How to Make Money Crocheting in 6 Easy Steps

So, you've fallen in love with crocheting. You’ve got hooks of every size, your yarn collection is growing at an alarming rate, and your friends and family are guaranteed a lifetime supply of sweaters and scarves.

If you live and breathe crocheting, have you considered that it could be more than just a hobby? Yes, you can absolutely make money with it. Many crafters have turned their passions into real sources of income—even full-time jobs—and so can you.

The most obvious way to make money crocheting is to sell your creations—people are always on the lookout for unique, handmade items. But this is not the only route. The crochet world is full of opportunities, many of which are passive, meaning they can earn you money even when you're not actively working.

Let's explore these opportunities, as well as the exact steps you can take to turn your love for crochet into a profitable business. The best part is you already have everything you need to get started, so there’s absolutely no reason to not give it a go. Get your hooks ready, and let’s dive in!

6 Steps to Starting Your Crochet Business

Whether you’re looking to earn a full-time income or just want to start a little side hustle, the steps below will help you get your crochet business up and running.

Step 1: Hone Your Skills

This should go without saying, but if you want to attract and retain customers, you need to produce high-quality products and offer real value.

If you’re relatively new to crocheting, make sure your skills are up to par. Learn everything you can about the craft by reading books, watching tutorials and taking crocheting classes. As you grow more confident, challenge yourself with more complex techniques and projects. The better you become, the more diverse your product offerings can be.

And even if you’ve got years of experience under your belt, having the attitude of a lifelong learner will only help your business. Continue practicing, learning new techniques and pushing the limits of your creativity. Experiment with creating your own techniques and patterns—it’s a great way to find your unique style and contribute something new to the world of crochet.

It’s also important to acknowledge that being a crochet expert is only half the battle—in order to run a successful business, you also need some basic business know-how. If you haven’t already, familiarize yourself with key concepts like pricing strategies, accounting and marketing. It’s also worth learning basic photography and videography skills, as high-quality visuals are essential for promoting your crochet products online. Don’t worry, you don’t need to be a whiz at all this right from the start—you’ll learn a lot of it as you go—but having a solid foundation will make launching your business much easier and set you on the path to success.

Step 2: Identify Your Niche

One of the biggest mistakes you can make as a new business owner is trying to sell everything under the sun. Instead, it’s much more effective to find a niche—a specific category of products that you love to make and talk about.

Having a niche will allow you to attract a highly targeted audience, making it easier to engage customers who are genuinely interested in what you offer. It can also strengthen your brand identity, set you apart from the competition and make your marketing efforts more effective.

To identify your niche, think about what you enjoy crocheting the most. Do you love making baby blankets, stylish scarves or cute home decor items? When you focus on making things you love, you’ll not only enjoy the process more, but your enthusiasm will also shine through in your work.

Once you’ve identified your niche, it’s time to do some market research and further refine your offerings. The goal here is to figure out what exactly customers are looking for, what’s already out there and what sells well. You might even be able to find a market gap—something customers want or need but no one is currently providing.

To conduct your market research, check out popular online marketplaces like Etsy and Amazon Handmade. Join forums, read crochet blogs and participate in social media groups to gain insights into current trends and customer preferences.

Step 3: Consider All Possible Income Streams

Crafting and selling finished products is the most obvious way to generate income in your crochet business, and it’s a great place to start. However, doing this means you’ll be directly trading your time for money, and since there are only so many hours in a day, there’s an automatic ceiling on how much you can earn.

On top of this, the unfortunate truth is that we live in a world full of low-priced, mass-produced goods, and the average consumer likely isn’t willing to pay what your crochet items are really worth. For example, if you spend five hours crafting a beautiful amigurumi doll, in order to make a fair wage, you’d have to sell it for upwards of $100. Since most people are accustomed to paying $20-30 for a similar mass-produced product, the pool of potential customers who truly understand the value of your work and are willing to pay for it is probably quite small.

