Handwork Resource Library

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The Littlest Hedgehog

I once met a tiny hedgehog in a Waldorf school, many years ago.
The teacher had borrowed him from a friend to introduce him to the little ones of the class. He was so cute & very quiet. Most of the time, he sat on her lap all curled up into a little ball, as there were a lot of hands reaching out to touch him, mine included!

Since then, the only live ones I’ve seen have been scurrying away into the shadows when I happen to be out after dark for some reason. On the other hand, pretend hedgehogs are pretty easy to come by around here – they are very popular in France. Toy versions come in all styles & I have bought quite a few hedgehog Christmas ornaments (oh, & BTW owls are popular as festive ornaments, too !)

They are such quiet little beasts & rather shy. This fall, I thought I’d like to make one (or more) for our homeschool. Here is a little KNIT one I made to use as a story prop during circle-time. He often visits us when a soft-spoken character is needed during one of my stories . He also enjoys spending time in our garden & likes to hide among the pinecones on our Fall Nature Table too !

The Littlest Hedgehog

This project is perfect for a quick gift or
a tiny addition to your story-telling basket.

Want to knit your own?

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Every month, I pick an animal (or a group of animals) to focus on for my daughter’s “lessons”. She is only 5 but really likes to think that she has a formal learning time the same as her older brother. September & October are our forest animal months. We learn about foxes, squirrels, bats, mice, wolves & of course, hedgehogs!

Here are a few of the books that I’ve collected in the last couple of years that we enjoy in the Fall which feature hedgehogs. I’ve also pulled together a small collection of hedgehog poems & stories from various sources which round out our “studies”.
It’s nice to focus on an animal that isn’t quite as well-known as some others like cats, dogs, rabbits etc. once in a while.

I adore Jan Brett’s work, this is one of her earlier works (2000) but it already has her signature borders. This time, each image in this sweet story about a cheeky hedgehog, greedy Tomten & chicken longing to have a family, is surrounded by intricately drawn needlepoint (see, I can always find a way to bring things back to handwork!).

We also love Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle…

with the beautifully detailed images that show
everything that went into a wash day 100 years ago &

what a well-dressed little girl would have worn.

A certain someone in my house,
has now asked me to put a pinafore on
my “To Make” list for Christmas!

This tiny book is all about an inquisitive hedgehog
who insists on staying up to see what wintertime is like.
Such gentle pictures & a sweet story, too!