PlanetJune Craft Blog

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lion and lioness crochet pattern

You may remember from the Reepicheep I crocheted that I’m a Narnia fan, and with The Voyage of The Dawn Treader movie coming out in just over a month (yay!), what better time to make my own Aslan?

I really think that every lion needs a lioness, so the idea for a pattern including male and female lions was born, and you can now find the Lion and Lioness crochet pattern in my shop, if you’re so inclined. I love the shaping on my lioness:

crocheted lioness by planetjune

Here’s where I approach crazy levels of dedication to the cause: I made eight prototype manes for my male lion (each using a different yarny technique), and only one looked anywhere near good enough: the eyelash yarn mane. But a) eyelash yarn is quite hard to come by these days, and b) I know how most people’s hearts sink at the mere mention of the stuff, so I was determined to find a way to make a lion’s mane that only used regular, worsted weight yarn and still looked fairly realistic. And, with attempt #9, I cracked it!

crocheted lion by planetjune

Now, don’t worry about having to latch hook hundreds of strands to the head: this mane is all crocheted (remember that loop stitch video tutorial I just made? Now you know why!) – with a little additional magic after crocheting to give it that realistic look.

crocheted lion and lioness by planetjune

My Lion and Lioness crochet pattern has a little more detail and shaping than most of my other patterns. It’s 13 pages long, and includes 30 step-by-step photos with detailed explanations of every stage (including 3 pages devoted to the special mane techniques) so you can make a perfect realistic lion and lioness of your own.

crocheted lion and lioness by planetjune

You can just about see that the lions have cute little white chins 🙂 I used a light brown for the mane (and tail tassels), but you could use any shade ranging from the same yellow as the body, any shade of brown, or even black, and it’d still look realistic – did you know that lions’ manes darken with age?

crocheted lion and lioness by planetjune

I know lions don’t look much like other cats, but I feel like I’m one step closer to coming up with the realistic cat design that’s always eluded me to date. I’ve never seen a realistic toy cat that I like, and I aim to change that some day…

But, for today, I hope you like my lions!

7 Comments »

  1. Becca said

    They are both lovely…I love their eyes and noses!

  2. Sherri said

    Vow! You made the mane using normal yarn and loop stitch! You are a genius!

  3. Michal said

    Wow, they are really pretty! I love big cats 🙂

  4. Sam said

    Beautiful job, the lion’s mane looks so soft I want to touch it. And the shaping of the bodies and faces is nicely done.

    As for cat patterns, I’ve always loved the proportions of Soragumi’s crochet cats (and have been disappointed that they were never published). The main body shape for cats is a bit tough, as they have that flap of skin running from their knee to their body that changes their outline.

  5. kris said

    another amazing creation from june!!!!
    happy birthday too!

  6. val said

    wonderful! I think you nailed the shape and look perfectly!

  7. Lindy said

    I love your lion and lioness, and also your two videos with the special stitches & techniques for the mane and tail – brilliant!

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