This is not to say that crocheting and selling your creations shouldn't be part of your business model—the whole reason you’re getting into this in the first place is because you love to crochet! But if you don’t want to spend every waking minute crocheting, diminish the value of your work just to stay competitive or cap the amount of revenue you can earn, then you need to supplement this income stream with a few others.

Luckily, there are plenty of other crochet-related ways to make money. A lot of these are more passive, so once you put in a bit of work upfront, you can reap the rewards in your sleep. Plus, there’s no limit to how much you can earn.

1. Sell Crochet Patterns

Your fellow crocheters are constantly on the lookout for new and interesting patterns, so why not try selling your own designs? You can share them on platforms like Etsy, Ravelry or even on your own website. Remember to conduct thorough testing, provide clear instructions and include high-quality photos to make sure your patterns are user-friendly and marketable. Once you’ve created a design, the income it will generate is completely passive!

2. Sell Crochet Kits

Take your patterns a step further and put together kits that include everything customers would need to complete a crochet project—instructions, yarn, hooks, stuffing and any other crochet tools and accessories. These kits are especially appealing to beginners who want to try out crocheting without the hassle of sourcing materials themselves. Plus, they make wonderful gifts.

3. Submit Designs to Books and Magazines

If you’re an experienced pattern designer and you want to broaden your reach, you can try submitting your crochet designs to craft books and magazines. Getting published can be a great way to gain exposure and earn extra income. Alternatively, you might even consider publishing your own book of designs.

4. Brand Sponsorships and Affiliate Marketing

If you’re serious about making money as a crocheter, you should have an active social media presence, a blog or, preferably, both. This is one of the best ways to reach new customers, but it’s also an opportunity to make additional revenue through brand sponsorships and affiliate marketing. Partner with your favorite yarn companies or craft stores to promote their products in exchange for a fee or a commission. This way, you can earn passive income while making crochet-related content and providing value to your audience.

5. Teach Crochet

Share your passion and wisdom with others who might want to learn crochet. You can offer in-person classes and workshops at community centers, craft stores or schools. Alternatively, you can create online courses, start a YouTube channel or publish instructional ebooks.

If all this sounds overwhelming, remember that you don’t have to do it all at once. Start with a few income streams that sound not only manageable but also fun. Ideally, the different avenues you choose will feed into and help promote each other. For example, maybe you grow your audience by teaching crochet tips and tricks, which in turn helps drive sales of your crochet patterns, which eventually leads to a book publishing deal.

Step 4: Set Up Your Crochet Business

Now that you’ve honed your skills, identified your niche and settled on a few different income streams you’d like to try, it’s time to officially set up your crochet business.

Start by creating a simple business plan. Outline the income streams you plan to pursue and set some goals for yourself. You don’t have to have everything figured out from day one, but having a rough plan and a timeline will help you stay focused and organized.

Next, create a strong brand identity to help you stand out in the crowded crochet market. Choose a memorable brand name and design a logo that reflects your style. A cohesive brand identity—consistent colors, fonts and tone—will make your business look professional and trustworthy.

Lastly, be sure to look into the legal and tax obligations associated with operating a business where you live. If you’re not sure what’s required of you as a small business owner, consult with an accountant or legal professional to ensure you’re setting everything up correctly.

Once your business is established, you should make your products and offerings available for sale, both online and in physical locations.

1. Online Marketplaces

Platforms like Etsy and Amazon Handmade are popular choices for selling crochet products. Etsy is also a great place to sell patterns, as is Ravelry. The benefit of selling through a dedicated online marketplace is that there is already a built-in audience and a supportive community of crafters. When setting up your online shop, be sure to create attractive product listings by including high-quality photos and detailed descriptions. This will help bring traffic to your shop and maximize sales.

