Amigurumicrochet lion plush pattern

Crochet Lion Plush Pattern

October 2, 202615 min read

Free pattern · Step by stepJump to the crochet steps

Crochet lion plush pattern: a cream crochet lion with a ring of sixteen orange scalloped petals for a mane, round cream ears, black eyes, a cream muzzle with a brown nose, soft blush pink cheeks, short arms and two stubby legs stretched out in front, sitting on an oatmeal linen cloth with its orange-tufted tail beside it, next to a blush pink mug of chai, a ball of orange yarn and a crochet hook

This free crochet lion plush pattern makes a cream lion, about 7.5 inches tall, with a scalloped orange mane that frames its face like a flower. It's worked in worsted yarn on a 3.5 mm hook, almost all in single crochet rounds. The mane is a flat ring of 16 shell scallops that you sew around the face. Plan on about 165 yards of yarn and 6 to 8 hours.

Key Takeaways

Seven kinds of pieces: head, muzzle, mane, 2 ears, a body worked up from 2 legs, 2 arms and a tail.

The mane is one flat ring: a 48-chain circle with 16 shell scallops and a neat outline round.

No sewing for the legs: the body grows straight up from the two joined legs.

Budget ~165 yd (150 m) of worsted #4: about 135 yd cream and 25 yd orange.

Why I love this little lion

I have a soft spot for nursery animals, and my little elephant has been one of my favorite gifts to make. This lion is the one I reach for when I want something that looks bright and happy on a shelf. The mane does all the work: a ring of orange scallops around a calm cream face.

The scallops are made the same way as flower petals. A fan of double crochet, then a round of single crochet around it. If you've made my daisy coasters, you already know the move.

The rest is simple amigurumi. The head is a ball, and the body starts with the two legs, which you join with three chains. That way, there's no sewing between the legs and the body. The lion can stand on its own feet, or sit with its legs out in front.

Who doesn't love a lion with blush pink cheeks?

Skill level. Easy to intermediate. You need a magic ring, sc, inc and dec in the round, dc, and joining two legs with a chain. The rest is sewing and a little embroidery.

What you'll need

Yarn: worsted #4 acrylic, such as Red Heart Super Saver or Lion Brand Basic Stitch, or a worsted cotton blend. Acrylic stays soft and keeps its shape in little hands.

Color	Used for	Amount
Cream	Head, muzzle, ears, body, arms, tail	about 135 yd (120–150 yd)
Orange	Mane, tail tuft	about 25 yd
Brown	Nose, mouth, eyebrows (embroidery)	about 2 yd
Blush pink	Cheeks (embroidery, optional)	about 1 yd

I worked those amounts out from the stitch counts: about 1,960 single crochet in cream, at about 2.2 inches of yarn each, plus sewing tails.

Hook and notions

3.5 mm (US E-4) hook. It's smaller than the yarn label suggests, so the fabric is tight and the stuffing doesn't show through.
10 mm black safety eyes, or black yarn to embroider them (see the safety note below).
About 2 oz (55 g) of polyester fiberfill.
A stitch marker, a tapestry needle, pins and scissors.

Gauge and finished size

Gauge isn't critical, but tension is. Your stitches should be tight enough that the stuffing doesn't peek through. As a check, Rnd 8 of the head (48 sc) should measure about 3.3 in (8.5 cm) across lying flat. If it's bigger, go down to a 3.25 mm hook.

Finished lion: about 7.5 in (19 cm) tall, from the feet to the top of the mane. The head is about 3 in wide, and about 4.5 in (11.5 cm) across with the mane.

Abbreviations (US crochet terms)

ch = chain
sl st = slip stitch
sc = single crochet
dc = double crochet
inc = 2 sc in the same stitch
dec = single crochet two together (I use the invisible decrease through the front loops)
MR = magic ring
st(s) = stitch(es)
rnd(s) = round(s)

UK crocheters: this pattern uses US terms. US single crochet = UK double crochet, US double crochet = UK treble.

