Gerald

Gerald the hedgehog is the newest addition to the pack. He was knit with tan wool for his body and one strand brown wool, one strand brown eyelash for his spines. 

I can't post the full pattern on here, but I took a few inbetween shots of him in the making. (You can see Whiskers, my lovely assistant, in the background.)

First I knit the body in one piece. I'm used to knitting it in different pieces for each of the limbs, but this was actually easier. I picked up stitches all around the edge of the body and knit the back spines on circular needles to accommodate the shape. Here he is before felting.

Once he was knitted, I felted him in my washing machine for about 45 minutes. Then I posed him to dry for a few days. Here he is after felting and shaping.

After he was dry came my favorite part. The face! That's when the personality of each Softy comes out. I bought plastic noses and eyes and I was itching to try them out. Once he got his makeover, we went outside to take some pictures.

Gerald is a little on the grumpier side. He likes to keep to himself and doesn't take any sass from the younger Softies. However, if you get to know him well, you can see he has a soft side and is a true romantic at heart.