How to Crochet a Mini Hedgehog

1. 1

   Step 1: Start the Body with a Magic Ring

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   Begin the body in your face color, usually cream or tan. Make a magic ring by wrapping the yarn around two fingers, then pull a loop through and work three single crochet into the ring.

   Give the tail a firm tug to draw the center closed. That leaves you with a tight little circle and no hole in the middle, which is exactly what you want for a stuffed shape. Everything else builds out from this starting round.

   Tip:

   Watch this step If the magic ring feels fiddly, leave a long starting tail. You will use it to weave the center shut a second time later if it ever loosens.

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   Used in this stepcrochet hook set 3.5mm 4mmcream or tan worsted yarn for amigurumi

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2. 2

   Step 2: Increase to Shape the Body

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   Keep working in a spiral, adding stitches on each round so the ball grows evenly. The increases fall in a steady pattern, a few single crochet, then an increase, and repeat, so the sides curve out into a smooth egg shape.

   Drop a stitch marker into the first stitch of every round. Amigurumi has no obvious seam, and that marker is the only way to know where one round ends and the next begins.

   Tip:

   Watch this step Keep your tension snug. Loose stitches leave gaps that let the stuffing peek through once the body is filled.

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   Used in this steplocking stitch markers for crochetfiber content yarn skein

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3. 3

   Step 3: Work Back Loops to Shape the Face

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   When the body is as wide as you want, work several rounds into the back loops only. Slide your hook under just the back loop of each stitch instead of both loops as you go around.

   Working this way leaves a small ridge and pulls the fabric inward, which flattens the underside and starts to taper the front into the pointed hedgehog snout. It is a small change in where you insert the hook that makes a big difference in the shape.

   Tip:

   Watch this step Watch the ridge line as it forms. That visible bump is your guide for where the spiny cap will later sit against the smooth face.

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   Used in this stepergonomic crochet hook

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4. 4

   Step 4: Stuff the Body and Close It Up

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   Push in the polyester fiberfill before the opening gets too small to work with. Add it in small pinches and press it around the edges so the body stays firm and round, not lumpy on one side.

   With the stuffing in, decrease around to draw the top closed. Once only a few stitches remain, cut the yarn, thread the tail through them, and pull tight to cinch the hole shut so no filling shows.

   Tip:

   Watch this step Firm but not overstuffed is the goal. Too much filling stretches the stitches apart and the body loses its neat hedgehog shape.

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   Used in this steppolyester fiberfill stuffingstuffing stick tool

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5. 5

   Step 5: Build the Spiny Back with Cluster Stitches

   Watch this step · 17:00

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   Now switch to your spine color and make the coat of spikes. Each spine is one small chain followed by a two double-crochet cluster, written in the pattern as 2DC-CL. You yarn over, pull up loops, then draw them all together into one raised bump.

   Repeat that cluster across the round and into the rounds above, and the surface fills in with dozens of little points. Keep them close together so the back reads as a dense, prickly coat rather than a few scattered bobbles.

   Tip:

   Watch this step A slightly larger hook on the cluster rounds makes the spines pop out more. Tight clusters flatten and lose the prickly look.

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   Used in this stepbrown or pink worsted yarn for spinestulip etimo crochet hook

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6. 6

   Step 6: Attach the Cap and Add the Face

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   Set the spiny cap over the cream body so it covers the back and sits just behind the snout. Line up the edges, then stitch it down all the way around with your yarn needle so it stays put and does not shift.

   Now give it a face. Push a safety eye into place on each side of the snout and lock the washers on the inside before the opening closes, then stitch or attach a small dark nose right at the pointed tip.

   Tip:

   Watch this step Set the eyes before you stitch the cap fully shut. Once the washers are on, safety eyes do not come back off without cutting.

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   Used in this stepblack safety eyes 6mm 9mmtapestry yarn needle set

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7. 7

   Step 7: Make the Feet and Finish

   Watch this step · 11:12

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   Give your hedgehog a set of tiny feet. Chain three, then slip stitch back into the next chain to make a short little stub, and attach one under each side of the body so it can sit flat.

   Do the same for the other leg, then weave every loose yarn end back into the body with your needle so nothing dangles. Trim the tails close, and your mini hedgehog is ready to display or gift.

   Tip:

   Watch this step Weave each end in two directions, not one. A single straight pass can work loose over time and poke back out of the stuffing.

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   Used in this stepyarn needle for weaving in endssmall sharp yarn scissors

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Keep going

How to Crochet an Owl (Tiny Amigurumi Pattern, Step by Step)

8 steps · about 16 minutes

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Tools we recommend

• Clover

  Clover Amour Crochet Hook Set (10 sizes)

  Soft, easy-grip handles that warm to the touch and a full size range in one case. The set most crocheters upgrade to and never look back.

• Lion Brand

  Lion Brand 24/7 Cotton Yarn

  Mercerized cotton with crisp stitch definition and a subtle sheen. Machine washable, and the go-to for amigurumi, bags, and dishcloths.

• Clover

  Clover Locking Stitch Markers (20-pack)

  Lock onto stitches so they never slip while you mark rounds, increases, and repeats. A dollar-store fix that actually holds.

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