Work every piece in continuous spiral rounds, unless the pattern says to join. Move your marker up to the first stitch of every new round.

The pieces at a glance

Piece	Color	Make	Size
Head	cream	1	48 sts at the widest
Muzzle	cream	1	a 16-st oval
Mane	orange	1	a ring of 16 scallops
Ear	cream	2	a small cup, 15 sts
Body with legs	cream	1	42 sts at the widest
Arm	cream	2	about 2.2 in long
Tail	cream + orange	1	about 2.5 in long

The pattern — step by step

Part 1 — The head and face

With cream. The magic ring is the crown of the head. The last round is the bottom, at the neck.

Rnd 1: MR, 6 sc in the ring. (6)
Rnd 2: Inc in each st around. (12)
Rnd 3: (Sc, inc) × 6. (18)
Rnd 4: (2 sc, inc) × 6. (24)
Rnd 5: (3 sc, inc) × 6. (30)
Rnd 6: (4 sc, inc) × 6. (36)
Rnd 7: (5 sc, inc) × 6. (42)
Rnd 8: (6 sc, inc) × 6. (48)
Rnds 9–16: Sc in each st around, 8 rounds. (48)

Place the eyes between Rnds 12 and 13, with 8 sts between them, on the side opposite the start of your rounds. Fix the backs on firmly now, before you stuff.

Rnd 17: (6 sc, dec) × 6. (42)
Rnd 18: (5 sc, dec) × 6. (36)
Rnd 19: (4 sc, dec) × 6. (30)
Rnd 20: (3 sc, dec) × 6. (24)

Stuff firmly, shaping the head round.

Rnd 21: (2 sc, dec) × 6. (18)
Rnd 22: (Sc, dec) × 6. (12)
Rnd 23: Dec × 6. (6)

Top up the stuffing. Fasten off, leaving a 30-in (75 cm) tail. Thread it through the front loops of the last 6 sts and pull closed. Keep this tail: it sews the head to the body.

Muzzle (cream). Worked around a chain, so it comes out oval.

Rnd 1: Ch 5. Sc in the 2nd ch from the hook and in the next 2 ch, 3 sc in the last ch. Working along the other side of the chain, sc in the next 2 ch, 2 sc in the last ch. (10)
Rnd 2: Inc, 2 sc, inc in each of the next 3 sts, 2 sc, inc in each of the last 2 sts. (16)
Rnds 3–4: Sc in each st around, 2 rounds. (16)

Sl st in the next st and fasten off, leaving a 15-in tail.

Embroider the face.

Nose (brown): On the muzzle, near the top edge, fill a small oval about 4 sts wide and 2 rounds tall with straight stitches. Then make one straight stitch down from the middle of the nose to the center of the muzzle.
Sew the muzzle: Center it just below the eyes, over Rnds 14–18 of the head. Sew it on with the tail, and add a little stuffing before you close the last few stitches.
Eyebrows (brown): One short slanted stitch above each eye, on Rnd 10, about 3 sts wide.
Cheeks (blush pink, optional): A few short straight stitches on Rnd 15, just outside each corner of the muzzle. A little pink powder blush rubbed in with a cotton bud works too.

Step 1 of the crochet lion plush pattern: a cream magic ring growing into a 48-stitch dome, eight straight rounds, black safety eyes placed between rounds 12 and 13 with 8 stitches between them, the head stuffed and closed, a small oval cream muzzle with an embroidered brown nose, and the muzzle sewn below the eyes with brown eyebrows and blush cheeks

Part 2 — The scalloped mane and ears

Mane (orange). This is a flat ring. You don't work it in a spiral: join every round.

