Lauren Espy is the owner and designer behind A Menagerie of Stitches, a shop dedicated to creating crocheted amigurumi. Her love for amigurumi (and yarn!) all started after her grandma gifted her a set of crochet hooks and a book about amigurumi one Christmas.

After teaching herself how to crochet back in 2008, Lauren quickly began designing her own patterns and has created a style that is uniquely her own.

In 2015 she finally opened her Etsy shop and now sells finished items as well as crochet patterns. Lauren lives in Tennessee with her husband Carl and their two pups, Thunder and Storm.

Odd Dot is an imprint of Macmillan Children's Publishing Group dedicated to creating joyful books for curious minds. Our mission is to develop interactive and substantive gift books that explore categories and formats never seen before. We are a proudly odd mix of makers, creators, and engineers, guided by the priorities of innovation, education, and play.