The cuddly Löwe just smiles away all sorrows, and the moment you take him in your arms, the world looks much brighter. Löwe is the German word for "lion", and he and his friend Lille, the funny monkey girl, are the heroes of the wonderful children books „Lille und Löwe“ from the well known German illustrator Anna Karina Birkenstock.

PLEASE MIND: The animal is knitted in the ROUND, not flat!

Löwe is definitely NOT suitable for beginners – the knitting is not that complicated, but the assembly of the different parts asks for patience and some experience in toy making.

These techniques you should already know:

• cast on
• knit and purl
• knit in the round with double pointed needles
• bind off
• crochet chains

The following techniques are explained in full detail:

• decreasing
• increasing
• sewing and embroidering techniques
• provisional cast on
• short rows
• 3-needle bind-off

Knit as tight as possible, so the stuffing will not show. A good gauge for the yarn mentioned below would be

27 stitches x 38 rows = 10 x 10 cm = 4 x 4 inches

Of course you can use any yarn you want (or you have left over). With the gauge shown above Lion measures approx 29 cm = 12 inches.

• Lana Grossa Cool Wool Merino Superfein (100 % Merino wool, 175 yards (160 m) per 1.76 ounces (50 g)) 2 to 2.5 skeins in YELLOW, 1 skein in RED- BROWN, leftovers in WHITE and BROWN for the nose
• Cotton fabric for ears and paws, approx 10 x 20 cm = 4 x 8 inches, matching sewing thread
• 2 black beads or safety eyes, ø approx 6 – 10 mm, BLACK twine
• Set of size 3 US (3 mm, 12 UK) double pointed needles
• Embroidery needle, sewing needle, darning needle, small safety pin
• Wadding – I used polyester fluffs as is used for cushion stuffing.