In today’s blog post, I’m debunking five crochet design myths that are floating out there and holding you back from earning money from your hobby.
Sometimes we can get caught up in our own thoughts and trying out something new seems overwhelming.
How can I become a professional crochet designer? Can you earn a living with crochet? Where do I even begin with designing?
You’ve probably also heard, “crochet is just a hobby” and “creatives don’t make enough money”.
If this sounds similar, you’re not alone! As we debunk these myths, you’ll learn some of my best tips to transform from a crocheter to a designer to a creative business owner.
Myth #1: Crocheters can’t actually earn money online
You’ve probably heard something similar, right? “People can’t make money from their passion” or “that’s a cute hobby, what’s your real job?” ← This one drives me crazy!
I’m here to tell you that if you have a skill that someone values, you can earn a living from it.
Specifically with crochet patterns, you’re selling a shortcut to an outcome.
People are willing to pay $$$ to save time, effort and frustration. By sharing your designs, you’re creating an outlet for other crocheters to find joy and relaxation with their hobby.
The great thing about crochet designing is that beyond selling pdf patterns, you can or , create designs for magazine or book commissions, do affiliate marketing and receive sponsorships. These are just some of the methods that I’ve used to turn For The Frills into a 6-figure business in less than 2 years.
It’s that best time ever in history to make money as a crochet designer. With technology, there are so many different ways to monetise crochet designing and create different revenue streams.
The digital content market is expected to grow to $594 billion by 2027* (yes, that’s billion with a B!). So, there’s plenty of space for everyone to create a thriving business.
*according to Linkedin.
Myth #2: I’m not enough of an expert/advanced/skilled crocheter
Everyone has their own unique style and skills that no one else can offer. This is especially true with crochet!
You could ask 10 people to crochet a “round neck sweater with puff sleeves” and all the designs would vary wildly.
Different yarns, stitches, construction, even silhouettes. The great thing about crochet designing is that there are so many opportunities for you to add your own spark to a design.
And in terms of crochet ability, you only need to be 1 step ahead to teach someone something. You don’t need to be a master!
For example, if the only thing you know how to crochet is a granny square, you can design a granny square. You can teach complete beginners out there that are starting from 0.
You’ve gained a skill that most people haven’t learned. And if you’re reading this post, you’re a step ahead of someone just thinking about crochet design. You’re already in the research phase!
Myth #3: Crocheting and handmade crafts aren’t popular anymore
There is a belief that people don’t ‘have time’ for crafts anymore and crocheting is on a decline, but this couldn’t be further from the truth.
In reality, the opposite is happening – crafts are becoming more and more popular as people are looking for ways to disconnect from social media and create something with their own two hands.
The disconnect between the ‘traditional’ image of crochet and the current reality is due to the lack of modern crochet patterns.
There are more crocheters than ever (especially after the past few years) and they are desperately searching for new designs!
Crocheters are looking for modern, comfortable patterns that make you proud to say, ‘I made this!’.
While more modern patterns are now available, there is still a huge opportunity for growth. It’s simple; there are more crocheters looking for modern patterns than there are crochet designers.
Myth #4: Selling physical products is the only way to make money with crochet
Let me introduce you to the power of ✨ passive income✨. You might be thinking, “What is passive income?”
Simply put, passive income is money you earn without active effort.
For example, if it takes you 20 hours to crochet a design and make a pattern, it doesn’t matter if you sell 100 patterns or 10,000 patterns – you still will have spent the same amount of time (20 hours) creating the pattern.
However, if it takes you 10 hours to crochet a sweater and then you sell the finished sweater – for every additional sweater you sell, you need to start all over again and spend another 10 hours crocheting. If you sell ten sweaters, you’ll have spent 100 hours crocheting.
Crochet designing is easier to scale and more sustainable because the number of hours you have in a day is fixed.
We all get the same 24 hours a day, but with crochet designing you can earn income while you sleep.
Think back to the feeling of satisfaction when you finished your first crochet project. With crochet designing, you can share that joy hundreds, thousands, even a million times over!
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with selling physical items – if that’s what you prefer! Just remember that crochet is a handmade, bespoke craft and should be valued as such. Crochet is not designed to compete with fast fashion. Your time, creativity and work are worth it ?
Personally, crochet designing works best for me because it provides so much freedom with time and location. I travelled through Europe and took an extended break this summer without worrying about work. It simply wouldn’t have been possible if I was selling physical items. That’s the benefit of passive income!
Myth #5: I’m overwhelmed and I don’t know where to start
Ever heard the saying, “Perfection is the enemy of progress”? If you’re waiting to be 100% ready to start something, you’ll never get anything done.
Think back to when you first started crocheting. It was something wholly new to you, but if you had never picked up your hook, where would you be? You’d probably of missed out on so much relaxing creativity!
Just like when you first started to crochet, designing is a journey. So, take it one step at a time.
You can start by , focus on small projects and work your way up to larger garments.
Chances are you might never share your first design but that’s ok!
Set yourself one task today – whether it’s something as simple as picking out your yarn, crocheting a swatch or sketching out a design – and then keep going.
If you want to start designing and would like a bit of support, don’t forget to grab my !
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