Say hello to Natalie (@hooknhaven)- our new Ribblr of the Week and the designer behind [HooknHaven] 
Tell us a little about yourself
Hello!! 
My name is Natalie, but most people call me Nat, and I’m the creator behind Hook & Haven Studio! I turned 27 this past year and am currently living with my husband & my dog (my baby) in Atlantic Canada! 
While I love to crochet, I’m also into reading, video games, stuffed animals of all kinds (especially artist-made atm!!) and exploring nearby towns and parks with my husband!
When did you start crafting and how?
As a kid I probably tried just about every diy craft I could get my hands on from toilet paper roll dolls & origami stars to perler beads & LOTS of polymer clay!! I never feel as in-tune with myself as I do when I’m making something with my hands.
As I got older, I lost touch with my artsy side and struggled to find a craft that held my interest anymore. I had gone through a couple mediums from painting, felting, knitting and then embroidery. I found a crochet video on a whim and knew right away that I would love it!
I first picked up a hook in mid 2021 but didn’t begin making amigurumi until early 2022 - YouTube was my BEST friend during this time, I watched countless videos to try to wrap my mind around each step!! I remember it took forever to get the magic ring, sometimes I forget how difficult the initial learning curve was now that I’ve been crocheting for a few years! I’ve been making amigurumi ever since, each new project feels like a challenge in the best kind of way now!
And how did you start designing?
It took me a long time to build up the courage, when I first started I felt really out of my depth. I hadn’t been crocheting long, but I was a nanny to 3 kids and also a big sister with two brothers under the age of 4, I often had requests for things I couldn’t find exact patterns of! Many of my first designs were rough, some completely illegible and I wasn’t able to later recreate my initial work 
but with each one, I grew and began finding new ways to make the designs
Do you have a favorite craft type and if so - why?
Amigurumi, specifically, it’s my favourite craft type!! I feel like stuffed animals can be so precious to people of all ages. I, myself, have always collected & adored stuffed toys (even well-into my mid and late twenties! 
I do have little brothers who are 6 and under and a niece as well! It’s been special to make projects for them, as my family is very spread out across Canada and the US. It’s my way of sending them a bit of love!
What has been the most memorable project you worked on?
This past year I made a special gift for a close friend of mine’s first baby! I had moved far away for my husband’s work just before we got the news about her pregnancy and I felt the distance between us so much more knowing she was expecting such a huge change in her life! While travelling home in the summer, I designed a baby mobile in the likeness of her two dogs (one of which had suddenly passed from cancer not that long before) as chasing each other in the clouds. I freehanded the dogs and used a lot of hand-embroidery for the colour details to match their likeness - I was so proud of how they turned out.
Then, while I was crocheting some of the pieces for the mobile on our long drive, I received news it was baby time! Just completely by fluke, she had gone into labour around the same time we crossed the border into Ontario.
I was able to finish assembling the mobile in the few days before we visited, where I was lucky enough to hold baby G and see my beautiful friend 
It was a really special project for me and the only mobile I’ve ever made, still. I absolutely adore getting updates and watching baby G stare at the mobile I made her - helps the distance not hurt so much!
What are you currently working on? Be honest - how many WIP do you have right now?
OH MAN HAHA I’m currently working on a double “Love Bat” character pack for a valentines-themed giveaway & pattern release! It took precedent due to timing but I’ve been working on the rest of my “Blue Hedgehog” themed series as well recently, a spicy/mild Purrito pattern (a cat burrito!), mini crab cakes (low-sew cakes with crab arms and legs… this sounds so weird but I promise they’re cute and a bunch others but my WIP list is so long that even I’m not 100% sure what’s waiting to be finished anymore LOL.
I’m currently making my way through the projects that are already complete and waiting to be formatted & photographed - I find this process to be the most difficult part because I’m typically itching to move onto something new already haha!
Which of your makes/designs are you most proud of?
