Should You Start Crochet in 2024?
Short Answer: YES!
Long Answer:
Yes, you should start crochet.
It’s January. Time to join a gym, eat better, change habits, worry less, get richer and best of all: try something new! Crochet is a wonderful craft that can be anything you want it to be. It can be your passionate hobby, a therapeutic escape, or your very livelihood as a business. There is no better time than today to begin!
Crochet as a Hobby
It’s good to have a hobby, something to express our passions. Crochet is a very versatile hobby. It is not limited to granny squares and scarves, but anything your heart desires. Plus it’s mobile. Crochet goes wherever you go. Just grab a bag with your hook, a pair of scissors and your yarn. That’s all you need. Take it with you as you wait in the car, or to the couch. With enough practice, you’ll even be able to crochet while binge-watching your favorite shows!
Some hobbies can be wasteful, but with crochet everything can have a purpose. Need some coasters? No problem. Can’t find a shawl that perfectly matches your outfit? Make the perfect style and color. Want a rainbow bee pillow? Done. Matching family stockings around the fireplace with custom appliques to everyone’s personal taste, including pets. Absolutely! The only problem might be where to keep all the yarn you’ll keep buying.
The best part of crocheting is the gifts you can make. Now all of a sudden you have a hobby that can be used to make a special surprise. Know someone that is expecting a baby? Well when you head to the store to buy a gift, most of the time you will be only able to find pink, blue or gray for those who want to stay neutral. But you know what they would want and best of all you can make that mint green hippo security blanket/lovey that they will treasure forever.
Crochet as an Escape
We all need a way to escape and get a little control back in our lives. What is more relaxing than sitting around and making something? It is soothing and it is repetitive. Just like counting sheep. Row after row or round and round. Then, when you are done making that giant sheep, you can always stuff him with a pouch of lavender and have a wonderful cuddle buddy.
You will have to find time to crochet. Find time to step away from your busy life. Maybe even turn off that phone, or just set it on silent and play some soothing music as you enter your crochet place. And that separation from chaos can give you the peace you need.
Did you know that crochet is affected by your stress? If you are finding your tension being a little tight, relax. Your tension can even change while you crochet because you are relaxing as you go.
Crochet as a Business
You might be asking: Can I make money with crochet? Yes you can. You think to yourself: No, I mean, can I really make money with crochet. The answer is still yes. There are many ways to supplement your income. However, I do not recommend people to start crochet looking to make money. I find that money is just a nice perk to be used to buy more yarn to fuel a passion.
Selling your finished items:
People enjoy receiving something that is handmade. It is something truly one of a kind, even with the most popular designs and patterns. We are human and those imperfections in our work make each piece a masterpiece. If you enjoy making baby blankets for all of your friends, why not make them for the whole world.
Many patterns that you find online allow you to sell any item you create using said pattern. Just make sure you check with the pattern you decide to use.
Any patterns found here on Crochet Forest are free to be used for creating items for sale. Just don’t sell the patterns themselves. Speaking of which, another great way in making money with crochet is through:
Selling your original patterns:
If you have creativity and create something without the use of a pattern, this is a great way to earn money.
Have you spent hours looking for the right pattern for something and just cannot seem to find the right thing? I know I have. Chances are someone else is looking too. Why not make the pattern yourself and then share with the rest of the world? Or if there is a hot new trend, you can be one of the first to jump in!
It is not easy to develop a pattern. You have to be able to visualize something, write down every step you take and make sure that it is legible and followed by somebody else. The benefit to selling patterns is that it can grow into a passive income instead of an active one. Just create a pattern once and sell it over and over again. This takes more time at first to develop and test your pattern, but you will no longer have to spend time and materials making items to sell.
If you have your own website, you can even offer the patterns for free with an option to purchase an ad free PDF file.
Where do you sell:
You can sell directly to friends, family and neighbors. Or visit a local craft fair. The biggest resources you can use to selling your finished project or pattern is making a shop on Etsy, Ravelry and Ribblr!
Other ways to make money with crochet:
There are other ways to make money with crochet. Have great charm and patience? Try creating video tutorials online and teaching courses. Love to take pictures and write? Sit down and make a blog or publish a whole book on crochet. You can even offer your services as a pattern tester.
In closing
I crochet to make my kids smile. They love whatever I make, with the millions of imperfections, and their joy fills me with such satisfaction. I feel like I need to keep going no matter what because they want to see me cross that finish line. It’s nice to have something made that useful. Something I made. It’s such a wonderful feeling.
Whatever your reason for starting or your goals for crochet, I encourage you to pick up a hook and join me and the rest of the wonderful community with this craft.