Little Amigurumi Hedgehogs (Free Crochet Pattern & Video Tutorial)

If there’s one amigurumi project that never fails to make people stop and say “wait, did you make that?”, it’s a tiny hedgehog. Something about those round little bodies, the softness of the yarn spines, and the teeny button eyes just hits differently. Whether you’re a seasoned crocheter who’s made dozens of amigurumi or someone who just finished their first granny square and is feeling adventurous, this little hedgehog pattern is designed to be approachable, fun, and completely addictive. Fair warning: you will end up making more than one.

This post includes a free written crochet pattern, tips on materials and techniques, guidance for beginners, and a full video tutorial walkthrough so you can follow along stitch by stitch. Let’s get into it.

Why Hedgehogs Make Perfect Amigurumi

Amigurumi is the Japanese art of crocheting or knitting small stuffed animals and creatures, and it’s been beloved worldwide for decades. The word itself comes from “ami,” meaning knitted or crocheted, and “nuigurumi,” meaning stuffed doll. What started as a niche craft trend has grown into a global community of makers who share patterns, swap tips, and fill their homes (and the homes of their loved ones) with impossibly cute little creatures.

Hedgehogs are particularly well-suited to amigurumi because their natural shape is basically already a perfect crochet form. Their compact, round bodies work up beautifully in the round. Their faces have a wonderful simplicity — a slightly pointy little snout, small dark eyes — that translates well at a small scale. And their spines? That’s where you get to have some real fun with texture and color contrast.

These little guys also make incredible gifts. They’re small enough to tuck into a birthday card envelope (well, almost), sturdy enough for kids to carry around, and charming enough that adults will want to keep them on their desks. If you sell your crochet work, hedgehogs are consistently one of the best-performing items at craft fairs and on platforms like Etsy.

Materials You’ll Need

Before we get into the pattern itself, let’s talk supplies. Getting the right materials will make a big difference in how your finished hedgehog looks and feels.

Yarn: For the body, you’ll want a smooth worsted weight yarn in a warm brown, tan, or cream. Something like Lion Brand Pound of Love, Caron Simply Soft, or any basic acrylic worsted weight you have on hand will work beautifully. For the spines — the back and top of the hedgehog — you’ll want a contrasting color in a darker brown, grey, or even a fun color if you want a more whimsical hedgehog. Some crocheters love using a fuzzy or textured yarn for the spine area to give a more realistic spiky look, but a standard smooth yarn works just as well and is often easier for beginners to manage.

Hook: A 3.5mm or 4mm crochet hook is ideal for worsted weight yarn when making amigurumi. You want your tension to be a bit tighter than usual so the stuffing doesn’t show through the stitches. If you’re used to crocheting loosely, size down a hook.

Safety Eyes: 9mm or 12mm black safety eyes give the most realistic look. If you’re making this for a child under three, skip the safety eyes and embroider the eyes with black yarn instead — safety eyes are a choking hazard for small children.

Polyfill Stuffing: Any standard polyester fiberfill stuffing works great. You don’t need a lot for these little guys, but make sure you stuff firmly enough that the body holds its round shape.

Tapestry Needle: You’ll need this to weave in ends and to sew the head to the body if you’re making a two-piece design.

Stitch Markers: Optional but genuinely helpful, especially for beginners. Amigurumi is worked in continuous rounds, and it’s very easy to lose track of where your round starts and ends without a marker.

Abbreviations and Stitches Used

This pattern uses US crochet terminology.

MR — Magic ring (also called magic circle or magic loop)
ch — Chain
sc — Single crochet
inc — Increase (two single crochets in the same stitch)
dec — Decrease (invisible decrease: insert hook in front loop only of next stitch, then front loop only of following stitch, yarn over and pull through, yarn over and pull through both loops)
sl st — Slip stitch
BLO — Back loop only
FLO — Front loop only
st — Stitch
( ) — Repeat instructions within brackets the number of times indicated

Understanding Amigurumi Construction

Before diving into the pattern, it helps to understand how amigurumi construction works, especially if you’re newer to this style of crochet.

