Author

Wren Halloway

Hi, I'm Wren — welcome to my cozy corner of the internet! I'm Wren Halloway: crocheter, amigurumi enthusiast, recovering perfectionist, and the maker behind The Crafty Wren. My love affair with yarn started when I was seven years old, on my grandmother's front porch. Nana Ruth put a crochet hook in my hands, showed me a chain stitch, and — though neither of us knew it at the time — set the course for the rest of my life. Twenty-seven years later, I'm still hooked. (I'm allowed one yarn pun per page. That was it.) Before The Crafty Wren, I spent eight years working as a graphic designer at a stationery company. I loved the color palettes and the photography, but somewhere between deadlines and design briefs, I'd stopped making things just for the joy of it. When I was laid off in 2019, I picked my hooks back up to cope with the stress — and accidentally rediscovered the happiest version of myself. What started as a creative outlet became this blog, and by 2021, my full-time job. These days, I design original crochet and amigurumi patterns (over 150 and counting), test every tutorial multiple times before it reaches you, and write about DIY projects from my little cottage-style home near Asheville, North Carolina. I share the place with my husband Tom, a rescue cat named Mochi who believes all yarn belongs to her, and a stash that has quietly taken over two closets and half the guest room. I regret nothing. What I believe about crafting: You don't need expensive supplies to make beautiful things. Budget yarn, thrifted materials, and patience will take you far. Wonky first attempts are a rite of passage. My first amigurumi looked like a haunted potato. I keep it on my desk as a reminder. Frogging isn't failure. Undoing your work and starting again is just part of the craft — in yarn and in life. Everyone is welcome here. All skill levels, all budgets, all ages. There is no gatekeeping on this porch. When I'm not crocheting, you'll find me losing a war against the squirrels in my vegetable garden, thrifting vintage craft books, hiking the Blue Ridge Mountains with Tom, or baking sourdough with wildly inconsistent results. Every December, I crochet blanket squares for a local NICU charity — my favorite project of the year. Whether you're here to make your very first granny square or your fiftieth amigurumi, I'm so glad you found your way to my little nest. Grab your hook, pour something warm, and let's make something together. Happy stitching, Wren