This pattern contains instructions for converting either of the

9 inch bear patterns into a lion, by the addition of white muzzle and small chin
and, in the case of the boy lion, a luxuriant mane.
They are wearing clothing included in the bear patterns.

More knitting patterns are available at

https://littlecottonrabbits.typepad.co.uk

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 M a t e r i a l s: N o t i o n s:
• Yarns: worsted weight yarn in 3 colours: • A pair of 3mm (US 2.5) Knitting needles
Mid beige for the main parts of the lion (Yarn A),
• Tapestry needle
white/cream for the muzzle (Yarn B), • scissors
and dark beige for the mane and tail tuft (Yarn C)
Here I’ve used Lettlopi yarn in Finished s i z e:
1418 (Yarn A) approx 23cm (9 inches) from the tip of the toes to the
0051 (Yarn B) top of the ears.
1419 (Yarn C) Gauge for lion: 6 stitches x 9 rows to 1 inch

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This is a free supplement pattern that is intended to be used with either the boy or girl 9 inch bear patterns – you’ll
need either of those patterns in order to be able to complete this toy lion.

Instructions are given here for adapting the bear patterns to make either a lioness or a male lion with a big fluffy
mane – but be warned, you’ll need a fair bit of time and patience for this as each strand is individually knotted into
place. The instructions here detail how to adapt the bear head pattern for either the lioness or lion. And all other
body parts are the same as used in the bear patterns - though I have cast on and knitted the first 7 rows of the male
lions feet in Yarn B, so that the base of the foot is white. There are also instructions here for making a longer tail
based on the bear tail.

I hope you enjoy using this supplement pattern to create a pride of lions you can be proud of :)
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Yarn s u g g e s t i o n s:
This pattern uses 3mm (US 2.5) needles with worsted weight yarn. For the lions pictured here I have used Lettlopi yarn
in 3 shades, 1418, 1419 and 0051. If you’d like some suggestions of other yarns to use please see:
https://littlecottonrabbits.typepad.co.uk/my_weblog/2018/02/choosing-yarns-for-little-cotton-rabbit-patterns-part-
1.html
which details some of my favourite yarns and what I like about them and it may be worth looking on Ravelry to see
what yarns others recommend.
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I hope you enjoy using this pattern. I have written up some extra tips about knitting and finishing, so please pop by for
a visit and check out the knitting tips section on Little Cotton Rabbits blog.
If you get stuck with any aspect of the pattern, please come and visit the Little cotton Rabbit group on Ravelry:
https://www.ravelry.com/groups/little-cotton-rabbits

Or the Little Cotton Rabbits Facebook group:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/littlecottonrabbits

Lots of knitters who've already used the patterns hang out there and one of us will do our best to help you. You'll also
find lots of other projects made from these patterns, please come and share yours.
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© Copyright, All rights reserved. No part of these patterns may be reproduced in any form.
These patterns are supplied for your personal and non-commercial use only.

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 The pattern i n s t r u c t i o n s:
........................................................................

L i o n e s s:
Work the bear head pattern exactly as detailed, up to
and including row 27 using Yarn A.
Then cut Yarn A from the work, leaving a tail for weaving
in and join in Yarn B to work rows 28-31
Finish and stuff the head, make and attach the ears, all
as detailed in the bear pattern.
Make and attach the chin, as detailed here on Page 4.
Add the facial features – nose, mouth and eyes, all as
detailed in the bear pattern.
Make the rest of the body in Yarn A and assemble as
detailed in the bear pattern.
Make the tail as detailed here on Page 6 and attach as
detailed in the bear pattern.

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Male L i o n:
Follow the instructions exactly as written for the bear
head but with the following amendments:
Work rows 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 and 11 in Knit instead of Purl (ie.
in Garter stitch instead of stocking stitch, so giving a
ridged look to the back of the head, fig 1)
Instead of using the KLL increase detailed on rows 2, 4 &
6 of the bear pattern, use M1A*. Using this increase
method will give you the nice neat Purl ridge on the right
side of the work which you will need to work through
when attaching the strands of the mane.
*M1A : MAKE 1 AWAY. Make a loop with the working yarn
so the tail is pointing backwards/away from you .
Note: substituting an alternative increase may interfere with the
stitches on the wrong side rows and so disrupt the neat ridge line.

