The common understanding of “Professional” is someone that gets paid for doing something. I’ve gotten paid for patterns that I’ve designed, so that makes me a Professional Crochet Designer! That sounds so fancy schmancy!
And So it Begins
I learned to crochet at my grandmother’s (Nanny) knee when I was 4. I made miles of chains before I finally got to single crochet, then double. The rest I learned on my own from books (!) before the internet.
Selling of the Crocheted Goodies
I got pretty good at it over the years, and eventually, I started doing craft fairs. The problem with me and craft fairs is that I always made the cutest things… to ME, and didn’t really think about what my customers would buy. That is mistake #672 of doing craft fairs. I was also all over the place when it came to products… a few purses, a few blankets, a few hats… so I didn’t really sell much. I do much better now with commissions.
I started taking afghan commissions at my job, and was inundated with business, but I under-valued my work. I was getting about $35 per afghan (3 times the cost of yarn) … no wonder I had a long list of customers! I worked pretty steadily on my afghans before I had my firstborn. It was a little more difficult after that, but I was still working on random things. I also had a spot in a local kid’s boutique and I did pretty good there.
At this point, I was able to start using the internet to find patterns. I joined Ravelry, which is a wonderful place to keep all of your patterns, projects, as well as search for new patterns and see what other people have done with them. If you haven’t checked it out yet, you should!
Knitting Socks
I taught myself to knit and had a major sock thing going on for quite a while. I think my love of knitting socks for the most part came from the portability of sock knitting. I could carry a sock that I was working on pretty much everywhere. I also had a huge girl crush on Stephanie over at Yarn Harlot! Her designs inspired me to learn how to knit because what she was making was Ah-Mazing!
I joined a crochet group and made great friends that shared my obsession. We met up every 2 weeks, and it was a great escape from mommyhood for a couple hours.
Eventually, I started designing my own patterns. (You can see a quick glimpse of the ones for sale here!) Ravelry: Store: Hook n Stick Designs I’ve also had a few designs published in Crochet Magazine (They are no longer in print, so I’m trying to contact someone to see if I can publish them myself). See… Professional Crochet Designer!
Patterns For Sale
With the publishing of these designs, I officially became a Professional Crochet Designer. Here is a list of the crochet and knit designs that I have for sale on Ravelry:
Pirate Hat – my most popular design by far.
Sweet Summertime – a sleeveless little girl top
Monkey & Yak Scarf – this one is a freebie!!
Pee Wee Parka – both a jacket and hoodie in one pattern
If you love them as much as I do, please consider purchasing them!
Crochet! Magazine patterns that I hope to publish myself, because they are no longer in print. Once I have permission to publish these patterns (if it’s even possible), I will update this post!
All of this to say that I love to crochet, and I do enjoy the designing process. It makes me happy to see the folks on Ravelry showing off their take on my designs. Drop a comment and let me know which one is your favorite!
Here is another site of some of my favorite crochet patterns… and they’re FREE!
https://www.ravelry.com/projects/brandeekins/crochet-owl-hat-newborn-adultRepeat Crafter Me – I have made SO many of her designs for clients. The baby owl beanie set has been my biggest seller, and it is SO cute! You can see my project on Ravelry Here.
Want more tidbits into the wonderful world of Brandee? Check out my About Me page!