Foundation: Ch 48. Join with a sl st to the first ch to make a ring, taking care not to twist the chain.
Rnd 1: Ch 1, sc in each ch around. Join to the first sc. (48 sc)
Rnd 2 (scallops): Ch 1. Sc in the next st, 5 dc in the next st, skip 1 st. Repeat from * 15 more times. Join to the first sc. (16 scallops)
Rnd 3 (outline): Sl st in the next sc, sc in each of the next 2 dc, 2 sc in the next dc (the middle one), sc in each of the next 2 dc. Repeat from * 15 more times. Join with a sl st. (16 scallops, 6 sc each)

Fasten off, leaving a 40-in (1 m) tail. Each scallop is a small fan with a raised edge, just like a flower petal. Press the ring flat with your fingers.

Sew the mane. Lay the ring on the head like a frame around the face, scallops pointing outward. Pin the foundation chain on a circle that runs over the top of the head at Rnd 5, down each side about 5 sts behind the eyes, and under the chin, around Rnd 21. Sew the foundation round to the head with the tail, all the way around.

Ears (make 2, cream).

Rnd 1: MR, 6 sc in the ring. (6)
Rnd 2: Inc in each st around. (12)
Rnd 3: (3 sc, inc) × 3. (15)
Rnds 4–5: Sc in each st around, 2 rounds. (15)

Fasten off, leaving a 12-in tail. Don't stuff. Flatten the ear, then pinch the bottom edge a little so it cups forward. Sew each ear on top of the head, just in front of the mane, at about 10:30 and 1:30, so it overlaps the top scallops.

Step 2 of the crochet lion plush pattern: an orange chain of 48 joined into a ring, a round of single crochet, fans of five double crochet forming sixteen scallops, an outline round of single crochet around each scallop, the flat orange mane ring pinned around the cream face, and two round cream ears sewn on top just in front of the mane

Part 3 — The legs and body

With cream. Each leg's magic ring is the sole of the foot. The body grows up from the legs and ends at the neck.

First leg.

Rnd 1: MR, 6 sc in the ring. (6)
Rnd 2: Inc in each st around. (12)
Rnd 3: (3 sc, inc) × 3. (15)
Rnds 4–7: Sc in each st around, 4 rounds. (15)

Fasten off and weave in the end. Stuff the leg firmly.

Second leg. Work Rnds 1–7 as for the first leg, but don't fasten off. Stuff it firmly.

Join the legs. Ch 3. Hold the first leg next to the second, and sc into any st of the first leg's last round. That stitch is the new start of the round. Place your marker in it.

Rnd 8: Sc in each of the 15 sts of the first leg, sc in each of the 3 ch, sc in each of the 15 sts of the second leg, then sc in each of the 3 ch along their other side. (36)
Rnd 9: (5 sc, inc) × 6. (42)
Rnds 10–17: Sc in each st around, 8 rounds. (42)
Rnd 18: (5 sc, dec) × 6. (36)
Rnd 19: Sc in each st around. (36)
Rnd 20: (4 sc, dec) × 6. (30)
Rnd 21: Sc in each st around. (30)
Rnd 22: (3 sc, dec) × 6. (24)

Stuff the body firmly, pushing stuffing down into the gap between the legs too.

Rnd 23: (2 sc, dec) × 6. (18)
Rnd 24: (Sc, dec) × 6. (12)

Top up the stuffing. Sl st in the next st and fasten off. Leave this 12-st neck open: the head sits on it.

If you see a small hole between the legs, close it with a couple of stitches from the leftover chain tails.

Step 3 of the crochet lion plush pattern: two short cream legs of 15 stitches, the second leg joined to the first with three chains, the body growing up from both legs to 42 stitches, decreases shaping the shoulders, firm stuffing, and the finished body standing on its legs with a 12-stitch open neck

Part 4 — Arms, tail and assembly

Arms (make 2, cream). The magic ring is the paw. The last round is the shoulder.

Rnd 1: MR, 6 sc in the ring. (6)
Rnd 2: Inc in each st around. (12)
Rnds 3–4: Sc in each st around, 2 rounds. (12)
Rnd 5: (2 sc, dec) × 3. (9)
Rnds 6–11: Sc in each st around, 6 rounds. (9)

Stuff the paw end, leaving the top half of the arm soft. Flatten the opening and sew it closed with the tail, leaving the tail long.

