Making a Crochet Amigurumi Hedgehog | Theresa’s Crochet Shop
There is something undeniably charming about a tiny crocheted hedgehog sitting on a shelf, its little spines fanned out in perfect rows and its round belly just begging to be squeezed. Amigurumi — the Japanese art of crocheting small stuffed animals and characters — has taken the crafting world by storm, and the hedgehog is one of those timeless designs that never goes out of style. Whether you are making one for a baby shower gift, a child’s bedroom companion, or simply because you love the craft, this guide will walk you through everything you need to know to create a sweet little amigurumi hedgehog from start to finish right here at Theresa’s Crochet Shop.
Before we dive into the stitches and rows, let’s talk about why hedgehogs make such a perfect amigurumi subject. Their compact, rounded body shape lends itself beautifully to the sphere-based construction that amigurumi is famous for. Their textured spines give you a wonderful opportunity to play with a contrast color or a slightly fuzzy yarn. And their tiny, pointed snout adds just enough personality to make every finished piece feel uniquely alive. Once you learn this pattern, you will find yourself making them in every color combination imaginable.
What You Will Need Before You Start
Getting your supplies together before you sit down to crochet is one of the best habits you can build. There is nothing more frustrating than reaching the halfway point of a project and realizing you are short on stuffing or missing a safety eye in the right size. Here is everything you should gather ahead of time.
Yarn: You will need two colors of worsted weight yarn. The main color (MC) will be used for the belly, face, and ears — choose something warm and neutral like cream, tan, or soft brown. The contrast color (CC) will be used for the body and spine area — a deeper brown, grey, or even a dusty rose works beautifully here. You do not need a full skein of either; roughly 50 to 80 yards of each will be more than enough for one hedgehog.
Hook: A 3.5mm (US size E/4) crochet hook is ideal for worsted weight yarn when making amigurumi. Using a hook slightly smaller than the yarn label recommends is intentional — it creates a tighter stitch that keeps your polyfill stuffing from poking through the gaps.
Safety eyes: Two 9mm or 12mm black safety eyes are standard for a hedgehog of this size. If you are making this for a child under three years old, skip the safety eyes entirely and use embroidered eyes with black yarn instead. Safety first, always.
Polyfill stuffing: A good quality polyester fiberfill will keep your hedgehog plump and huggable for years. Do not overstuff (it stretches the stitches and distorts the shape) and do not understuff (it leaves you with a sad, floppy friend). Aim for a firm but squeezable feel.
Stitch markers: Amigurumi is worked in continuous rounds rather than joined rounds, which means you need to track the beginning of each round. A simple locking stitch marker placed in the first stitch of every round will save you countless counting headaches.
Yarn needle: You will need a blunt tapestry needle for weaving in ends and sewing pieces together. Choose one with a large enough eye to thread your yarn comfortably.
Scissors: Self-explanatory, but grab a sharp pair dedicated to your craft room so you get clean cuts every time.
Optional extras: A small piece of pink felt or pink embroidery floss for the nose, and black embroidery floss if you plan to embroider a smile on your hedgehog.
Understanding Amigurumi Basics
If you are brand new to amigurumi, a few foundational concepts will make the rest of this tutorial much easier to follow.
Amigurumi is almost always worked in continuous rounds using a magic ring (also called a magic circle) as the starting point. Unlike flat crochet worked in rows, you spiral upward without ever joining or turning your work. This means the beginning and end of each round can shift slightly, which is perfectly normal.
The abbreviations used throughout this pattern are standard US crochet terms. SC stands for single crochet, the foundational stitch of amigurumi. INC means increase, which is two single crochets worked into the same stitch, adding one stitch to your total count. DEC means decrease, specifically an invisible decrease (also called a slip decrease or sc2tog), which combines two stitches into one and reduces your count by one stitch. MR stands for magic ring. BLO means back loop only, and you will use that occasionally for the spine texture section.
The numbers in parentheses at the end of each round tell you how many stitches you should have when that round is complete. Always count your stitches at the end of each round. Catching a counting error early is infinitely easier than discovering it four rounds later.
Making the Hedgehog Body
The body is the largest piece and the one you will start with. It is worked in two parts — the belly (in your main color) and the spine section (in your contrast color) — and then joined together.
