The Belle Leopard Face Mask: A Free Crochet Pattern
What a strange turn this year has taken. With the COVID-19 pandemic, I think we’ve all found ourselves in an unexpected situation. Like many of you, my kiddos and I have done our best to stay at home. But with many areas now requiring masks to go in public, I decided that it was about time to make a leopard face mask.
My girl, Criselle, at Criselle Belle has been making the most fun crochet masks lately. She was even featured on the Today show for her work. We’ve been hoping to collaborate on a pattern since last fall, and this seemed like the perfect time!
About Criselle Belle
Criselle is based down in southern California. She’s been selling her crochet and knits items on Etsy and in markets for several years now. She is my cool, yarn-obsessed, rainbow-loving Instagram buddy. You should definitely check out her Instagram page to see some of her work.
About the Collab
As I mentioned, Criselle has been making these crochet masks for a few weeks now. She’s been doing fun designs and customs styles for people to help make the requirement a little more fun. I reached out to her to see what she thought about doing a leopard face mask, and as fate would have it, she had just gotten a request for one.
So we took Criselle’s basic mask pattern, and incorporated some leopard print from my Luxe Leopard Collection. And ta-da! The Belle Leopard Mask was born.
If you’re loving the leopard face mask, be sure to check out some of my other leopard print patterns. You can find the bulky, adult Luxe Leopard Beanie and the worsted, baby-adult Love Leopard Beanie free on my blog.
About the Mask
Now, since this is a crochet mask, it is not going to be effective at filtering by itself. So there is a pocket for a filter on the back side of it. There’s several different options for filters, including coffee filters, cut up vacuum bags, or even pieces of cotton fabric.
You can also stitch a piece of cotton fabric directly onto the back side of the mask instead of creating a crochet pocket. You can use this as a pocket or alone with the cotton fabric a lining. This is not intended for medical use, but should always be used with a filter or over a medical grade mask. If you have more questions on masks, I recommend visiting the CDC website.’
If you’d like to purchase ad-free, printable PDF, you can find it in my Etsy shop. You can also find it in Criselle’s Etsy shop.
Special Techniques
Like the Luxe Leopard Beanie, you will need to be familiar with reading a graph to complete this mask. You will start at the bottom right corner and work back and forth across the rows, carrying yarn and following color changes as you go. You can work with two colors or three, depending on how comfortable with colorwork. If you need a little help, this tutorial is a great help with learning about graphs and color work.
You will also need to know how to change colors. The technique will vary slightly depending on whether you are using a single crochet or double crochet stitch. Complete each color change as follows:
- Single Crochet: With first color, insert hook into stitch, yarn over, and pull up a loop. Then with second color, yarn over and pull through both loops on hook. Continue working with second color.
- Double Crochet: With first color, yarn over and insert hook into stitch. Yarn over and pull up a loop. Then yarn over and pull through two loops. Yarn over with second color, and pull through last two loops on hook. Continue working with second color.
With all that info, I think you’re ready to get started!
Materials Needed
- 2-3 Colors of Worsted Weight Yarn
- 40 yds of main color
- 10 yds of contrasting color
- Size I (5.5mm) hook
- Tapestry needle
- Scissors
- Small piece of cotton fabric (optional)
- Needle and thread for sewing
Gauge
(with I Hook) 16 DC stitches x 8.5 rows = 4” square
Notes
- This mask pattern is written for adult size. For a smaller mask, reduce your hook size.
- This mask is for not intended for medical purposes and should be used with a filter or over a medical grade mask to reduce risk of exposure to contaminants.
- This leopard face mask can be worked with two colors or three. For two colors, use the main color for white and gray squares and contrasting color for black squares. For three colors, use the main color for white square, and two separate contrasting colors for black and gray squares. Note: Working with 3 colors will can decrease the stretch of your piece. Be sure to double check tension and fit in the first few rows.
Pattern
FRONT PANEL
Using 5.5mm hook & Main Color
Row 1: Ch 33. Following color changes from chart, sc in 2nd chain from hook and next 7 ch. Dc in next 16 ch. Sc in last 8 ch. (32)
Row 2-9: Ch 1 and turn. Sc 8. Dc 16. Sc 8.
Fasten off and weave ends.
BACK PANEL
Yarn Option
Using 5.5mm hook & Color of choice.
Round 1: Starting with a long tail, ch 15. Dc in 2nd ch from hook and each ch across. (14)
Row 2- 7: Ch 2 and turn. Dc in each stitch across. (14)
Fasten off leaving a long tail for sewing. Using long tails, stitch the back panel to the center of the front panel along the top and bottom edges. Leave edges open to insert filter.
Fabric Option
1) Cut out a piece of cotton fabric to fit the back side of the mask. (Leave seam allowance, if hemming.)
2) Hem the piece, or use Fray Check along the edges.
3) Using the invisible stitch or fabric glue, attach the cotton fabric to the back of the mask along the top and bottom edge. Leave edges open to insert filter.
STRAPS
1) Cut two strands of approximately 8ft of yarn.
2) Using a tapestry needle, weave yarn through edge of mask. Pull the yarn so that there is an equal amount on the top and bottom of the mask.
3) Insert hook in top corner of mask and pull up a loop with the yarn. Ch 60.
4) Fasten off and cut any extra. Repeat with bottom corner of mask. Repeat on opposite side.
I hope you enjoy this pattern! Be sure to always add a filter and wash your leopard face mask regularly. Stay safe out there. Until next time, Happy Crafting!
Kelsie
