Welcome back to my “what a crochet designer makes in a month” series. If you are new to the blog, each month of 2024 I am being transparent and giving you a general breakdown of my financials as a crochet designer and maker. I was tired of seeing people all over social media saying, “passive income can make you thousands per month!” but it’s not always that simple, especially if crochet isn’t your full time job. So, if you are curious about what it’s like for many of us independent designers (especially in the current economy), read on!
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.
May Overview
Like April, May seemed to fly by and I’m not sure what happened to it. However, at least this month I feel like I got some things accomplished. I was able to finish writing up the pattern for a new bag design (the Patch of Asters Bag), which is with my testers now. It is a gorgeous 13-square bag with my personal take on a square motif using my favorite double front post double crochet. Be on the lookout for that new pattern before the end of June.
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Additionally, the Rustic Summer Asymmetrical Shawl crochet pattern was revamped and re-released as a FREE pattern on the blog! Missed it? You can find it here. This is one of my all time favorite stitch patterns and I am so happy with how this shawl came out. It is absolutely perfect for cool spring and early summer nights when you want a little something extra on your shoulders.
Find the FREE pattern here!
In last month’s post, I mentioned making some changes to my blog SEO (search engine optimization). Since then, more people are finding the blog and looking at more pages. Yay and welcome! In fact, I had more page views last month than I did all of last year! Therefore, the changes I made here are helping this blog be seen more.
On the flip side, the Etsy SEO changes I made in early April were a flop as I have not seen any changes to my sales. In fact, my shop views across the board are way down compared to last year, meaning the changes I made are not working. I finally came to terms with the fact that I obviously don’t know what I am doing and invested in an Etsy masterclass from a fellow crochet designer. As we enter into the naturally slow months for crochet, I plan on doing a lot of work on my shops to be ready when things start to ramp back up again in the fall.
Now, onto the platform breakdowns.
1. Etsy
This month was slow, but better than last month. I sold a total of 4 patterns – the Coffeehouse Santa Hat, the Riptide Headband, the Rustic Summer Cup Cozies, and the Gemstone Bag – all typical best sellers.
Total sales: 4 patterns
Gross income: $19.45
Minus Etsy processing, listing, and transaction fees: $3.46
Net profit: $15.99
2. Ravelry
I also sold 4 patterns on Ravelry, mostly the same ones from last month! A Gemstone Bag, the Rustic Summer Cowl, and the Rustic Summer Tee.
FREE on Blog
Etsy
Ravelry
Gross income: $19.75
Minus PayPal processing fees: $2.88
Minus Ravelry fee: $0
Net profit: $16.87
3. In Person Sales
I sold 2 Sandy Shores Beanies to a friend this month. After costs for materials and labor (and with a Friends & Family discount), I made approximately $14 in profit.
4. Affiliate Marketing/Blogging
Affiliate Revenue: I am an affiliate for WeCrochet/Knit Picks and Lion Brand and this month I finally got another a payout of $55.04! So thank you to everyone who clicks on my links and makes a purchase. It costs you nothing extra, but helps me pay for the blog and supports the free patterns I post.
Ad Revenue: $1.67. I switched over to a new ad platform in the middle of the month after struggling with getting accepted by Google AdSense. Definitely better that the native ad service associated with my blog (I mean, this is 12 times the amount I made last month), but I’m certainly not paying any bills with it. I also won’t get a payout until I make at least $50. So while it is included here, it’s not actually “cash in hand” tangible income.
Affiliate + Blog Profit: $56.71.
5. Expenses
Something I haven’t taken into account in these posts before now was all of the costs associated with running a crochet blog and business. However, it’s definitely a crucial piece of the puzzle worth mentioning. So, this month, I’m playing catch up with all of the expenses so far this year.
- WordPress Blog Hosting: $269 for 2 years
- WordPress Domain Registration: $19
- Courses: $276
- Yarn: $129
The yarn expense listed is only for the yarn bought to make the patterns I have released this year, no other projects. I am not sponsored by any yarn company and have not been provided yarn support for any of the patterns I have designed, so it is all out of pocket.
The courses I invested in include a membership to the Crochet Business Academy, the Etsy masterclass I spoke about earlier, as well as Pinterest and Social Media Content Creation mini-courses. I plan on reviewing all of these over the summer to kick start the fall and winter selling season.
Total Expenses to Date for 2024: $693
Total Brought In This Month: $103.57
Total Profit for 2024 (Income minus expenses): -$384.24
So, overall this month was actually the best one of the year thanks to the affiliate marketing payout, but you can see why I feel it important to add in the expenses and costs. As of today, I am still very much in the red for 2024. That is not likely to change in the next 3 months as summer is notoriously slow and my annual fee for my email service is due in a few weeks. But, it gives you a clearer picture about what a crochet designer and blogger makes and what goes in to making that happen.
Be on the lookout for the release of the Patch of Asters Bag later this month, and happy stitching!
