The first time I met Katelyn Leonardo, she walked into the room in a floor-length, hot pink, mermaid-style crochet dress, the crystals and beads catching the light in the State Library of NSW’s Glasshouse venue. Every time she was asked if it was handmade, she would nod enthusiastically – even the talented crowd at the Better Homes and Garden Creator Awards was awestruck. Later that afternoon, she was announced as the winner of our Knit, Crochet or Textile Crafter category, and it wasn’t hard to see why.
Known as @tataykatelyn on Instagram, TikTok and other social media channels, 23-year-old Katelyn is reshaping the limits of crochet. The Sydneysider began crocheting during lockdown, learning the basics through YouTube.
Her first creation was a fluffy, cat-eared balaclava with silver charms and safety pins that gave it a punk edge. Today, what began as a lockdown hobby has skyrocketed into a busy full-time job.
The crochet that made her famous
Her most famous works include her crocheted knight helm and armour, and headphone covers shaped like sushi. It was these that first propelled her across the internet.
But scroll further and her world becomes surreal: magical parasols fitted with koi fish, floating Ferris wheels balanced atop hoods, life-size angel wings, sculptural gowns that made headlines at Australian Fashion Week in 2025 and masterful recreations of Met Gala costumes. Her work is maximalist, whimsical and occasionally absurd – the kind of internet-fuelled creativity that feels impossible to categorise neatly.
Having gone viral with her knight helm and armour in 2024, Katelyn’s relationship with crochet changed almost overnight. “I got, like, over 80,000 followers within one night. I woke up the next morning like, this is insane. I don’t know what to do with this,” she says. What followed wasn’t just attention. Commissions, collaborations and sponsorships started to come in, leading to sleepless nights and an overactive email inbox.
The moment she realised this had become much bigger than a hobby was when she was approached by streetwear brand Sprayground. Katelyn went on to create four garments for London Fashion Week in 2025 – her largest project to date.
“It ate up a lot of my time, and it really tested my limits on what I could get done because making four giant garments, all of them crochet, was very overwhelming. But it’s one of the proudest things I’ve ever done.”
Katelyn’s creative process
When I chat to her about the creative process behind her work, there’s surprisingly little planning involved and a whole lot of intuition.
“It is so much trial and error. I barely do drafts. I love to freehand. I love to just go into it straight away. This is why I kind of have problems recording things because I just want to get it done. And I’m very impatient, so I love seeing things get finished,” she says. “[Inspiration] comes from just everywhere I go. I mean, I love nature. Nature will always play a giant part with me.”
Even the way she talks about crochet feels less like discussing a traditional craft and more like describing performance art. There’s little concern for perfection and even less interest in practicality. Pieces are often created simply because they’d be exciting to exist in the world.
“I think in the very beginning, I always wanted to do something that has never been done before.” Katelyn has seen her following grow as people turn towards hobbies that exist outside of their screens. “We just don’t want to use our phones anymore… we’re just trying to find different things to do,” she says.
Her family are never too far behind either. One glance at her social pages and you can see how their support pours in. Even at the Creator Awards, she tells us that her entourage was made up almost entirely of relatives. “They are the most supportive people, my cousins especially. We all come from different avenues, so mine is a bit, you know, odd, but they’re very supportive.”
The rise of hobby-maxxing
The rise of “hobby-maxxing” – the intentional shift towards filling your calendar with hands-on, creative activities – sits right at the centre of Katelyn’s work, even if she doesn’t name it. “I think it’s just that rewarding feeling after you make it. You feel really, really great and you want to do the next thing,” says Katelyn. “No machine can make it.”
It’s perhaps why her work resonates so strongly online. In an era where algorithms reward sameness, Katelyn’s creations feel refreshing, quirky and human. There’s sincerity to the way she approaches her art – no irony, no trying to be “viral”, just an unwavering commitment to making the ideas in her head tangible.
And while her audience continues to grow, Katelyn still speaks about crochet with the same excitement as someone discovering it for the very first time. “It’s literally a string, a string and a hook,” she says with conviction. “It’s amazing and just so much fun.”
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