How to Crochet a Lion (Beginner Amigurumi)

Here is what you are making. Sharon shows the finished lion in two colorways so you can see how the mane and tail come together. You need tan worsted weight yarn for the head and body, and a contrast color like orange or teal for the mane and tail tip. Grab a 3.5mm hook, a pair of safety eyes, a tapestry needle, and fiberfill for stuffing. A stitch marker helps you keep track of where each round starts.

Start with a magic ring and single crochet into it, then work in a continuous spiral. The head and body are one piece, so you increase to round out the head, work a few even rounds, then decrease to pull it back in toward the base. Keep your stitches snug so the stuffing does not peek through. Move your stitch marker up at the start of every round. Stuff the piece firmly as it starts to close so the lion holds its shape.

Before you close up the head, push the safety eyes through the fabric and snap the backings on from the inside. Space them evenly and low on the face so the lion looks friendly rather than surprised. Once the eyes are set they do not move, so check the placement first. Use black floss to stitch a small triangle nose and a short line down to the mouth. A couple of stitches is all it takes to give the face its expression.

The tail is a slim I-cord, which is a narrow tube that reads like a rope. Chain a few stitches, then work back along them so the cord curls into a round shape on its own. Keep your tension even and the cord stays neat. Sharon shows the hand position that keeps the loops from twisting, which is the part most people find awkward at first. Work it to the length you want the tail, then stop and hold the last loop.

A lion tail needs a tuft at the tip. Switch to your contrast color at the very end of the cord and work a small cluster of stitches, or add a tiny puff, so the color pops against the tan. Sharon walks through the color change so the join sits clean with no gap. This same contrast yarn is the one you use for the mane, so the tail and mane match. Weave in the loose end once the tuft holds its shape.

The mane is what turns a round ball into a lion. Work a band of loop stitches, or a row of small bobbles, in your contrast color. Each loop stitch wraps the yarn around a finger before you pull it through, which leaves a raised loop on the front. Do a whole row of them and you get that shaggy ring of fur. Keep the loops a consistent size so the mane looks even all the way around the face.

Now bring it all together. Wrap the mane band around the face and sew it down with your tapestry needle, working stitch by stitch so it sits flat against the head. Line the loops up around the front so they frame the eyes. Sew the I-cord tail onto the lower back of the body using the long tail you left earlier. Weave in every loose end and give the loops a gentle fluff. That is your lion.

Here is the finished mini lion, sitting up with its full mane framing the face and the tuft-tipped tail curling around the side. From here you can make a whole safari set in different colors, or scale up with a bigger hook and chunkier yarn for a larger version. Share yours with Sharon on the Amigurumi To Go community pages. Once you have this one down, the same round body works for plenty of other little animals.