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 giving you a general breakdown of my financials as a small, independent crochet designer and maker as I think transparency in our craft is valuable. So, if you are curious about what it’s like for many independent crochet designers, 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.
November Overview
November ended up being a stellar month for me. In fact, it was my best November ever and best month of the year. October through December tend to be the months with the most pattern sales, which makes sense since most people think about crochet as a winter activity, and many of my patterns are beanies and ear warmers. Plus, I had my annual holiday/Black Friday/Cyber Monday sale, which helped encourage purchases (Missed the sales? Make sure you are signed up for my email list!).
Like the rest of the year, the standout seller was the Coffeehouse Santa Hat crochet pattern. Thanks to the number of sales, it once again earned a “Bestseller” badge on Etsy! So THANK YOU to everyone who has purchased it (don’t have your copy yet? There’s still time to make yourself one before Christmas!).
Ravelry
Etsy
Blog Post (Pattern Info)
This month I also did two more craft markets. One was a local “invite only” event and I had an okay number of sales. There was no booth fee for this market, so after accounting for the cost of goods and labor, everything was profit, which was nice. The other market, I managed to snag a last minute spot when another vendor dropped out. I was almost overwhelmed by the number of people who attended and purchased things. I was very grateful my mom was there to help me keep an eye on things because I would have been completely lost otherwise. She was able to talk to people and keep an eye on merchandise while I answered questions and manned the checkout station. My recommendation: always try to have a helper with you at these types of events!
Now, onto the details you really want to know about – the money!
1. Etsy
The Coffeehouse Santa Hat pattern has once again been my most viewed, favorited, and purchased pattern on Etsy this month (and this year!). As expected, the closer we get to Christmas the more this pattern sells.
Total sales: 66
Gross income: $309.10
Minus Etsy processing, listing, and transaction fees: $59.54
Net profit: $249.56
2. Ravelry
Once again, Ravelry was quite varied in terms of what sold. The Coffeehouse Santa Hat was definitely at the top, but there didn’t seem to be any other noticeable trends.
Total sales: 33
Gross income: $141.21
Minus PayPal processing fees: $16.94
Minus Ravelry fee + remitted taxes: $5.49
Net profit: $163.64
3. In Person Sales
Disclaimer: this section is going to be a little ish-y (i.e. not exact). Why? Because I’m still figuring out the best way to do the books for my business and I’m learning as I go. Earlier this year, I included yarn purchases in my Expense section, so the cost of goods for items made from that yarn have already been accounted for (but I still need to account for labor). But, for items that sold from yarn I bought in previous years, I do need to account for the cost of goods/materials in that equation. I started the “What I Made” series in January at zero, wanting to account for only this year’s sales/expenses. So, you’ll just have to trust me here. I am accounting for what I know, and estimating everything else for the purposes of this blog post.
Also, I include a labor cost here, which technically is money I earn outside of what my business makes. However, this blog post is more about what my business is making, not me personally, so it is not included in the profit.
Gross Sales: $1226
Cost of materials + labor: $739
Table fees: $35
Credit card fees: $27.64
Net Profit: $424.36
4. Affiliate Marketing/Blogging
Affiliate Revenue: I am an affiliate for WeCrochet/Knit Picks and Lion Brand. I got enough clicks and purchases to push me over $50, but I won’t get a payout for another month or two. I’ll account for it once I actually have that money in-pocket.
Ad Revenue: Ad revenue is still pennies a day, and I won’t get a payout until I reach $50 (which will be a while), so it won’t be listed in the total until then.
Affiliate + Blog Profit: $0
5. Expenses
This month ended up being another high expense month for a couple of reasons. One, Black Friday sales. There were quite a few yarns I wanted for 2025 pattern designs I have planned that I went ahead and bought when they went on sale. Additionally, I purchased a year of Yoast SEO Pro for the blog when they offered a deal.
But, most of the purchases were for market related things like yarn and pom poms to make more Santa hats (which sold well at my markets), branded faux suede tags, rivets, yarn for a custom order I took at one event, a branded table runner so I can advertise my business at indoor events without having to find a way to hang the banner I use for outdoor events, and a collapsible wagon for market set up and tear down (which ended up being a lifesaver at my December event).
Many of these things were needed to replace previously used items and will be needed as I make new inventory next year (such as the tags and rivets), or were items that were a one time purchase (table runner and wagon) and will be used for many future markets to come. Therefore, I consider them all necessary investments in my future business.
Total Expenses for November: $936.23
What a Crochet Designer & Maker Makes (Totals):
Total Brought In for November: $837.56
Total Profit for 2024 (Income minus expenses): -$2117.64
The good new is that I did better this fall, overall, in pattern sales than I have in a while. With a very disappointing year last year, this is promising. When I decided I wanted to do markets this year, I knew I would have quite a few expenses, and that was money I was willing to invest to get myself started. Now, I have most, if not all, of the supplies I want for setting up my booth space, so I won’t have those expenses again until the current items wear out or break. So, I consider this a set-up year, which will help me build for future years. With only one more month to go in 2024, where will I end up?
Happy stitching!
Want to check out prior months?
January 2024
February 2024
March 2024
April 2024
May 2024
June & July 2024
August & September 2024
October 2024