Begin with your contrast color yarn.
Round 1: MR, 6 SC into the ring. (6)
Round 2: INC in each stitch around. (12)
Round 3: [SC 1, INC] repeat 6 times. (18)
Round 4: [SC 2, INC] repeat 6 times. (24)
Round 5: [SC 3, INC] repeat 6 times. (30)
Round 6: [SC 4, INC] repeat 6 times. (36)
Round 7: [SC 5, INC] repeat 6 times. (42)
Rounds 8 through 12: SC in each stitch around. (42)
Now you are going to create the spine texture. This is what gives your hedgehog that instantly recognizable look. Switch to working in the back loop only for the next three rounds.
Round 13 (BLO): SC in each stitch around. (42)
Round 14 (BLO): SC in each stitch around. (42)
Round 15 (BLO): SC in each stitch around. (42)
Return to working through both loops.
Round 16: [SC 5, DEC] repeat 6 times. (36)
Round 17: [SC 4, DEC] repeat 6 times. (30)
Round 18: [SC 3, DEC] repeat 6 times. (24)
At this point, insert your safety eyes between rounds 11 and 12, approximately 6 stitches apart. Then stuff the body firmly with polyfill.
Round 19: [SC 2, DEC] repeat 6 times. (18)
Round 20: [SC 1, DEC] repeat 6 times. (12)
Round 21: DEC 6 times. (6)
Fasten off and leave a long tail. Use your yarn needle to close the remaining 6-stitch hole by weaving through the front loops of each stitch and pulling tight. Weave in the end securely.
Adding the Spine Texture
The back loop only rounds you worked earlier (rounds 13 through 15) left unused front loops sitting around the outside of the body. These loops are your foundation for the spines, and working into them is what creates that beautiful, dimensional texture that makes everyone say “Oh! A hedgehog!” the moment they see your finished piece.
Thread your yarn needle with a length of contrast color yarn, or use a separate piece of yarn for each spine if you prefer the look of individual spines. There are two popular methods for adding hedgehog spines to amigurumi.
The first is the loop method. Cut lengths of yarn approximately 3 inches long. Fold each piece in half, insert the folded end through a front loop from the back to the front, pull the loose ends through the folded loop, and tighten to create a fringe-style spine. Work across all three rows of unused front loops, spacing the spines as evenly as you can. Once all spines are attached, trim them to a uniform length of about half an inch. Use the tip of your scissors to gently separate the plies of each yarn piece for a fluffier spine effect.
The second method is to use a brush-able yarn for your contrast color from the very beginning. A yarn with a slight fuzz or halo (like a mohair blend or a brushable acrylic) will naturally suggest the texture of hedgehog spines even without the looping technique, especially once you use a stiff-bristled brush or a pet slicker brush to gently fluff the surface after finishing.
Either method is charming, and neither is wrong. It comes down to the look you want and how much extra time you want to invest in the finishing process.
Making the Head
The head is worked entirely in your main color.
Round 1: MR, 6 SC into the ring. (6)
Round 2: INC in each stitch around. (12)
Round 3: [SC 1, INC] repeat 6 times. (18)
Round 4: [SC 2, INC] repeat 6 times. (24)
Round 5: [SC 3, INC] repeat 6 times. (30)
Round 6: [SC 4, INC] repeat 6 times. (36)
Rounds 7 through 10: SC in each stitch around. (36)
Round 11: [SC 4, DEC] repeat 6 times. (30)
Round 12: [SC 3, DEC] repeat 6 times. (24)
Begin stuffing the head now. Place your safety eyes between rounds 7 and 8, about 7 stitches apart, before the opening becomes too small to work inside comfortably.
Round 13: [SC 2, DEC] repeat 6 times. (18)
Round 14: [SC 1, DEC] repeat 6 times. (12)
Round 15: DEC 6 times. (6)
Fasten off with a long tail, close the opening the same way as the body, and set aside.
Making the Snout
The snout is a small oval or slightly elongated piece that gives your hedgehog its most distinctive feature. Work this in your main color.
