March 2024 Recap

Another month, another monthly recap! For those new to the blog, I decided to be extremely transparent in 2024 with what my business brings in financially as a part-time crochet designer/blogger/maker. I wish I had been able to see this type of info from others when I first started designing to help normalize what some people experience and to show the ups and downs of selling crochet, since it is common on social media to just show when things are going well. The goal has been to create community and discussion around the topic and stop making finances so taboo. If you are interested in this info too (or are just nosy, haha), then read on to get a monthly overview and then breakdown by category/platform.

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.

March Overview
Up through 2022, it was common for me to sell at least 10 or so copies of a new pattern within the first few days after a release and then have sales continue to trickle in over time. I took the first half of 2023 off from designing while I completed my PhD, but noticed a distinct change in how people interacted with my social media and shops when I came back. Either most of my recent designs haven’t resonated with people, or people are being much pickier about where and how they spend money because I can’t seem to sell patterns like I used to.

In March, I released 2 new patterns – the Rustic Summer Headband and the Rustic Summer Cowl, lightweight patterns perfect for the ever changing weather between seasons. I also wrapped up my birthday sale, one of my biggest sales of the year. (Missed the pattern releases and sale? Make sure you are on my email list to always be notified of these events!) While I’ve sold a few copies of these patterns, I certainly haven’t sold as many as I expected, based on past numbers. Based on the fact that even one of my biggest sales of the year didn’t bring in many sales, I’m guessing people just aren’t buying (or something in the algorithms has really changed and I’m not being seen as well as I used to be).

But on the bright side, I’ve finally made progress in increasing my followers on social media, which also has felt stagnant over the last several months. I had a Reel go viral, bringing in nearly 750 new followers last month! Wow! Apparently you all really like the herringbone half double crochet! The good news is, I have plenty more stitch tutorials planned, so if you like those, be on the lookout here, as well as my YouTube and Instagram accounts.

Now, onto the platform breakdowns.

1. Etsy
March is a month that always feels really slow and this year was no exception. My pattern sale numbers on Etsy were down compared to last year, but my Ravelry numbers were up. It is so interesting to me to see which platforms do better each month.

However, I also sold a handmade cup cozie! While the numbers shown here show as all profit, the cost of materials and labor have not been taken out, so the actual profit is a bit lower than what is stated. Because I don’t sell many physical items yet, I don’t break that out, but I will as I start selling more at local markets.

Total sales: 7 (6 patterns + 1 cup cozie)
The Gemstone Cup Cozie pattern made up half of those sales, with various headbands making up the other half.

Gross income: $37.69
Minus Etsy processing, listing, and transaction fees: $7.26
Minus shipping costs: $4.02
Net profit: $26.41

2. Ravelry
Ravelry was the platform with the most sales this month, bringing in a total of 18 pattern sales! It was a split between a bunch of different beanies and headbands, with the most sales coming from the Sandy Shores Beanie (Bulky) and the Rustic Summer Tee.

Gross income: $75.33
Minus PayPal processing fees: $9.36
Minus Ravelry fee: $3.14
Net profit: $62.83

3. In Person Sales
$0

4. Affiliate Marketing/Blogging
I am an affiliate for WeCrochet/Knit Picks and Lion Brand, but this month no one bought anything from my links, so I made $0 in affiliate sales.

Ad Revenue: $0.17. Yep, 17 cents. I signed up for Google AdSense at the end of February, but it has been a nightmare trying to get my site connected and active (I’m still working on it), so this is still the generic ad revenue from WordPress, who hosts my site.

Affiliate + Blog Profit: $0.17.

Total Income for January: $89.41

Total income for 2024: $190.43

So, overall, not a terrible month. In the month of March I came close to doubling the prior 2 months combined, so it feels like progress. Etsy SEO is something I have a hard time with, so I do struggle with online sales. In the past, I have still been able to organically get pattern sales on Etsy, but lately that hasn’t been the case, so is something I plan to take some time in the coming months to learn about.

With that, happy stitching!