Baby wearing a yellow crochet lion hat with a brown yarn mane, small ears, and a lion face in a neutral nursery.

Crochet lion hat pattern

ByMelissa Hassler

Looking for a fun animal hat with bold safari style? This crochet lion hat pattern is a cute, beginner-friendly project with playful lion details and sizes from baby to adult. It’s a great choice for gifts, dress-up, photos, or everyday wear.

Quick answer
This crochet lion hat pattern is a beginner-friendly hat worked from the top down in the round using worsted weight yarn (#4) and an I-9 (5.5 mm) crochet hook for the hat. It includes baby, toddler, child, and adult sizes and is finished with separate lion details like the snout, nose, eyes, and ears.

Best for: Beginners
Style: Top-down animal hat with sewn-on lion details
Includes: 4 sizes, written instructions, gauge, and finishing notes

Why you’ll love this pattern

  • Cute and playful — the lion design is fun, sweet, and easy to recognize
  • Beginner-friendly — simple stitches and easy rounds make it approachable
  • Sizes for everyone — baby, toddler, child, and adult sizes are included
  • Fun to finish — the face pieces are added at the end for an adorable final look
  • Great for gifts — perfect for dress-up, photos, and handmade presents

Crochet lion hat pattern details

Here’s a quick overview of the materials, sizing, gauge, and pattern notes before you begin.

Skill level

Beginner — This crochet lion hat pattern uses basic stitches worked in simple repeats in the round.

Materials needed

  • Crochet hook size I-9 (5.5 mm) — for the hat
  • Crochet hook size H-8 (5 mm) — for the snout, nose, eyes, and ears
  • Worsted weight yarn (#4) — in black, white, brown, and golden yellow
  • Yarn needle — for weaving in ends neatly
  • Scissors — to cut your yarn
  • Stitch markers (optional) — helpful for keeping track of rounds and stitch counts

Finished size

This lion hat pattern includes four sizes.

  • Baby — 14–15 inches (36–38 cm) head circumference, 6 inches tall (15 cm)
  • Toddler — 18–19 inches (46–48 cm) head circumference, 7 inches (18 cm) tall
  • Child — 19–20 inches (48–51 cm) head circumference, 7.75 inches (20 cm) tall
  • Adult — 20–23 inches (51–58 cm) head circumference, 8 inches tall (20 cm)

Need help with sizing? Check out my crochet hat sizing guide to measure head circumference, use negative ease, and adjust crown diameter and hat height for the best fit.

Gauge

15 stitches and 9 rows = 4 inches (10 cm)

If your swatch has too many stitches, try a larger hook.
If your swatch has too few stitches, try a smaller hook.

Crochet abbreviations

Pattern notes

  • Use an I-9 (5.5 mm) crochet hook for the hat
  • Use an H-8 (5 mm) crochet hook for the snout, nose, eyes, and ears
  • Rounds 1-5 of the hat are the same for all sizes
  • The pattern is worked in the round from the top of the hat down
  • Repeat the instructions between the asterisks (*) for the rest of the round
  • Unless otherwise stated, the face pieces are the same for all sizes
  • The pattern is written in US crochet terms
Pinterest pin for a crochet lion hat pattern by Lovable Loops. The pin shows a yellow crochet lion hat with a brown yarn mane and a lion face on a light background. Text on the pin reads “Crochet lion hat pattern,” “Baby to adult sizes!,” “beginner-friendly,” and “FREE.”

Quick links

Rounds 1-5
Baby size
Toddler size
Child size
Adult size
Lion snout
Lion nose
Lion eyes
Lion ears
Smile and whiskers
Mane
Finishing

Crochet lion hat pattern instructions

Rounds 1-5 are the same for all sizes.

Rounds 1-5

Round 1: Magic circle, ch 2, 11 dc, join with sl st to the top of the first dc (11 stitches)
Round 2: Ch 2, 2 dc in each st, join (22 stitches)
Round 3: Ch 2, *2 dc, dc in next st*, join (33 stitches)
Round 4: Ch 2, *2 dc, dc in next 2 sts*, join (44 stitches)
Round 5: Ch 2, *2 dc, dc in next 10 sts*, join (48 stitches)

Baby size

Rounds 6-14: Ch 2, dc in each st, join (48 stitches)

Fasten off and weave in your ends.

