The half term holiday has come and gone and what a wet and windy week it was too, starting off as it did with the St Jude’s day storm. We woke at dawn on the Monday to feel the house vibrating with the force of the winds and just in time to hear and see a huge branch snap from the very large willow tree next to the house. Amazingly there was no damage (apart from the poor tree itself) so we were lucky.
This week we’ve returned to welcome term time routines again and I’ve been really drawn to hedgehog knitting. In fact I’ve found myself just a little obsessed with trying to make the biggest one possible. I normally make them in the second from smallest size here but have got out my fattest needles and some super bulky yarn.
All of these are made from my little oddment hedgehog pattern the only difference is the needle size and type of yarn (Details about yarns used are listed below)
I do think it would be rather fun to make and even more humongous hedgehog as a footstool / pouffe but have not yet managed to track down any thicker wool. Roving has been suggested but I’ve not yet found any that would suit. Still the largest chap so far is rather useful as a doorstop (I stuffed him with a stocking full of rice surrounded by toy stuffing so he has a nice weight to him).
I always think of hedgehogs when the leaves start falling and especially around Bonfire night. We regularly have hedgehogs around in our garden, though whether Herbert is still among them is probably unlikely given the hazards that hedgehogs encounter each day. We don’t often see them but we sometimes hear them. They take the food that we leave out and often leave a little hedgehog calling card (hedgehog poo is quite distinctive!). We also have a hedgehog house under a bush in our garden and a hedgehog hole in our fence so that they can get in and out of the garden easily.
Sadly, our poor native hedgehogs are in decline and really need all the help they can get. I’ve registered as a Hedgehog Champion over on Hedgehog Street, it’s a nice thing to involve children with and there’s a great pack that they send out which gives plenty of advice and ideas of how to help. If you’re a fan of our sweetest native mammal please come and join.
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Yarns and needle sizes for hedgehogs in the topmost pictures above:
From largest to smallest:
1. 10mm needles with Bergere de France Chambery yarn for the body and 6mm needles with Katia Peru yarn held double for the face and feet. 26cm long
2. 8mm needles with J C Brett Rustic yarn for the body and 4mm needles with Katia Peru yarn for the face and feet. 18cm long
3. 8mm needles with Bergere de France Highlands yarn for the body and 4mm needles with Katia Peru yarn for the face and feet. 18cm long
4. 6mm needles with Rowan Drift yarn for the body and 3.25mm needles with Rowan Tweed Aran yarn for the face and feet. 15cm long
5. 3mm needles with Rowan tweed DK yarn for the body and 2.75mm needles with Rowan Felted Tweed DK yarn for the face and feet. 9cm long
6. 2.75mm needles with Rowan Fine Tweed yarn for the body and 2.25mm needles with Rowan Fine Tweed yarn for the face and feet. 6cm long
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little cotton rabbits 
For an even larger hedgehog, maybe you could knit with two bulky strands at once?
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Love them and your photos are fabulous :O)x
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oh they are adorable Julie xxx I can’t remember the last time I saw a real one though, isn’t that sad……..
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Oh Julie ….. your hedgehog family is so cute, all the way from wee little baby all the way up to big daddy!
Over the sumer my daughter made our garden hedgehog friendly cutting holes in the hedges and making a hedgehog home, nothing yet though, I’m off to look at the website you suggested for some tips.
happy knitting!
love jooles xxx
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What a lovely sight! Enjoyed your hedhog post, we had a visit at college from a rescued blind hedgehog, so cute. Could you knit double to get a thicker wool.
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I have made a few hedgehogs from your pattern,Julie. You have now inspired me to make a big one ! All my other knitting is on ” hold “, ha ha.
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love the hedgehogs, which are a favourite in our household. I cannot get over the vast size differences, which just shows the difference in using the right needle and wool makes to a pattern, they look lovely.
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Ooo Julie! I have 25mm needles and you have got me thinking….
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They are fabulous in every size. I’ve still not knitted one from my pattern!
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Oh Julie – they’re gorgeous, and that was such a good idea to fill the big one with rice and to use it as a doorstop. I LOVE the idea of making one to be used as a pouffe.
Have a good weekend,
Kate x
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All of your hedgehogs are divine, but I do especially like the biggest and littlest ones, so cute. I love the idea of one as a footstool! I’m sure that the doorstop one is looking good in the meantime. Glad you came through the storm ok. xx
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Gorgeous work – your lineup reminds me of the Beatles walking across the zebra crossing 😉
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Aww these are super cute, we have a hedgehogs living under the Summerhouse, they had babies one year that were so cute following the mamma hedgehog around the garden. Glad you got through the strom mostly ok.
http://summerhousebythesea.blogspot.co.uk/
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THEY LOOK LOVELY
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Oh my they are just adorable! Love the different sizes. Thanks for sharing
Ali xx
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I love the photos of your hedgehogs……making a small one is now on my to do list to use as a pincushion
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These are beautiful! Hedgehog door-stop = genius! Thanks for sharing.
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They’re so cute. I’m thinking about trying to crochet a hedgehog soon. I’m not a knitter (yet) but I would like to be someday.
