A magnificent fellow with an oh-so-loveable expression, this is one of the larger projects in this book, so allow yourself plenty of time to create him.
50g yellow merino roving
2 × size 40 triangular needles, for shaping
1–2 × size 42 triangular needles, for surface finishing
Thick black cotton thread
15g darker yellow merino roving
2 × 4mm black glass eyes or seed beads
Scrap of dark brown or black roving
Scrap of pink or red roving
1 × small packet of gold or dark yellow seed beads, to decorate the mane
Finished size: 10cm long from head to body end
1 Take a good length of yellow body roving measuring 50 × 4cm and fold it over so that you have a chunky oblong measuring 10cm long. Insert a small ball of wool into one end to make it bulkier and begin working with two size 42 needles.
2 Shape a slightly curved torso with rounded ends. The wider end is the head area and the tail will be at the narrower end.
3 The broad end will become the face and should be round.
4 Make two back legs from equal lengths of yellow wool measuring 12 × 2cm. Fold each length in half and shape a pair of stumpy front legs. Take another two lengths of wool measuring 10 × 1cm and make two smaller back legs. Don’t overwork them, as they still need to be fairly soft so they can be attached to the body. Splay out the loose ends of the legs and join each to the body using one or two needles. When they are all attached, finish firming and shaping the body and legs.
5 For the tail, take a strip of yellow wool 14cm long, double it over and shape the tail using one needle. Leave the wispy ends unworked, for the tasseled end. Tie a wrap of black thread just above the tassel before joining the tail to the body.
6 Using one or two size 42 needles, cover the body and legs with thin wool layers to smooth the surface and hide joins. Where possible, the covering fibres should follow the same direction as the body fibres.
7 Make the mane from the darker yellow wool. Measure out 30 × 4cm of roving and another length 20 × 4cm. Place the shorter length on the centre of the 30cm length and shape into a tube.
8 Position the fatter middle of the tube underneath the lion’s chin and wrap it around his head, leaving the round centre clear for the face. Shape it like a ring doughnut, using two size 40 needles.
9 When the mane is formed, layer the surface using one size 42 needle. Add a bit more wool to the face to raise it into a gentle dome and add a pair of little ears. Neaten the surface of the face with another thin layer of yellow wool, using one size 42 needle and ensuring the covering fibres are the same direction as the body fibres. Sew in the eyes using the front-facing method. With a bit of dark brown or black wool and one 42 needle, add a broad nose.
10 Sew a tiny mouth using the red wool. Decorate the mane with the seed beads. Finally, sew three long stitches with thick black thread on each paw to finish.