Hedgy Hedgehog Crochet Pattern – Cute Mushroom Hedgehog Amigurumi Tutorial
If you’ve been searching for the perfect amigurumi project to add a little woodland magic to your handmade collection, look no further. This Hedgy Hedgehog crochet pattern brings together two of the most beloved themes in the crafting world — adorable hedgehogs and charming mushrooms — into one irresistibly cute plush toy. Whether you’re a seasoned amigurumi maker or someone who has just finished their first few rounds of single crochet, this tutorial is designed to walk you through every step with clarity and confidence.
Get ready to fall in love with this little mushroom-hatted hedgehog. He’s squishy, he’s sweet, and he’ll make the most wonderful gift for a child, a friend, or honestly, just yourself — because you deserve something handmade and adorable sitting on your shelf.
What Is Amigurumi?
Before we dive into the pattern itself, let’s take a moment to appreciate the craft. Amigurumi is the Japanese art of crocheting or knitting small stuffed animals and creatures. The word combines the Japanese words “ami,” meaning crocheted or knitted, and “nuigurumi,” meaning stuffed doll. These small plush figures are typically worked in the round using a tight tension to prevent the stuffing from showing through.
What makes amigurumi so special is the combination of simplicity and creativity. The basic techniques — magic ring, single crochet, increases, decreases, and working in continuous rounds — are relatively straightforward, but the results look incredibly impressive. Once you master these fundamentals, you can make virtually any creature or character you can imagine.
Our Hedgy Hedgehog is a perfect amigurumi project because he uses all of these techniques in a logical, approachable way.
Materials You’ll Need
Gathering your supplies before you begin will make the whole process much smoother. Here’s what you’ll need to complete this mushroom hedgehog amigurumi:
Yarn: You’ll want worsted weight yarn (approximately 4 weight) in the following colors — a warm brown or tan for the hedgehog’s belly and face, a darker brown or gray for his back and spines, a bright red for the mushroom cap, and white for the mushroom spots and belly markings. You can absolutely mix and match your own colors to create a unique colorway. Imagine a lavender mushroom cap or a teal hedgehog back — the possibilities are delightful.
Hook: A 3.5mm or 4.0mm crochet hook works well with worsted weight yarn for amigurumi. You want your tension tight enough that the stuffing won’t peek through but not so tight that the hook is uncomfortable to work with. Every crocheter has a slightly different tension, so adjust your hook size accordingly.
Safety eyes: 9mm or 12mm black safety eyes give Hedgy that irresistible wide-eyed look. Always use safety eyes with their locking washers properly attached if you’re making this for a child under three years old. For small children or babies, you can embroider the eyes instead using black yarn.
Polyfill stuffing: A good quality polyester fiberfill stuffing will keep Hedgy firm and huggable. Don’t overstuff or understuff — you’re looking for a shape that holds its form but still has a little softness to it.
Yarn needle: For sewing pieces together and weaving in ends.
Stitch markers: Optional but incredibly helpful for marking the beginning of your rounds.
Scissors: Sharp embroidery scissors work best for clean cuts close to the work.
Abbreviations Used in This Pattern
This pattern uses standard US crochet terminology. Here’s a quick reference guide:
MR — Magic Ring
ch — chain
sl st — slip stitch
sc — single crochet
inc — increase (2 single crochets in the same stitch)
dec — invisible decrease (insert hook through front loops of next two stitches, yarn over and pull through both, yarn over and pull through remaining loops)
BLO — back loop only
FLO — front loop only
st — stitch
sts — stitches
rnd — round
Understanding the Hedgy Hedgehog Design
Before jumping into the numbers, let’s visualize what we’re building. Hedgy is made up of several separate pieces that are assembled at the end. His body is egg-shaped, wider at the back and slightly narrower at the front where his little snout pokes out. His back is covered in textured “spines” created using a special loop stitch or by working into the back loops to create a raised texture. His tummy is smooth and a lighter color, mimicking the natural coloring of a real hedgehog.
On top of his round little head sits his mushroom cap — a wide, slightly domed hat in red with white bobbles or spots that give it that instantly recognizable toadstool look. The combination of the earthy hedgehog tones with the bright, whimsical mushroom makes this piece genuinely eye-catching.
His arms are small and stubby, perfectly sized for hugging things, and his little round ears peek out from just beneath the edge of the mushroom cap.
The Pattern: Hedgy Hedgehog’s Body
Starting with the Belly and Face Area (worked in light brown/tan):
Begin with a magic ring.
