Sowmya’s dream is to make amigurumi a household word. Read about how she’s bringing crochet into everyday life and giving employment to homemakers, skein by skein.
A hobby that pulled the strings
Some journeys begin quietly, with little more than curiosity and a pair of hands eager to try something new. For Sowmya Varadan, that journey began in 2015 with a crochet hook and a few balls of yarn. It started as a pastime, but soon grew into something larger than she could have imagined, blossoming into Yarn Wonders—a studio, a store, and most importantly, a community dedicated to the timeless art of crochet.
Sowmya’s story starts in Chennai, where the craft of crochet was little known and the resources to support it were even scarcer. At the time, the city had no dedicated yarn stores. The only yarn available came from inexpensive acrylics that were sold in limited colors and textures. For a beginner, they were enough, but for someone with an appetite to explore the art more deeply, they soon felt restrictive.
She saw one of her relatives do crochet and wanted to learn from her, but that person was unfortunately not a good teacher. Having seen her grandmother do knitting, Sowmya realized that crochet must be similar. She started scouring YouTube tutorials. But each tutorial and each stitch were explained differently, and it was a struggle to follow. Sowmya then figured out that if we look at it as a mathematical problem, we can have a solution.
Sowmya practiced day and night, quickly moving past the stage of casual experimentation. She consumed yarn faster than most hobbyists, which meant she had to find new ways of sourcing it. Soon, she was ordering yarn in bulk just to satisfy her growing curiosity—discovering new stitches, textures, and projects that kept her constantly inspired. This marked the quiet beginning of Yarn Wonders, even before it had a name. Sowmya started teaching online through Skype and supplying yarn to her students who were finding it difficult to source it.
Planting the seed of a dream
What sets Sowmya apart was her foresight. And this came from experience – she had a cooking channel earlier but could not get the name she had wanted, and so lost interest in it. In 2015, long before Yarn Wonders was a business, she registered the domain, created a YouTube channel, and opened a Facebook page with the name. To her, it wasn’t just about sharing projects—it was about building something she hoped would last. The name felt like a promise, one that she carried with her until it was ready to bloom.
That chance came in 2020, during the COVID-19 lockdown. At a time when the world was confined indoors and people sought joy in small things, Sowmya hosted an online Rakhi workshop. She taught participants to make Rakhis from yarn they already had at home, and even couriered hooks and needles to those who needed them. The workshop struck a chord. With markets closed, people embraced the idea of making something handmade and heartfelt. That single workshop marked Yarn Wonders’ first leap from dream to enterprise.
From living room to storefront
Following the lockdowns, the momentum grew. In 2021 and 2022, Sowmya set up stalls at colleges, local events and exhibitions across Chennai. Every few months, she would showcase handmade products—crochet dolls, accessories, home décor—that drew attention from passersby. These exhibitions were a big hit – not only did her products get sold, she also started getting orders for new products that she wouldn’t have the time to create. That’s when she decided to take the next step to collaborate with another crocheter Archana and set up a business.
By 2023, Yarn Wonders took a bigger step forward: opening its own physical store and studio space. What began in a living room had grown into a vibrant hub where yarn enthusiasts could gather, learn, and create. The studio now offers structured classes, from beginner sessions priced at ₹490 to advanced amigurumi and dress-making programs that go up to ₹11,500.
The challenge of handmade
The growth, however, comes with challenges. Crochet is an entirely handmade craft, and unlike machine-made products, no two items look exactly the same. A doll made by one artisan might look slightly different from another, even when following the same pattern. Ensuring quality and consistency became one of Sowmya’s toughest tasks.
Her solution was both practical and visionary: “teach first, employ later.” Students who join Yarn Wonders to learn crochet are later offered opportunities to work from home as artisans. They collect yarn and patterns from the studio, and with guidance, create pieces for the brand. This way, each artisan is trained in the style and standards expected at Yarn Wonders, preserving both quality and livelihood. These artisans are mostly homemakers who are not able to pursue jobs due to practical difficulties.
Threads across India
Sourcing yarn is another fascinating part of the story. Sowmya sources a wide variety of yarn from within India. Vendors in Ludhiana, Punjab, and Bengaluru supply both branded and non-branded yarns. Popular names like Ganga, Anchor, and Vardaman line the shelves, alongside Yarn Wonders’ own curated collection of non-branded cotton yarns.
The store offers an impressive spectrum: soft cotton yarns, chunky blanket yarns, plush velvet, multicolored skeins, and sturdy macrame threads. Walking into Yarn Wonders is like stepping into a rainbow—rows of yarn in every imaginable shade, waiting to be transformed into creations limited only by imagination.
Pricing, awareness, and fair value
Despite the success, one recurring challenge is educating customers about the value of handmade work. Too often, crochet dolls and accessories are compared with mass-produced, machine-made items in retail stores. A hand-crocheted doll priced at ₹1200 may be dismissed as “too expensive.” But as Sowmya explains, nearly 40% of that price goes directly to the artisan, while the rest covers production and marketing. Each piece carries not only material costs but hours of labor, skill, and creativity.
For Sowmya, changing this perception is central to her mission. Yarn Wonders is not just a business—it is a movement to restore respect for handmade crafts in a world saturated with machine-made goods. Every purchase supports an artisan, sustains a tradition, and affirms the belief that handmade has a value beyond its price tag.
Building a community
Yarn Wonders is not just about yarn or crochet products—it is about community. Sowmya collaborates with others like Aparna, a fellow crocheter who joined her in the early days, bringing ideas and patterns to life. Together, they experimented, created, and shared their work on social media, gradually drawing attention and building an online following.
Today, the store is more than a retail space. It is a gathering spot where enthusiasts take part in workshops, where beginners learn their first stitches, and where advanced students refine their craft. With Sowmya’s ongoing “365 Days of Crochet Stitches” challenge on YouTube, Yarn Wonders also reaches audiences far beyond Chennai, inspiring crocheters across India and beyond. Another awesome feature about Yarn Wonders is that they can customise anything you need, in crochet.
Looking ahead
For the future, Sowmya envisions Yarn Wonders as a brand that stands at the forefront of crochet awareness in India. She dreams of expanding into larger-scale awareness campaigns, building recognition for amigurumi crochet, and creating more opportunities for artisans. Her goal is not only to sell yarn and dolls but also to change how people perceive handmade craft—to ensure that artisans are fairly paid, their work respected, and their skills preserved for generations.
Every stitch, she believes, tells a story. And through Yarn Wonders, that story is only just beginning.
