Say hello to the sweetest little roar in our nursery collection!
This Lion Crochet Baby Rattle came about in the loveliest way. A friend reached out because she wanted to put together a lion-themed baby set for a little one named Shershah. Since sher means lion in Urdu, it felt like the most perfect theme for such a strong, beautiful name. Of course, we already had Luki the Lion… but he needed a tiny companion made especially for baby hands.
So this sweet lion rattle was born. Designed to match our Luki the Lion amigurumi, it carries the same friendly face and warm personality, just in a smaller, baby-friendly form. You can make both of them as an adorable little pair!
It’s part of our colourful baby rattle series, each one featuring an easy-to-grip stem that’s comfortable for little fingers to hold. The stem includes four playful colours woven together, adding a cheerful pop while keeping the design cohesive.
And just like the rest of the series, it’s a simple, satisfying make. The pattern is beginner-friendly, works up quickly, and is a perfect last-minute crochet baby gift!
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Crochet Lion Rattle Free Pattern
This pattern is for your personal use only and cannot be sold, copied, or reproduced in any way without permission from the designers. You may sell finished objects made from this pattern in small quantities but please give credit to chaicoffeecrochet.com as the pattern designer.
Tools & Supplies You Need to Crochet a Lion Baby Rattle
- Yarn: You need a small amount of DK yarn in orange, brown, and four colours for the stem of the rattle. A small amount of white for the eye glints
- 2.75mm crochet hook
- Tapestry needle
- Stitch marker
- Polyfill stuffing
- Embroidery thread: A small amount of black for eyes and eyelashes
- 24 mm Rattle insert
Stitches & Abbreviations Used
This pattern is written in US terms.
Sl st: slip stitch
SC: single crochet
INV DEC: invisible decrease
INC: two SC in the same stitch
Lion Crochet Baby Rattle Pattern Notes
About the Pattern
- Difficulty level: Easy
- This pattern is written in US terms
- This pattern is crocheted in continuous rounds unless specified otherwise. Use a stitch marker on the first stitch of every round so that you don’t lose track of the start of your round.
- You can find more free baby rattle patterns at https://chaicoffeecrochet.com/category/crochet-baby-rattle-patterns/
Pattern Sizing & Adaptations
- Finished size: Approximately 7.5 inches tall, using DK yarn.
- This rattle was made using DK yarn. However, you may also make it using worsted weight yarn with the relevant hook (usually, for amigurumi you go down 2-3 sizes from that recommended on the yarn label).
- You could also use chunky yarns with the relevant hooks, however it would then be too large for a baby to grip and so is not recommended for rattles.
Pattern Tips
- When stuffing your rattle, ensure that you have stuffing well placed around the rattle insert so that it’s covered in softness.
- You can crochet the rattle body in any colours that you like – perhaps even to match your nursery. Tip: Try placing the colours in a gradient, from light to dark. You can even use a contrasting colour at the end to give it a pop of colour.
- You can pair your rattle with our Luki the Lion pattern from our Juna Series of crochet animals for an adorable baby set.
How to Crochet a Lion Rattle
Base
Using yellow
Round 1: 6 SC into a magic circle (6)
Round 2: INC in each stitch around (12)
Round 3: (SC, INC) six times (18)
Round 4: (2 SC, INC) six times (24)
Round 5: (3 SC, INC) six times (30)
Round 6: (4 SC, INC) six times (36)
Round 7: (5 SC, INC) six times (42)
Round 8-14 (7 rounds): SC around (42)
Round 15: (5 SC, INV DEC) six times (36)
Round 16: (4 SC, INV DEC) six times (30)
Round 17: (3 SC, INV DEC) six times (24)
Now stuff the head and place the rattle insert inside the head. Make sure that the rattle insert is well surrounded by stuffing to keep the softness of the head.
Round 18: (2 SC, INV DEC) six times (18)
Round 19: (SC, INV DEC) six times (12)
Change to colour of the first ball
Keep stuffing as you go.
Round 20: (SC, INC) six times (18)
Round 21: (2 SC, INC) six times (24)
Round 22-24 (3 rounds): SC around (24)
Round 25: (2 SC, INV DEC) six times (18)
Round 26: (SC, INV DEC) six times (12)
Change to the colour of the second ball
Round 27: (SC, INC) six times (18)
Round 28: (2 SC, INC) six times (24)
Round 29-31 (3 rounds): SC around (24)
Round 32: (2 SC, INV DEC) six times (18)
Round 33: (SC, INV DEC) six times (12)
Change to the colour of the third ball
Round 34: (SC, INC) six times (18)
Round 35: (2 SC, INC) six times (24)
Round 36-38 (3 rounds): SC around (24)
Round 39: (2 SC, INV DEC) six times (18)
Round 40: (SC, INV DEC) six times (12)
Change to the colour of the fourth ball
Round 41: (SC, INC) six times (18)
Round 42: (2 SC, INC) six times (24)
Round 43-45 (3 rounds): SC around (24)
Round 46: (2 SC, INV DEC) six times (18)
Round 47: (SC, INV DEC) six times (12)
Round 48: INV DEC six times (6)
Fasten off and weave in the ends.
Muzzle
Using white
Note: In this section, you will crocheting around the foundation chain to create an oval shape. If you’re unfamiliar with this, see our tutorial on crochet ovals.
Round 1: Ch 4. Starting in the second chain from the hook, 2 SC, 3 SC in the next chain as your work turns. Now continue on the other side of the chain. 1 SC and INC in the last chain (8)
Round 2: INC, 1 SC, (INC) in each of the next three stitches, 1 SC, (INC) in each of the next two stitches (14)
Round 3-4 (2 rounds): SC around (14)
Fasten off and leave a long tail for sewing. Embroider the nose onto the muzzle. Stuff lightly and sew the muzzle onto your lion rattle between rounds 14 and 17.
Mane (make 7)
Using brown yarn
Round 1: 6 SC into a magic circle (6)
Round 2: (SC, INC) three times (9)
Round 3: (2 SC, INC) three times (12)
Round 4: (3 SC, INC) three times (15)
Round 5: SC around (15)
Round 6: (3 SC, INV DEC) three times (12)
Fasten off and leave a long tail for sewing. Sew each piece closed to make it easier to sew onto your lion.
Once you have made all 7 parts of the mane, pin them onto the head of your lion. It’s important to pin them in place to ensure that you have them spaced out as you would like them. Start by pinning the two on the top of the head on either side and work your way around. Ensure that the piece under the chin is centred below the muzzle. Then sew on the remaining pieces. Once you are satisfied with the placement, sew them in place. Tip: Put one stitch to connect each piece of the mane with the one next to it so that you don’t have any gaps.
Ears (make 2)
Using yellow yarn
Round 1: 5 SC into a magic circle (5)
Round 2: INC in each stitch around (10)
Round 3-4 (2 rounds): SC around (10)
Fasten off and leave a long tail for sewing.
Sew the ears onto either side of the head between rounds 4 and 9 in front of the mane.
Eyes (Make 2)
Using black embroidery thread
Round 1: 4 SC into a magic circle (4)
Sl st to the first SC. Fasten off and leave a long tail for sewing.
Sew the eyes on between Rounds 12 and 13, six stitches apart. Embroider eye glints using white yarn. Embroider on eyebrows.
Your lion rattle is now ready!
Why not try a matching lion amigurumi for your rattle? Or you can even make a small crochet lion with the rattle. Or try one of our other adorable crochet rattles!