Community Guidelines

The Crafty Wren is a place for people who love yarn, hooks, and the small joy of finishing a row—whether that's a beginner tackling their first Tunisian crochet swatch or a seasoned maker testing out a new bobble stitch. These Community Guidelines explain how we expect people to treat one another in our comments, contact messages, and any other space where readers and makers interact with us. They exist so everyone feels welcome to ask questions, share progress photos in words, or admit that their amigurumi octopus came out looking a little lopsided—without fear of being mocked or spammed.

By commenting on this site or reaching out to us, you agree to follow these guidelines along with our broader Terms of Use. If anything here seems unclear, our Editorial Policy explains more about how we create and manage content, which may answer related questions.

Our Goal for This Community

We want the comment sections under our patterns and tutorials to feel like a friendly crafting circle: encouraging, patient, and genuinely helpful. Crochet is learned through practice and mistakes, and plenty of our own tested designs went through several frogged attempts before they made it to the blog. We hope commenters extend that same grace to each other, especially to beginners who are still learning basic stitches or asking what a particular abbreviation means.

Be Respectful, Always

Disagreements about yarn weight substitutions or hook sizes are fine—rudeness is not. We ask that everyone participating in comments or messages:

• Speak to others the way you'd want to be spoken to in a local yarn shop.
• Avoid personal attacks, name-calling, or belittling someone's skill level.
• Keep feedback on patterns constructive rather than harsh or dismissive.
• Respect differing opinions on techniques, gauge, or materials without hostility.

Zero Tolerance for Harassment or Hate

We do not allow harassment, hate speech, threats, or discriminatory comments of any kind, including those targeting race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, or age. This applies to comments left on posts as well as messages sent through our Contact page. Any content that crosses into harassment will be removed, and repeat offenders may be permanently blocked from commenting.

No Spam or Deceptive Promotion

We love when other makers want to share their own crochet projects, but comment sections are not the place for unsolicited advertising, unrelated links, affiliate spam, or repeated self-promotion. Comments that exist purely to sell products, direct traffic to unrelated sites, or impersonate other brands will be deleted. If you run a crochet-related shop, blog, or pattern line and would like to explore a genuine partnership, we welcome that conversation through our Collaboration page instead of the comments.

We also ask that commenters not post misleading claims, fake reviews, or false information about yarn brands, tools, or other makers. Honest experiences and genuine questions are always welcome; deceptive marketing disguised as a comment is not.

Safety and Legality in Craft Discussions

Many of our patterns involve small parts, sharp hooks, stuffing, and techniques like the no-sew slip-stitch methods used in some of our plushie designs. When commenting on safety topics—such as amigurumi intended for children, or materials used near infants—please keep discussion factual and considerate. Do not post advice that could be genuinely dangerous, such as suggesting unsafe substitutes for safety eyes or ignoring choking-hazard concerns for baby items.

We also ask that no one shares copyrighted pattern text, paid pattern PDFs, or paywalled content from other designers in the comments. Sharing links to pirated or stolen patterns is not allowed and may result in immediate removal and a permanent ban. For more on how we handle original content and sourcing, see our Editorial Policy.

Personal Information and Privacy

Please avoid posting personal contact details, addresses, or private information about yourself or others in public comments. We take privacy seriously, and how we handle data submitted through comments or forms is explained in our Privacy Policy. If you need to share something private—like a specific question about an order or a correction to a pattern—email us directly instead of posting it publicly.

Moderation Policy

Comments on The Crafty Wren are moderated, which means some may be reviewed before appearing publicly, and any comment can be edited for length or removed entirely at our discretion. We may remove content that:

• Violates any guideline listed above.
• Contains spam links, malware, or scam attempts.
• Is off-topic, incoherent, or clearly posted by automated bots.
• Includes excessive profanity or graphic content unrelated to crafting.

Moderation decisions are made to keep the space welcoming, not to silence honest feedback or criticism of a pattern's clarity—those comments genuinely help us improve. Repeated violations may lead to a comment being permanently blocked from posting further.

How to Report a Concern

If you see a comment that feels abusive, spammy, or unsafe, please don't engage directly—report it to us instead. You can flag concerns by emailing [email protected] with a link to the post and a short description of the issue, or by reaching out through our Contact page. We review reports as quickly as we can and take appropriate action, which may include editing, removing, or blocking the offending comment or user.

Questions About These Guidelines

These guidelines may be updated occasionally as our community grows, so we encourage checking back now and then. For questions about how they interact with our other policies—including our Disclaimer or Affiliate Disclaimer—feel free to reach out anytime. We're grateful for a community that shares our love of hooks and yarn, and we're committed to keeping it a kind, honest place to learn and create.