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Awe Julie I love them from the largest to the tiniest! We used to have hedgehogs but there has been no sign of them in quite a while , I really wish they were still there! I’m going to check out that site you’ve linked too.
Happy weekend,
V xxx
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Your little hedgehogs are adorable Julie! I would be so excited if I saw a hedgehog in my garden — sadly, we don’t have them here.
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I have missed the humble hedgehog since I moved away from the UK. I’ve only seen them here as a sort of exotic pet. So sad. Your hedgehog family is lovely.
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I love hedgehogs, they are such a cute animal, we have echidnas here in Australia but no hedgehogs -( I love badgers too!
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I just love the way their snouts turn up ever so slightly -so hedgehoggy.
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He’s absolutely adorable! That’s quite a collection you have there!
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I’m smitten. Must make hedgehogs again – now in a variety of sizes. Love the large one. Of course I still adore my little one that I won in your give away a long time ago. It is so very treasured. Thanks again.
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They’re wonderful! What a lovely photo of them all in a row. Such a great pattern, I can see these must be very popular.
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The only thing you can do is fall madly in love with them 🙂 They are adorable…well done! barbara
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Hola Julie from the southernmost tip of Chile, where it is….. well, chilly. No giant hedgehogs here and so far, no alpaca yarn.
Xxx
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Your hedgehogs are wonderful, they made me smile. As does everything you make. Thank you.
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We get echidnas here (northern Victoria, Australia)which are not quite as cute but still pretty delightful. I’d love to see a real hedgehog!
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I love your adorable hedgehogs in all the different sizes! The biggest one looks so lovely and solid 🙂 We saw a very small hedgehog in our garden last month!
Helen x
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Your hedgehogs are adorable. I have been planning to make this pattern for some time. I must get to it. I love your blog. Carla
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I’m embarrassed to say that I don’t know if we even have hedgehogs around here where I live! I need to find out!
Look at all of your sizes! That is so fun!
I’m glad there wasn’t any damage other than the tree with the storm. We’ve been getting a lot of those around here lately. It’s crazy!
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The hedgehogs are so cute a line up of happy faces… what a good idea to make a large one too, must get going x x x x x
Lots of love from Meg 🙂
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How adorable, and the notion of a hedgehog foot pouf is just fantastic! I’m glad you came through the storm ok (poor tree) Our garden is lucky enough to be home to an albino hedgehog who is such a funny character – well done for becoming a hedgie hotelier!
Maggie x
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They are adorable! I love spending some time looking at your work, and now I really want to take up my knitting needles! xxx
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They remind of the hedgehogs in the Dick King Smith books, did you ever read “The Hodgeheg” or “King Max the last”?! I just read them (again) to a class of 7 year olds. I think next time I need to knit up some visual aids!! Also thinking what a lovely addition to an Autumn display in my classroom…… 😃
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Oh wow these are just too cute!
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I’ve made several of your little ones (& given most of them away) but the little one who lives on top of my television definitely needs a bigger pal! Will go on a yarn hunt! Glad you were safe in the storm.
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Oh, I am going to have to try one of these. They are soooooo cute! Hope I can do it. I’ve never made anything like that! Wish me luck. xxoo. JO
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What a wonderful hedgehog post, thank you so much for sharing. My little boy is absolutely crazy about hedgehogs and I was already planning to make him a hedgehog family for Christmas from your pattern. I now can’t resist making the hedgehog doorstop too, he’ll love it. You have brought a very big smile to my face this morning, thank you again.
Ps. Would it be possible to let me know the yarn colour codes for the biggest hedgehog?
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Hedgehog, my favorite animal! They are very fond of dry food for cat. They also love milk, but it’s a terrible poison for them.
Your bunch of hedgehogs is so cute. For your footstool project, maybe you could use hoooked Zpagetti yarn? It’s really thick!
http://www.hoooked.nl/uk/zpagetti
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Such cute hodgers! I’ve seen one in our street, trotting at speed in our general direction…. but our garden is so enclosed that only birds, frogs and dragonflies make it over and under our fences! Still…needles out and I’ll make a spiny friend instead! Love. Jenni xx
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I’m loving that you have a whole family of them there Julie … I need to knit me a hedgehog!
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They are all unbelievably cute. A footstool would be hilarious and useful…you must find a way!
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The hedgehog family is so cute! I like them all but the tiniest one and the biggest one are my favourite. When I was three, I tried touching a hedgehog gently with a soft slipper, I couldn’t bring myself to touch it with a hand because of the needles. 🙂 What a cute animal! Julie, your work is amazing! Thank you for sharing!
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Julie, thankyou your patterns and photos are amazing, I have just bought your rabbit and hedgehog patterns, just waiting to move house then in the new year I can settle myself with some lovely new knitting projects. Please keep doing what you do!!!!
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Oh Julie, they are gorgeous!! I love the teeny weeny one 🙂
Could you use several strands of a nice thick but squishy yarn held together for your humongous hodger, along with enormous needles? Sirdar big softie is a nice squishy yarn and as it’s fairly loosely spun it would help to hide the fact that you have several strands held together.
I’ve just finished my first Little Cotton Rabbit and really want to thank you for sharing your patterns with us. His little sweater is so sweet, I can’t stop looking at it!!
xxx
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