Most amigurumi pieces are worked in continuous rounds, meaning you don’t join at the end of each round with a slip stitch the way you might in a granny square. Instead, you just keep going in a spiral. This is why stitch markers are so useful — you mark the first stitch of each new round so you always know where you are.

The pieces are usually worked from the top down or from one end to the other, stuffed as you go (or just before closing), and then seamed together. For this hedgehog, the body and head are crocheted as separate pieces that get sewn together, and the ears are tiny little oval or round pieces sewn on at the end.

The spines on this pattern are created using a simple loop stitch technique, which sounds fancy but is actually one of the more satisfying and meditative stitches once you get the hang of it. It creates those characteristic little loops of yarn that give the hedgehog its spiky texture.

Free Crochet Pattern: Little Amigurumi Hedgehog

Finished size: Approximately 3.5 to 4 inches long, depending on your tension and yarn weight.

Gauge: Not critical for this project, but approximately 5 sc x 5 rows = 1 inch with a 4mm hook and worsted weight yarn.

The Body

The body is worked in two sections. The front/face area is worked in your main color (the lighter belly color), and the back is worked in your contrasting color (the spine color) using the loop stitch.

With main color, make a magic ring.

Round 1: 6 sc in MR (6)
Round 2: inc in each st around (12)
Round 3: (sc, inc) around (18)
Round 4: (sc, sc, inc) around (24)
Round 5: (sc, sc, sc, inc) around (30)
Round 6: (sc, sc, sc, sc, inc) around (36)
Rounds 7–10: sc in each st around (36) — four rounds even

Now you’ll transition to the spine area. Switch to your contrasting color yarn here, or you can carry both colors if you prefer. The loop stitch will be worked on the back 18 stitches of each round, while the front 18 stitches remain in plain single crochet.

Loop stitch: Insert your hook into the stitch as normal. Wrap the working yarn over your index finger (forming a loop), then grab both strands and pull through the stitch, then yarn over and pull through all loops on hook to complete. The loop hangs at the back of the work (which is the right side for amigurumi). Push the loop to the back after each stitch.

Round 11: sc in first 18 sts (front), loop stitch in next 18 sts (back) (36)
Round 12: sc in first 18 sts, loop stitch in next 18 sts (36)
Round 13: sc in first 18 sts, loop stitch in next 18 sts (36)

Now begin decreasing to close the body:

Round 14: (sc, sc, sc, sc, dec) around — work decreases in both sc and loop stitch sections (30)
Round 15: (sc, sc, sc, dec) around (24)
Round 16: (sc, sc, dec) around (18)

Insert your safety eyes now if using them — place them on the face section, spacing them about 4–5 stitches apart and approximately 3 rounds up from the opening end of the snout. Stuff the body firmly with polyfill.

Round 17: (sc, dec) around (12)
Round 18: dec around (6)

Fasten off, leaving a long tail. Use your tapestry needle to close the remaining hole by weaving through the front loops of the 6 remaining stitches and pulling tight. Weave in the end.

The Snout / Head (Optional Separate Piece)

Some versions of this hedgehog have the snout built into the body shaping above. If you’d like a more pronounced snout, work this small piece and sew it onto the face section:

With main color, make a magic ring.

Round 1: 6 sc in MR (6)
Round 2: inc in each st around (12)
Round 3: (sc, inc) around (18)
Rounds 4–5: sc around (18)

Do not stuff. Flatten slightly and sew onto the face area of the body, using the photo or video tutorial as a guide for placement. The snout should sit just below and between the eyes, giving the hedgehog that adorable little nose-forward expression.

The Ears (Make 2)

With main color, make a magic ring.

Round 1: 6 sc in MR (6)
Round 2: inc in each st around (12)
Round 3: (sc, inc) around (18)

Fasten off, leaving a long tail for sewing. Do not stuff. Fold slightly to give a gentle curve and sew onto the top of the head, on the face/front section, one on either side. Use the video tutorial for exact placement — positioning makes a huge difference in the final expression of your hedgehog.

The Nose

Using a small piece of black or dark brown yarn and your tapestry needle, embroider a small triangle or oval shape at the tip of the snout. A few stitches is all you need. This tiny detail really brings the hedgehog’s face to life.