Tail (cream, with an orange tuft). Ch 13. Sc in the 2nd ch from the hook and in each ch across. (12 sc) Fasten off, leaving a 10-in tail at the start end. For the tuft, cut three 4-in (10 cm) strands of orange. Fold them in half, pull the fold through the last stitch at the free end, and pull the cut ends through the fold to knot them. Trim the tuft to about 1 in and fluff it up.

Put the lion together.

Head on body. Set the head on the open neck, with the face looking straight ahead. Pin it. With the head's 30-in tail, sew all the way around the neck twice, going deep into both pieces, so the head doesn't wobble. Add a little more stuffing in the neck just before you close the last stitches.
Arms. Sew each arm to the side of the body at Rnds 19–20, just under the mane, so the arms hang down and slightly forward.
Tail. Sew the start end of the tail to the back of the body at about Rnd 11, just above the legs.

Weave in all your ends inside the body. That's it: your lion is ready to roar (quietly).

Step 4 of the crochet lion plush pattern: two cream arms with stuffed paws, a cream tail with an orange tuft knotted at the tip, the head pinned onto the open neck and sewn around twice, the arms sewn under the mane, the tail sewn at the back, and the finished cream lion plush with its orange scalloped mane sitting on its own

Safety and care. Safety eyes are a choking hazard for babies and toddlers, even when fitted correctly. If the lion is for a child under 3, embroider the eyes with black yarn instead: a small oval of satin stitch, 3 sts wide and 2 rounds tall, in the same place. Sew every seam twice. To clean it, hand wash in cool water, squeeze it gently in a towel and let it air dry.

Make it yours — quick variations

Variation	Change from base pattern
Golden lion	Work the head and body in mustard and the mane in rust.
Pastel nursery lion	Cream body with a blush pink mane, and sage green cheeks instead of pink.
Lion cub	Skip the mane and work Rnd 3 of the ears in orange for a cub look.
Baby-safe lion	Embroider the eyes, and use cotton yarn so it can go through a gentle wash.
Bigger lion	Use bulky #5 yarn and a 5 mm hook. Same rounds, about 10 in tall.

Troubleshooting the three things that go wrong

The mane ruffles instead of lying flat

Your dc are tight compared to your sc. Try 4 dc in each scallop instead of 5, and work Rnd 3 with 1 sc in each dc (no 2 sc in the middle). A little steam from an iron held above the mane, without touching it, also relaxes the scallops.

The head flops forward

The neck seam isn't firm enough, or the neck isn't stuffed enough. Add stuffing through a gap in the seam, then sew around the neck one more time, going deep. Tip: stuff the body and the head very firmly before you join them.

The lion tips over

The legs or the bottom aren't stuffed evenly. Press the lion down on the table a few times so the bottom flattens, and push a little more stuffing into the softer leg. It should stand on both feet, or sit steadily with its legs out in front.

Frequently asked questions

How long does the lion plush take? About 6 to 8 hours. The head and face take about 2 hours, the mane about 45 minutes, and the body with legs about 2 hours. The arms, ears, tail and sewing take the rest.

How much yarn do I need? About 165 yd (150 m) of worsted #4 yarn: about 135 yd of cream, 25 yd of orange, and small amounts of brown and pink for the face. One skein of cream and one of orange are plenty.

Is this lion safe for a baby? Only with embroidered eyes. Safety eyes can come loose and are a choking hazard for children under 3. Embroider the eyes, sew every seam twice, and check the plush now and then for loose stitches.

Is this a good pattern for beginners? It's a good second or third amigurumi. Everything is basic, but there are several pieces to put together. If you're new, start with a one-piece animal like my sunshine amigurumi, then come back to the lion.

Can I sell lions made from this pattern? Yes, you're welcome to sell finished lions made from this free pattern at markets, on Etsy or as gifts. Please credit "Pattern by Wavode" in your listing and link back to this page. What you can't do is republish this write-up or my photos as your own pattern.