Knit this quick easy Little Friendly Lion Toy with scraps of yarn from your stash. He works great as a personalized gift for a kid, or a cute figurine to sit on your desk and bring a smile to your workday.

You first knit the body in-the-round. Then you knit the mane flat and sew it on. Third, you knit the underside of the lion flat and attach it to the stuffed body (if you skip the stuffing and the underside, the lion makes a great finger puppet). Finally, you braid the tail and embroider the face.

A note about gauge: exact gauge is not important for a toy, however you should choose yarn and needles that combine to create a firm, stiff fabric, so that your fish holds its shape and the stuffing remains well hidden. This often means picking a needle one or two sizes smaller than that recommended on the yarn label.