Round 1: MR, 6 SC into the ring. (6)
Round 2: INC in each stitch around. (12)
Round 3: [SC 1, INC] repeat 6 times. (18)
Rounds 4 through 5: SC in each stitch around. (18)
Do not stuff the snout. Flatten it slightly and sew it to the front of the head, centered between and just below the safety eyes. Before you close the seam completely, you can use a small amount of stuffing to give it just a tiny bit of dimension if you like. Secure with a small circle of pink felt glued or sewn on the tip for the nose, or embroider a simple oval in pink embroidery floss.
Making the Ears
Make two ears in your main color.
Round 1: MR, 6 SC into the ring. (6)
Round 2: INC in each stitch around. (12)
Round 3: SC in each stitch around. (12)
Fasten off with a long tail. Do not stuff the ears. Flatten each ear so the opening faces the bottom. Sew the ears to the top of the head, positioned slightly to either side of center and angled naturally outward. Hedgehog ears are relatively small and close to the head, so resist the urge to make them too large or perky.
Making the Legs and Feet
Make four legs in your main color. These are small, simple pieces.
Round 1: MR, 6 SC into the ring. (6)
Round 2: INC in each stitch around. (12)
Round 3: SC in each stitch around. (12)
Round 4: [SC 1, DEC] repeat 4 times. (8)
Rounds 5 through 7: SC in each stitch around. (8)
Stuff each leg lightly. Fasten off with a long tail for sewing. The front two legs attach near the base of the neck, just below the head join. The back two legs attach further down toward the lower back, giving your hedgehog a slightly splayed, sitting pose. Pin them in place before sewing to check the positioning — a well-placed leg makes all the difference between a hedgehog that sits upright and one that leans awkwardly to one side.
Assembling Your Hedgehog
This is the step that transforms a collection of little yarn pieces into an actual hedgehog, and it is genuinely one of the most satisfying moments in any amigurumi project.
Pin the head to the body first, holding them against each other at various angles until you find the position that looks most natural. A slight forward tilt of the head tends to give amigurumi a particularly endearing, curious expression. Once you are happy with the angle, use your yarn needle and the long tail from the head to sew the two pieces together using a whip stitch worked around the perimeter of the join. Work slowly and check frequently that the alignment is staying where you want it.
Sew the legs on next, using the same whip stitch technique. Weave the tail end back through the leg piece before cutting to lock the stitches in place. Attach the ears, then the snout, and finally add any embroidered details — a curved smile, a tiny nose highlight, or a little belly button if you are feeling whimsical.
Finishing Touches and Styling Ideas
Once your hedgehog is fully assembled, take a moment to look it over from every angle. Fluff any spines that need separating, trim any yarn ends that are peeking out, and make sure all your safety eyes are clicked firmly into their washers.
If you made the loop-style spines, a quick trim with sharp scissors will even them out beautifully. A gentle brushing with a slicker brush will make them fan out more naturally.
From here, the customizing possibilities are endless. A tiny crocheted acorn tucked under one arm makes a wonderful woodland theme. A small bow tied between the ears gives your hedgehog an instantly feminine look. A seasonal color palette — autumnal orange and brown, pastel pink and cream, or stark black and white — can make the same basic pattern feel completely fresh for any occasion or season.
Tips for Amigurumi Success
A few final thoughts from the workbench here at Theresa’s Crochet Shop that will serve you well beyond this project.
Always count your stitches at the end of every single round. It sounds tedious, but the two seconds it takes to count is always faster than the twenty minutes it takes to find and fix a counting error three rounds later.
Weave in your ends as you go. Leaving all your loose ends until the very end is a recipe for a tangled, overwhelming finish. Take thirty seconds to weave in the tail after each round fastening off and your assembly session will be genuinely pleasant.
Practice the invisible decrease if you have not already. The standard sc2tog leaves a visible bump on the surface of amigurumi. The invisible decrease — inserting your hook through the front loops only of the next two stitches before pulling up your loops and completing the stitch — creates a flat, seamless reduction that looks polished and professional.
Block lightly if needed. Amigurumi does not typically need blocking, but if your pieces look uneven or puckered, a gentle steam with an iron held several inches away from the surface can smooth things out beautifully without flattening the stitches.
And most importantly, enjoy the process. Each hedgehog you make will be slightly different from the last, and that handmade individuality is exactly what makes a crocheted gift so much more meaningful than anything you could pull off a store shelf. Happy crocheting from all of us at Theresa’s Crochet Shop!
