Hello, Wish!! I’m so happy to have you here for today’s post, which is all about crochet. Let me know if you’re also involved in fiber arts. I’d love to give your Substack a follow if you share your work here as well.
In addition to drawing | sketching, I’ve been crocheting for around 27 years. Crochet is part of the reason I refer to my work as “tinkering” art; because I’m not niched into a specific art-field.
About 10 years ago, I foolishly took on my first ever crochet commission piece. I wasn’t prepared for commissions and it ended up teaching me some valuable lessons about crochet — particularly for business.
Brief Advice for fellow | new crocheters:
Follow other crocheters and try to get familiar with any products they sell. This way, when someone asks you to crochet the thing you despise, you have other crocheters to recommend.
It’s okay to crochet the same thing on repeat… but it’s also okay to do the opposite. I become obsessed with my favorite patterns and will make only that pattern on repeat for months on end.
Wear your work. Carry it with you where you go. Especially if you’re wanting to branch out into selling it. Crochet is the singular, most popular creative thing I’ve ever done, though I had few customers. After the Drengr and I moved back to Georgia, people saw me wearing my favorite hats practically every day, and someone eventually asked if they could buy one.
If you don’t love what you crochet, people will be able to sense that — having said that, though, I understand it sometimes being a turn off. It took years for me to find a hat that didn’t look weird-shaped to me.
Don’t be afraid to crochet in public.
Befriend a library. They often have crochet books and manuals teaching how to crochet different things. With your library card, you may also be able to utilize apps such as Hoopla or Libby to access even more materials.
Pinterest is also helpful for finding patterns and ideas. I collect my favorites in this pinboard.
Sampling of the pinboard linked.
Last but not least, don’t be afraid to ask for help.
Thank you for being here and reading along, it means so much. I’ll share some more art soon.
Tinkerings