Toddler size

Round 6: Ch 2, *2 dc, dc in next 11 sts*, join (52 stitches)
Round 7: Ch 2, *2 dc, dc in next 12 sts*, join (56 stitches)
Rounds 8-17: Ch 2, dc in each st, join (56 stitches)

Fasten off and weave in your ends.

Child size

Round 6: Ch 2, *2 dc, dc in next 11 sts*, join (52 stitches)
Round 7: Ch 2, *2 dc, dc in next 12 sts*, join (56 stitches)
Round 8: Ch 2, *2 dc, dc in next 13 sts*, join (60 stitches)
Rounds 9-18: Ch 2, dc in each st, join (60 stitches)

Fasten off and weave in your ends.

Adult size

Round 6: Ch 2, *2 dc, dc in next 11 sts*, join (52 stitches)
Round 7: Ch 2, *2 dc, dc in next 12 sts*, join (56 stitches)
Round 8: Ch 2, *2 dc, dc in next 13 sts*, join (60 stitches)
Round 9: Ch 2, *2 dc, dc in next 14 sts*, join (64 stitches)
Rounds 10-19: Ch 2, dc in each st, join (64 stitches)

Fasten off and weave in your ends.

Lion snout

Make 2 using white yarn.

Round 1: Magic ring, ch 2, 9 dc, join with sl st to the top of the first dc (9 stitches)
Round 2: Ch 2, 2 dc in each st, join (18 stitches)
Round 3: Ch 2, *2 dc, dc in next st*, join (27 stitches)

Sew the snout pieces to the front of the hat. Make sure they are centered.

Lion nose

Use black yarn.

Row 1: Ch 7, hdc in 3rd ch from the hook and in each rem ch, turn (5 stitches)
Row 2: Ch 2, hdc2tog, hdc, hdc2tog, turn (3 stitches)
Row 3: Ch 2, hdc3tog (1 stitch)

Single crochet around the entire shape and fasten off. Sew the nose to the hat just above the snout.

Lion eyes

Make 2 using black yarn.

Round 1: Magic circle, ch 2, 9 dc, join with sl st to the top of the first dc (9 stitches)

Use scrap pieces of white yarn to add the eye sparkle. Fasten off leaving a long tail. Sew the eyes to the face.

Lion ears

Make 2 using golden yellow yarn.

Row 1: Ch 8, hdc in 3rd ch from the hook and in each rem ch, turn (6 stitches)
Rows 2-4: Ch 2, hdc in each st, turn (6 stitches)
Row 5: Ch 2, hdc2tog, hdc2tog, hdc2tog (3 stitches)

Single crochet around the entire shape and fasten off. Sew the ears to the hat.

Adding the smile and whiskers

Use black yarn and a yarn needle to stitch a smile and whiskers.

Adding the mane

Tie pieces of brown yarn around the hat and trim.

Finishing

Fasten off and weave in your ends.

Golden yellow crochet lion beanie with fluffy brown mane, rounded ears, and a bold lion face detail.

Printable PDF pattern

If you prefer an easy, print-friendly version of this crochet lion hat pattern, a printable PDF is available in my Etsy shop. The PDF includes the full pattern instructions in a clean, ad-free format, making it perfect for printing or saving on your device.

More free crochet safari animal hat patterns

Looking for more animal-themed hats? Visit my safari animal crochet hat patterns collection to see lions, monkeys, giraffes, zebras, tigers, and more playful safari designs.

More free crochet animal hats

Love cute animal hats? You’re in the right place! This collection of free crochet animal hat patterns includes fun designs for every season and personality, from sweet farm animals to wild zoo favorites.

If you’re looking for more cozy designs, you can also explore my full collection of crochet hat patterns for babies, kids, and adults.

Pinterest pin for a crochet lion hat pattern by Lovable Loops. The pin shows a yellow crochet lion hat with a brown yarn mane and a lion face on a light background. Text on the pin reads “Crochet lion hat pattern,” “Baby to adult sizes!,” “beginner-friendly,” and “FREE.”