safety eyes between rounds 16 and 17, with an interspace of 13 stitches.
- Check out my video on how the use safety eyes the easy way.
- Rnd 22: (sc in next 8 st, dec) repeat 6 times (54)
- Rnd 23: (sc in next 7 st, dec) repeat 6 times (48)
- Rnd 24: (sc in next 6 st, dec) repeat 6 times (42)
- Rnd 25: (sc in next 5 st, dec) repeat 6 times (36)
- Rnd 26: (sc in next 4 st, dec) repeat 6 times (30)
- Rnd 27: (sc in next 3 st, dec) repeat 6 times (24)
- Rnd 28: (sc in next 2 st, dec) repeat 6 times (18)
- Stuff the head with filling.
- Rnd 29: (sc in next st, dec) repeat 6 times (12)
- Rnd 30: dec 6 times (6)
- Finish the head by taking the last strand of yarn and sewing it through the front loops of every crochet stitch that you made in the last round. Pull the yarn tight to close the hole. Now stick a needle under the hole and weave in the yarn end.
Ear (in yellow yarn):
- Start with a magic ring
- Rnd 1: start 6 sc in a magic ring (6)
- Rnd 3: sc in all 12 st (12)
- Rnd 4: (sc, inc in next st) repeat 6 times (18)
- Rnd 5: sc in all 18 st (18)
- Rnd 6: (sc, dec in next st) repeat 6 times (12)
- Rnd 7: sc in all 12 st (12)
- Fasten off, leaving a long tail for sewing.
Body (in yellow yarn):
- Start with a magic ring
- Rnd 1: start 6 sc in a magic ring (6)
- Rnd 2: inc 6 times (12)
- Rnd 3: (sc, inc in next st) repeat 6 times (18)
- Rnd 4: (sc in next 2 st, inc in next st) repeat 6 times (24)
- Rnd 5: (sc in next 3 st, inc in next st) repeat 6 times (30)
- Rnd 6: (sc in next 4 st, inc in next st) repeat 6 times (36)
- Rnd 7: (sc in next 5 st, inc in next st) repeat 6 times (42)
- Rnd 8: (sc in next 6 st, inc in next st) repeat 6 times (48)
- Rnd 9: (sc in next 7 st, inc in next st) repeat 6 times (54)
- Rnd 10-19: sc in all 54 st (54)
- Rnd 20: (sc in next 7 st, dec) repeat 6 times (48)
- Rnd 21-23: sc in all 48 st (48)
- Rnd 24: (sc in next 6 st, dec) repeat 6 times (42)
- Rnd 25-27: sc in all 42 st (42)
- Rnd 28: (sc in next 5 st, dec) repeat 6 times (36)
- Rnd 29: sc in all 36 st (36)
- Fasten off, leaving a long tail for sewing. Stuff the body with fiberfilling. Sew the body on the back of the head between rounds 9 and 26.
Now we are going to make one layer of hair around the head
Cut 4”/10cm brown yarn strands. Pull 2 threads of yarn through each loop and make a knot to secure them. (photo 1-4)
When making this first layer of hair on the lion, all hairs need be to place right next to each other. (see photo 1-3, next page) In the next round of hair, you can skip a stitch between the hairs (photo 4, next page) You will not notice this once you are done with all the hairs.
You need to sew on the ears behind the first row of hair, between the hairs of the second row. The ears are sewed on the head between rounds 6 and 12 of the head. (photo 5, next page)
Now you can start with making the rest of the mane, you can start skipping more stitches now. (photo 6, next page) Fill the head with hair until you get to the neck. (there is not attached neck on the photo’s because I did not know yet where I would place it yet.
Snout (make 2, in beige yarn)
- Start with a magic ring
- Rnd 1: start 6 sc in a magic ring (6)
- Rnd 2: inc 6 times (12)
- Rnd 3-4: sc in all 12 st (12)
- Rnd 5: sc in next 3 st, dec 3 times, sc in next 3 st (9)
- Fasten off, leaving a long tail for sewing.
- Put a bit of stuffing in the snout halves and sew round 5 together (photo)
- Embroider the nose on round 5 of the snout with black yarn.