Rnd 1: 6 sc in MR (6 sts)
Rnd 2: Inc in each st around (12 sts)
Rnd 3: (Sc 1, inc) repeat around (18 sts)
Rnd 4: (Sc 2, inc) repeat around (24 sts)
Rnd 5: (Sc 3, inc) repeat around (30 sts)
Rnd 6: (Sc 4, inc) repeat around (36 sts)
Rnds 7–10: Sc in each st around (36 sts)
At this point, attach your safety eyes between rounds 7 and 8, spacing them approximately 6 stitches apart. Take a moment to position them before locking the washers in place — once those washers are on, they’re on for good.
Rnd 11: (Sc 4, dec) repeat around (30 sts)
Rnd 12: Sc in each st around (30 sts)
Rnd 13: (Sc 3, dec) repeat around (24 sts)
Now switch to your dark brown or gray yarn for the back section.
Rnd 14: (Sc 2, inc) repeat around — working in back loops only for this round creates a nice textured ridge that separates the belly from the back (32 sts — adjust by working (sc 2, inc, sc 3, inc) pattern if needed to maintain proportion)
Continue in dark yarn for the spine section.
Rnds 15–22: For the spine texture, you have two options. The first is to work a loop stitch on every stitch in every round, pulling up a loop of about 1.5 to 2 centimeters. The second, simpler option is to work sc in BLO for these rounds, which creates a naturally ridged texture that mimics spines beautifully without requiring the more complex loop stitch. Either method gives wonderful results.
Rnd 23: (Sc 2, dec) repeat around (24 sts)
Rnd 24: (Sc 1, dec) repeat around (16 sts)
Begin stuffing the body firmly. Make sure the belly side faces forward and the textured back faces up and to the rear.
Rnd 25: Dec around (8 sts)
Close the remaining stitches by threading your yarn needle through the front loops of the remaining stitches and pulling tight. Fasten off and weave in the end.
The Snout
The snout is a small, slightly protruding oval that gives Hedgy his characteristic hedgehog nose.
Using tan/light brown yarn:
Rnd 1: 6 sc in MR (6 sts)
Rnd 2: (Sc 1, inc) repeat around (9 sts)
Rnd 3: Sc in each st around (9 sts)
Fasten off, leaving a long tail for sewing. Stuff lightly before attaching to the front of the body between rounds 8 and 11. Use the yarn tail to whipstitch around the snout opening, easing it into place. Embroider a small “Y” shape on the snout using dark brown or black yarn to create the nose and mouth.
The Ears
Make two ears in the light tan/brown yarn.
Rnd 1: 6 sc in MR (6 sts)
Rnd 2: Inc in each st around (12 sts)
Rnd 3: (Sc 1, inc) repeat around (18 sts)
Rnd 4: Sc in each st around (18 sts)
Fold the ear in half (no stuffing needed) and slip stitch across the opening to close it. Leave a tail for sewing. Attach the ears to the top sides of the head, tucking them just slightly under where the mushroom cap will sit.
The Arms
Make two arms in the dark brown yarn.
Rnd 1: 6 sc in MR (6 sts)
Rnd 2: Inc in each st around (12 sts)
Rnds 3–7: Sc in each st around (12 sts)
Rnd 8: (Sc 2, dec) repeat around (9 sts)
Stuff lightly. Close by continuing to decrease until closed, or gather and close with a yarn needle. Leave a long tail for sewing, and attach to each side of the body just below the face area.
The Mushroom Cap
This is the showstopper piece of the whole amigurumi. Work in red yarn unless you’ve chosen a different colorway.
Rnd 1: 6 sc in MR (6 sts)
Rnd 2: Inc in each st around (12 sts)
Rnd 3: (Sc 1, inc) repeat around (18 sts)
Rnd 4: (Sc 2, inc) repeat around (24 sts)
Rnd 5: (Sc 3, inc) repeat around (30 sts)
Rnd 6: (Sc 4, inc) repeat around (36 sts)
Rnd 7: (Sc 5, inc) repeat around (42 sts)
Rnd 8: Sc in each st around (42 sts)
Rnd 9: Working in BLO only: sc in each st around (42 sts) — this creates the brim of the mushroom cap
Rnd 10: (Sc 5, inc) repeat around (49 sts)
Rnd 11: Sc in each st around (49 sts)
Fasten off, leaving a long tail for attaching the cap to the head. Before you sew it on, add the white mushroom spots. You can either:
Crochet small flat circles in white yarn (MR, 6 sc, inc in each st for 12 sts, fasten off) and sew them onto the cap in a scattered pattern, or embroider white French knots or small satin-stitch ovals directly onto the cap. Either method looks charming. Aim for 3 to 5 spots of varying sizes distributed naturally across the dome of the cap.