In order to continue the Purl ridges for attaching the And then:
mane around the ears work rows 12-23 like so:
Finish and stuff the head (fig. 2), make and attach the
row 12: Knit
ears, all as detailed in the bear pattern.
row 13: K10, P4, K7, P4, K10
row 14: Work as detailed in the bear pattern Make and attach the chin as detailed here on Page 4.
row 15: K10, P4, K7, P4, K10 Add the facial features – nose, mouth and eyes, all as
row 16: Knit detailed in the bear pattern.
row 17: K10, P5, K5, P5, K10
Add the mane, as detailed here on Page 5.
rows 18-23: Beginning with a Knit row and ending with a
Purl, work 6 rows in stocking stitch (alternate Make the rest of the body in Yarn A and assemble as
Knit and Purl rows) detailed in the bear pattern. Note, I worked the first 7
rows of the feet in Yarn B and then switched to Yarn A.
Continue with the bear pattern as written, up to and
including row 27 using Yarn A. Then cut Yarn A from the Make the tail as detailed here on Page 6 and attach as
work, leaving a tail for weaving in and join in Yarn B to detailed in the bear pattern.
work rows 28-31

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 fig. 1 fig. 2 fig. 3

C h i n:
The chin is worked as a separate small triangle which is then sewn to the bottom of the white muzzle.
Using 3mm needles and Yarn B cable cast on 5 stitches, leaving a long tail for attaching the chin with later.
row 1: Knit
row 2: Purl
row 3: K2tog, K1, SSK (3 stitches)
row 4: Purl
Cut the work from the ball leaving an 8 inch tail for seaming with, thread this tail through the 3 stitches on the
needle and pull up tightly to gather the stitches together.

To attach the chin:

Thread a tapestry needle with the cast on tail end and use this to sew the top edge of the chin to the bottom of
the white area of the face. Sew alternately through one full stitch on the head (fig. 3) and then one loop from
the chin cast on edge. Once the top edge of the chin is attached (fig. 4), re-thread the needle with the cast off
tail from the point of the chin and thread this through one stitch of the head at the point that you want the chin
to finish. I do this so that the chin part bulges forward slightly rather than lying flat to the curve of the head
(figs. 5&6). It’s such a small piece that it doesn’t need to have any stuffing added. Finally sew the sides of the
chin to the head and thread both tail ends through the head and out of the bottom seam so that you can tie
them together to secure.

Now the head is ready for the face:

Add the nose, mouth and eyes (fig. 7) exactly as detailed in the bear pattern on pages 6 – 7.
If you wish you can sew a white \/ at the bottom of each eye, (see the lioness picture on page 3 and the front
cover) to mirror the white patches that lions have around their eyes. I couldn’t decide whether this was
necessary so I’ll leave that detail up to you.

fig. 4 fig. 5 fig. 6

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 fig. 7 fig. 8 fig. 9 fig. 10

M a n e:
Note: It is easier to start at the front of the head and work along each row before starting the row behind it, but it’s up
to you. You only need to sew through the front Purl bumps in each row (fig. 10)
To make the mane, cut many 10-13cm (4-5 inch) lengths of Yarn C, with a few randomly placed highlights of Yarn A.
I’m afraid I lost count how many you’ll need, but there will be a lot. It’s best to test the method with a single strand
and then you can tell what length you prefer to work with (as short as possible in order to minimise yarn wastage later
when you trim the mane into its final shape). The easiest and quickest way that I found to cut multiple lengths of yarn
of the same length, is to wrap the yarn continuously around a book or a DVD case, somewhere between 10-13cms/
4-5 inches in width (fig. 8). Then holding the wrapped yarn in place cut along both sides of the book and you will
have lots of strands all of the same length.
Double one of these lengths over and thread the tapestry needle with the looped end (fig. 9) sew through one of the
Purl bumps on the head (fig. 10) so that the looped part of the thread is pulled through the Purl stitch, then leaving
the yarn in place pull the needle from the end loop (fig. 11). Thread the two cut tail ends through the looped end
(fig. 12) and pull in order to secure the knot – it should sit neatly on top of the purl stitch (fig. 13).

fig. 11 fig. 12 fig. 13

Sew the next mane strand in place through the neighbouring front Purl bump in the same way, and continue working
along each row towards the back of the head (fig. 14). Repeat until most of the mane is filled in – though please note
that you will need to leave a gap in the mane underneath the head in order to attach the head to the body.

fig. 14 fig. 15 fig. 16

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The mane is quite long at this point (fig. 15) because you’ve needed a certain length of yarn in order to thread
the strands through the purl stitches, so next it’s time to give it a trim. It’s best to take off a little at a time and
even things up all over as you go. Keep trimming until you’re happy with the shape (fig. 16). And then your
head is finished and ready to attach to the body.

T a i l:
The tail is worked as a long tapering rectangle (fig. 17) and then seamed. A tuft is then added to the tip.
Using the pattern for the bear tail cast on and work up to and including row 7.
Then work a further 14 rows of stocking stitch before cutting the work from the ball and threading the cut cast
off end through the stitches on the needle.

fig. 17 fig. 18 fig. 19 fig. 20

Seam the tail using mattress stitch (fig. 18), in the same way as detailed in the bear pattern. Then cut six 10cm
lengths of Yarn C and sew these through the work at the end of the tail (fig. 19).
Tie these lengths together, just beneath the tip of the tail and trim to shape the tuft (fig. 20).
Attach the tail to the lion’s bottom, in the same way as detailed in the bear pattern.

© Copyright, All rights reserved. No part of these patterns may be reproduced in any form.
These patterns are supplied for your personal and non-commercial use only.

© Copyright 2020 , All rights reserved J u l i e W i l l i a m s, L i t t l e C o t t o n R a b b i t s page 6