This is TOUGHH but I’d have to say my Blue and Black Hedgehog patterns! I put a lot of time and detail into the pattern itself, knowing that he isn’t difficult to crochet but can definitely be a challenge to sew together! I spent so long writing and rewriting explanations, taking photos and checking with testers to make sure that there was no room for confusion or implied instruction. It was also one of the first times having such a large tester group (30 testers!) and it was so much fun, but definitely a lot of work and a lottt of edits! I’m so grateful to them because I get a lot of feedback (even from beginner crocheters!) from these patterns, more than any of my other ones, about how easy & clear my instructions are! That’s music to my ears as a pattern designer, I really pride myself on being thorough and accessible to a variety skill levels.
What is your usual process of designing?
I usually start with a character or an idea and make a digital sketch to solidify my plans with any little notes about the project that I might need! Then comes the yarn, I sometimes even find myself inspired first by certain colours or textures of the yarn, itself, to make certain things!
I’m a night owl too so I typically throw a show on, fill my water bottle, and work on freehanding my design until the wee hours of the morning! Depending on how much forethought I’ve given the project, this process could take one or several nights.
What inspires you to create/design?
This is a tough question because the answer is so varied - I’d say my family (especially my little brothers), my husband, video games, books, even sometimes different foods or a “play on words” like my upcoming Spicy Purrito & mini Crab Cake patterns!
My most popular design would have to be my Blue Hedgehog, which was initially made as a gift for one of my brothers’ birthdays this past summer. I wrote down my process out of habit without any intention to write a pattern up, until he was requested by other makers!
Any favorite song, book or movie you would like to recommend?
At the moment, I’m very into the show Arcane - the soundtrack is also unbelievable and I highly recommend checking it out even if you don’t love the show! I’m currently reading Fear the Flames by Olivia Rose Darling, and Queen of Shadows in the Throne of Glass series! Though, patiently awaiting the release of Onyx Storm (the 3rd book in the Fourth Wing series) within the next few weeks.
I’m also an anime girl & my favs are: Frieren, Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood, Attack on Titan, Inuyasha, Fruits Basket, Avatar LTA/Legend of Korra (I could keep going LOL)
What is your favorite feature on Ribblr?
As a maker, I love the ability to cross off rows as they’re finished and that it saves your progress - I often jump between projects and it’s such a lifesaver to have a clear indication of where I left off!
Also love the embedded video instructions and collapsing photos, it makes projects that I already know how to make so much easier to navigate!
As a pattern designer, I love the functions for editing such as the intuitive copy and paste. I can take a pattern that I’ve already formatted in Canva, copy the entire section with round numbers and stitch counts, then paste it into Ribblr and it will automatically format each round and note to appear as it would if I entered them round-by-round!
I was also just informed by a Ribblr Leader that each pattern is automatically translated by Ribblr to other formats (such as US Crochet terms to UK Crochet!)
I’m a huge fan of how seamless hosting pattern tests is on Ribblr, too!
Where can others find you?
My favourite and most-consistent platforms are Instagram and Threads, but you can also find me on YouTube & TikTok (though I only repost tags on there!)
I’m looking into a Pinterest account at the moment, as well.
My username is @hooknhaven on all platforms!
Instagram | Natalie || Hook & Haven Studio (@hooknhaven) • Instagram photos and videos
Threads | Natalie || Hook & Haven Studio (@hooknhaven) • Threads, Say more
YouTube | https://youtube.com/@hooknhaven?si=813uKqnVGjx3AGmi
Would you like to shout anyone out on Ribblr?
A really tough answer to narrow down! It can be hard to choose favourites when everyone’s style and creativity are so unique to one another, but on Ribblr I’m a fan of
@crochetbykelsie All of her patterns are amazing but I especially love Frederick the Frog & Elliot the Elephant, @crochetingbirds Bartholomew bear was one of my favourite pattern tests I was a part of last year, @waicrochets, @crochetedbyel Strawberry creature & Flower duck, @sleepyfoxtreasures, @bearyluna.crochet Goldie the flower bear, @keinmaker, @depoteto.crochet, and @knotmichelle’s Fish girl has been on my list to-make forever now!!
Thanks so much for being here this week Natalie, it’s a pleasure reading about you!
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And thank you for the shoutout 
I’m hoping lots of new people come to find you through this and appreciate all of your amazing skills!!! 
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