Once your spots are attached, position the mushroom cap on Hedgy’s head so that it sits slightly forward, with the brim coming down over the ears. Sew it in place using the yarn tail, stitching around the inner edge of the brim to secure it.
The Mushroom Cap Underside (Optional but Lovely)
If you want to take your mushroom cap to the next level, you can add a cap underside in white or cream yarn that shows when the cap is lifted. This mimics the gills of a real mushroom and adds a gorgeous detail.
Work in white yarn attached at the inner edge of the brim.
Rnd 1: Join with a slip stitch to the inner brim edge and sc around the inner edge (42 sts)
Rnd 2: (Sc 5, dec) repeat around (36 sts)
Rnd 3: (Sc 4, dec) repeat around (30 sts)
Rnd 4: (Sc 3, dec) repeat around (24 sts)
Rnd 5: (Sc 2, dec) repeat around (18 sts)
Rnd 6: (Sc 1, dec) repeat around (12 sts)
Fasten off and leave as an open interior or stuff lightly for a more dimensional look.
Assembly Tips for a Beautiful Finish
Assembly is where your amigurumi truly comes to life, and a little patience here goes a long way. Always pin your pieces before sewing them permanently. Use quilting pins or locking stitch markers to position ears, arms, snout, and the mushroom cap before committing. Step back and look at the piece from different angles. Sometimes a tiny shift in position makes all the difference between a face that looks slightly off and one that looks immediately, undeniably adorable.
When sewing pieces together, use the yarn tail left from fastening off and a blunt-tipped yarn needle. Work in and out of the stitches on both pieces in a whipstitch or mattress stitch pattern, pulling firmly but not so tightly that you pucker the fabric. After sewing, weave your ends through several stitches in different directions before trimming close to the work — this keeps ends from working free over time.
If you want to add a little extra detail, consider embroidering tiny pink cheek blushes on either side of Hedgy’s snout using a single strand of pink yarn and a few small satin stitches. This small touch takes less than five minutes and makes the whole face light up with personality.
Choosing Your Colors
One of the most joyful parts of amigurumi is choosing your own colorways. While the classic red-capped toadstool look is immediately recognizable and endlessly charming, there are so many directions you can take this pattern.
A golden yellow mushroom cap with brown spots evokes an autumn woodland vibe. A pale lavender cap with white spots feels ethereal and magical. A deep navy cap with pale yellow spots looks elegant and modern. You could also make the hedgehog in a soft gray for a more realistic look, or go full fantasy with a dusty rose hedgehog body and a mint green mushroom cap.
Consider making a set in different colorways as gifts — imagine a little family of mushroom hedgehogs in different colors lined up on a shelf. They would be absolutely irresistible.
Caring for Your Finished Hedgy
Most acrylic yarns are machine washable, but always check your specific yarn label first. For a plush toy that will be handled frequently, a gentle machine wash inside a mesh laundry bag on a cool cycle works well. Reshape gently while damp and allow to air dry fully before using. Avoid tumble drying unless your yarn specifically allows it, as heat can distort the shape.
If you used safety eyes, the finished toy is generally considered safe for children over three years old. For younger children or babies, please embroider all features instead and use a locking knot on all yarn ends to ensure nothing comes loose.
Skill Level and Time Estimate
This pattern is rated as beginner-friendly to intermediate. If you’re comfortable with magic rings, increasing, decreasing, and working in continuous rounds, you’ll breeze through this project. The loop stitch for the spines is the one technique that might require a little practice, but the BLO alternative makes this fully accessible for beginners.
In terms of time, an experienced amigurumi crafter can complete Hedgy in about four to six hours. If you’re newer to amigurumi, plan for a relaxed weekend project spread over two or three sessions. There’s really no rush — part of the joy of handmade crafting is the process itself.
Why Hedgy Makes the Perfect Gift
Handmade gifts carry something that store-bought gifts simply can’t — the time, intention, and love woven into every stitch. A crochet amigurumi like Hedgy is the kind of gift that people keep for years. It sits on a bookshelf or a desk, gets named, becomes a beloved character in a child’s imaginative play, or simply brightens a room with its undeniable charm.
The mushroom hedgehog theme taps into the current love of cottage-core aesthetics, woodland creatures, and nature-inspired decor that has captured so many hearts. Whether you’re making Hed