2. Your Own Website

Having your own website gives you complete control over your brand and sales process. It’s a particularly great option if you have a few different offerings—for example, patterns, ebooks and courses—and you want to keep them all in one place. A well-designed website also helps build credibility with your customers.

Take the time to set up accounts on popular social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and TikTok. You’ll primarily use these to promote your products and engage with your community, but depending on where you live, you may also have the option to sell your products there. Look into features like TikTok Shop and Shops on Instagram—if they’re available in your region, be sure to set them up.

4. Craft Fairs and Local Markets

Participating in local craft fairs and markets is a fantastic way to connect with potential customers in person. These events offer a great opportunity to showcase your products, get instant feedback and build relationships with local crafters and customers. Get started by researching upcoming events in your area, looking into getting any required permits and applying to be a vendor there.

Step 6: Promote Your Business

Now that your products and offerings are available for sale, you can start promoting them. To build your marketing strategy, consider the following:

Platforms like Instagram, TikTok and Facebook are invaluable tools for promoting your crochet business. Post regularly about your latest projects, share behind-the-scenes content and engage with your followers. Use relevant hashtags to reach a broader audience and don’t be afraid to collaborate with other crafters or influencers in your niche.

2. Blogging

Blogging is an excellent way to reach people who use search engines to discover crochet-related products and services. Write relevant blog posts, employing basic SEO (search engine optimization) tactics and using keywords strategically. Don’t forget to share your blog posts on Pinterest—visually appealing pins can help drive significant traffic to your blog and your online shop.

3. Paid Advertising

Paid advertising can help you gain visibility and target specific audiences. Consider running ads on Facebook, Instagram, Google, Etsy or Pinterest to promote your products. Just be sure to set a budget and monitor your results to ensure you’re getting a good return on investment.

4. Email Marketing

Create a free pattern and invite people to download it in exchange for their email address. You can then send them newsletters, promotions and updates about your latest crochet offerings. It’s a great way to keep your audience engaged and encourage repeat purchases.

5. In-Person Marketing

Consider creating physical marketing materials like business cards, brochures and flyers. These are especially useful for in-person events like markets and craft fairs, where you can hand them out to potential customers.

Tips for Success

Starting a crochet business is exciting, but it requires patience, hard work and perseverance. Keep the following tips in mind to set yourself up for success:

1. Prioritize Customer Relationships

Building strong relationships with your customers is crucial. Offer excellent customer service, add personalized touches to your orders and always respond to feedback. Happy customers are more likely to leave positive reviews and recommend your business to others.

2. Keep Learning

The crochet world is always evolving, as is the landscape of running a small business. Stay curious and keep learning, whether it’s mastering a new crochet skill, getting better at photography or learning about the latest marketing strategies.

3. Stay Motivated

It’s normal to experience slow periods, especially when you’re just starting out. To stay motivated, set manageable goals and celebrate small wins along the way. Remember, building a successful crochet business takes time, so have patience and be kind to yourself.

4. Learn To Manage Your Time

Balancing all parts of running your business—crocheting, pattern design, marketing, customer service and administrative tasks—can be a challenge. To help you stay on track, set priorities, realistic goals and deadlines. Create a schedule that works for you and stick to it no matter what, so you can avoid falling behind or dropping balls.

5. Outsource Tasks

As your business grows, you might find it helpful to outsource certain tasks, such as kit assembly, packing and shipping, video editing or social media management. This will allow you to dedicate more of your time to the areas where you excel or the ones you especially enjoy. You’ll avoid burnout, run your business more efficiently and set it up for future growth.

Start Making Money Crocheting

Start sharing your love for crochet, building an audience and taking advantage of opportunities to make money. Before long, you’ll be able to turn your passion into a profitable venture. It won't happen overnight, but with patience, creativity and the right mindset, you can build a successful business. Go ahead and give it a go—the world is waiting to see what you’ll create!

Written By

Sayana Lam

Sayana is a musician, writer and graphic designer based in Toronto, Canada.