- Sew the snout on the head, between the eyes, just below round 15.
FrontLeg (make 2, in yellow yarn):
- Start with a magic ring
- Rnd 1: start 6 sc in a magic ring (6)
- Rnd 2: inc 6 times (12)
- Rnd 3: (sc, inc in next st) repeat 6 times (18)
- Rnd 4: (sc in next 2 st, inc in next st) repeat 6 times (24)
- Rnd 5-8: sc in all 24 st (24)
- Rnd 9: (sc in next 2 st, dec) repeat 6 times (18)
- Rnd 10-11: sc in all 18 st (18)
- Rnd 12: (sc in next 4 st, dec) repeat 3 times (15)
- Rnd 13-21: sc in all 15 st (15)
- Stuff the legs with fiberfilling.
- Rnd 22: (sc in next 3 st, dec in next st) repeat 3 times (12)
- Rnd 23: dec 6 times (6)
- Finish the frontleg by taking the last strand of yarn and sewing it through the front loops of every crochet stitch that you made in the last round. Pull the yarn tight to close the hole. Now stick a needle under the hole and weave in the yarn end.
Hindleg (make 2, in yellow yarn)
- Start with a magic ring
- Rnd 1: start 6 sc in a magic ring (6)
- Rnd 2: inc 6 times (12)
- Rnd 3: (sc, inc in next st) repeat 6 times (18)
- Rnd 4: (sc in next 2 st, inc in next st) repeat 6 times (24)
- Rnd 5-8: sc in all 24 st (24)
- Rnd 9: (sc in next 2 st, dec) repeat 6 times (18)
- Rnd 10-11: sc in all 18 st (18)
- Rnd 12: (sc in next 4 st, dec) repeat 3 times (15)
- Rnd 13-16: sc in all 15 st (15)
- Rnd 17: (sc in next 4 st, inc in next st) repeat 3 times (18)
- Rnd 18: (sc in next 5 st, inc in next st) repeat 3 times (21)
- Rnd 19-21: sc in all 21 st (21)
- Rnd 22: (sc in next 5 st, dec) repeat 3 times (18)
- Stuff the legs with fiberfilling.
- Rnd 23: (sc, dec in next st) repeat 6 times (12)
- Rnd 24: dec 6 times (6)
- Finish the hindleg by taking the last strand of yarn and sewing it through the front loops of every crochet stitch that you made in the last round. Pull the yarn tight to close the hole. Now stick a needle under the hole and weave in the yarn end.
Toes for leg 12x (in yellow yarn):
- Start with a magic ring
- Rnd 1: start 6 sc in a magic ring (6)
- Rnd 2: (sc, inc in next st) repeat 3 times (9)
- Rnd 3: sc in all 9 st (9)
- Fasten off, leaving a long tail for sewing.
- Sew three toes next to each other on one leg between rounds 4-9. Repeat for the other 3 legs.
Small paw pad for leg 12x (in beige yarn):
- Start with a magic ring
- Rnd 1: start4 sc in a magic ring (4)
- Fasten off, leaving a long tail for sewing. Sew the small paw pads underneath the toes.
Big paw pad for leg 4x (in beige yarn):
- Start with a magic ring
- Rnd 1: start 8 sc in a magic ring (8)
- Fasten off, leaving a long tail for sewing. Sew each big paw pad on top of the round 1 of each leg.
- Sew the Frontlegs on the side of the body, between rounds 24 and 29.
- Sew the Hindlegs on the side of the body between rounds 9 and 14.
Tail (in yellow yarn):
- Start with a magic ring
- Rnd 1: start 6 sc in a magic ring (6)
- Rnd 2-9: sc in all 6 st (6)
- Fasten off, leaving a long tail for sewing.
- Make some hair on rounds 1,3 and 3 of the tail, just like you did for the head. I cut the hairs a bit shorter then the hair on the head. Sew the tail onto the body between rounds 8-11.
Now your lion is done, I hope you had fun with this free lion crochet pattern!
There are many more free amigurumi patterns on this website.
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