One thing I want to do this year is bring you all alongside me as I try to be more intentional about growing my business. I want to help people better understand the inner workings of running a part-time crochet business and being an independent pattern designer – the good, the bad, the great, and the ugly. Especially because there is this misconception that the only people who make money in the crochet world are pattern designers, and alongside that is this idea that passive income automatically equals big money. “If you build it, they will come!” Well, not exactly.
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. This means if you click on a link and make a purchase from that website, I may receive a commission at no additional cost to you. For more information, see my Disclosures page.
With social media and the internet always at our fingertips, it’s really easy to get caught up in what other crochet makers and designers are doing and comparing ourselves to them. Am I doing enough? Should I be doing more? Why aren’t my patterns or handmade items selling? Maybe I should just give up. Maybe I shouldn’t even start. Sound familiar? #impostersyndrome The part most of us forget is we are typically only seeing people post at their best and only post the things that are most successful. I’m guilty of this myself. I have 29 patterns posted in my Ravelry shop, but only share about 10 or so of them regularly on my social media pages. Why? Because they are the most popular. I have 10 patterns that didn’t even sell one single copy last year! But this is the part of the business most people don’t talk about.
Last year I saw a trend on Instagram where people were posting how much they made with their crochet each month. Money is often a taboo topic in the US so I know some people find those Reels and posts cringy, but I loved seeing them. I like seeing what is possible and what I could potentially have some day if when I successfully grow my business. But at the same time, I wished I had been able to see transparency from more people in different parts of their business journey. It’s great to see big accounts who do this full time make thousands of dollars each month, but what about the people who are part-time designers? What about those with less than 3,000 followers on social media? What about those who have only been doing this for a few years?
I ran a poll on my Instagram page and asked if people would be interested in seeing my stats each month to better understand where smaller accounts and independent designers are coming from. The answer was a resounding yes (I’m not sure if you all are just nosy or want reassurances about your small business too, haha), so each month this year I will give you a breakdown of my business stats. To note, I do not intend for this to ever come across as bragging or “look at me!”. I just want to provide some transparency, normalize what some small businesses look like, and show you another business perspective most people don’t talk about. So without further ado, here is what I made as a small independent crochet designer and maker in January 2024.
1. Etsy (Patterns)
I sold 5 patterns on Etsy this month. The total revenue brought in was $25.85, but after paying the Etsy fees and credit card payment fees, the take home amount was $21.35.
Patterns sold: 4 Coffeehouse Santa Hat patterns and 1 Gemstone Beanie pattern
2. Ravelry
I also sold 5 patterns on Ravelry. Total revenue was $26, but after PayPal fees, the take home amount was $22.58.
Patterns sold: 2 Coffeehouse Santa Hat patterns, 2 Drifting Leaves Headband & Cowl patterns, and 1 Riptide Beanie pattern
3. Handmade Items
Currently, I only sell my handmade items on Etsy. I haven’t mastered Etsy SEO yet, which makes it hard for things to be seen. Because of this, I made $0 on handmade items this month. This is one area I plan on working on this year.
4. Affiliate Marketing/Blogging
I am an affiliate for WeCrochet/Knit Picks and Lion Brand. In January I didn’t make a single cent from either. I’ll have a post about affiliate marketing coming up in the next couple of months, but in short, clicking on someone’s affiliate link to make a purchase costs you nothing, and helps put a few dollars in your favorite designer’s pocket. It’s a great way to support someone without buying another pattern, especially if you were going to buy from that website anyway.
Additionally, my blog has not yet had enough eyes on it to be monetized, so no income from this yet either. I bring you all this content for free. 🙂
Total Income for January: 10 pattern sales totaling $43.93
So that is what I made last month. Months that start with “J” are notoriously bad for sales (January is right after Christmas and in June/July people are spending more money on activities and vacations than things). Hopefully things pick up from here, but I’m going to choose to celebrate that $43, even though I’ve already spent it all (and more) on yarn already. 🙂
So let me know what you think. Do you like seeing content like this? Drop me a comment and let me know!
Happy stitching!