The Feet (Make 4, Optional)

Some crocheters prefer their hedgehog without feet, letting it sit flat on its belly. If you want little feet:

With main color, make a magic ring.

Round 1: 6 sc in MR (6)
Round 2: inc in each st around (12)
Rounds 3–4: sc around (12)

Fasten off with a long tail. Flatten the opening and sew closed. Attach two to the front underside of the body and two toward the back, spaced symmetrically.

Video Tutorial Walkthrough

If written patterns feel a little abstract, you’re not alone — amigurumi techniques like the magic ring, invisible decrease, and loop stitch are so much easier to understand once you’ve seen someone do them in real time. The full video tutorial walks through every single step of this pattern from start to finish, including how to hold your yarn for the loop stitch, how to place and secure safety eyes, and how to sew the pieces together for the cleanest finish possible.

The video is broken into chapters so you can easily jump to the section you need if you get stuck midway through and just need a refresher on a specific step. Whether you prefer to follow along in real time or watch the whole thing first and then crochet, you’ll have everything you need.

Tips for Getting the Best Results

Tension matters more than you think. Amigurumi is one of those crochet projects where your usual tension might not serve you as well. You want stitches tight enough that the stuffing doesn’t peek through but not so tight that the fabric becomes stiff or your hands tire out quickly. Practice a few test swatches if you’re new to amigurumi.

Use a stitch marker from the very first round. Moving your marker up at the beginning of each round takes about two seconds and will save you from that sinking “wait, where am I?” feeling about a dozen times throughout the project.

Stuff as you go. Once you start decreasing, it gets harder and harder to get stuffing in smoothly. Add a little fiberfill during the even rounds, before the decreasing starts.

The invisible decrease is your best friend. The standard crochet decrease (sc2tog) creates a visible bump on the surface of amigurumi that can look sloppy on small pieces. The invisible decrease — worked through the front loops only — lies completely flat and keeps your amigurumi looking smooth and polished.

Take your time with the loop stitch. It feels awkward at first. Everyone’s does. By your third or fourth row of loop stitches, you’ll find your rhythm, and by the time you’re done you’ll be thinking about all the other animals you can give spiny backs to.

Placement of the eyes changes everything. Before you lock in those safety eyes permanently, try different positions. Eyes closer together make the hedgehog look more alert. Eyes slightly wider apart give a softer, dreamier expression. Move them around and hold your work at arm’s length until you find the placement that makes your heart happy.

Customizing Your Hedgehog

Once you have the basic pattern down, the customization options are genuinely endless. You can make a family of hedgehogs in different sizes by adjusting your yarn weight (a chunky yarn and a 6mm hook will give you an adorably oversized version, while fingering weight and a 2mm hook will make a tiny one the size of your thumb). You can change the spine color to something unexpected — dusty pink, sage green, or navy all look stunning against a warm cream body. You can add tiny accessories like a little crocheted scarf worked in a contrasting color, or a bow made from ribbon.

If you’re making these as gifts or for sale, personalization makes them extra special. A baby shower hedgehog in soft white and yellow. A Halloween hedgehog with black and orange spines. A Valentine’s Day hedgehog with tiny red hearts embroidered on its belly. The base pattern stays the same and your creativity does the rest.

Caring for Your Finished Hedgehog

Acrylic yarn amigurumi can typically be gently hand washed in cool water with a small amount of mild soap, then reshaped and laid flat to dry. If you’re making one as a child’s toy, it’s worth checking the yarn label to confirm washability before you begin. Avoid putting amigurumi with safety eyes in the washing machine — the eyes can scratch the drum and the agitation can distort the shape.

Share Your Makes

If you crochet this little hedgehog, I would genuinely love to see it. Tag your photos so the whole community can see what you’ve made — there is something endlessly joyful about seeing the same pattern interpreted by different makers, with different yarn colors and personal touches. Every hedgehog ends up having its own little personality, and that never gets old.

Whether this is your first amigurumi or your hundredth, I hope this pattern brings you a little bit of that particular satisfaction that comes from turning a ball of yarn into something that looks like it might blink at you. Happy hooking, and may your tension be ever in your favor.