Realizing I Don't Have a Niche, and That's OK!

I have saved so many tutorials and free patterns of clothing I wanted to make for myself. I never found the time to do so. My husband and I decided that 2024 would be our year of progress. Towards what, you may ask? Well, we wanted to clean up debt and look into buying a house. We both received promotions at work, and we were entering a new phase of family life: parent-teacher conferences.

My husband brought up that I should do some research on strategies for selling my work. I had mentioned it before, but postpartum depression took a toll on me and I went several months without creating. After the fog had lifted, I made a slew of baby blankets for coworkers. It seemed like everybody was having a baby! 

After the Mini Baby Boom

I grew tired of crafting again. I kept saving patterns and buying yarn but not making much of anything. Then I discovered Ribblr, a place to buy, create, and sell patterns and creations. I was enamored and started creating patterns for sale. I got a couple of nibbles and was on top of the world!

I'm A Busybody Crocheter

I realized that I was doing too much. My creations were random because I moved according to my “flavor of the week” interests. I like practical functional items like coasters, dishcloths & washcloths, glasses pouches, and shower poufs. I also enjoy fun decor like amigurumi and tapestries. I went into a cat beanie phase and wrote out a couple dozen ideas, but only created three; at least the ideas are saved. When I grabbed a tunisian hook, a scarf or shawl was on the way. 

I love to test out new techniques and stitches. For a short while, I even added on my bios something along the lines of “will try anything once”. This had put me on a path to be a “jack of all trades” for crochet content.

What Are Others Doing

I started looking at others in the community for inspiration on how to expand my horizons. Craft markets are a huge thing, and I am nowhere near ready for that type of commitment. Of course I've tried an Etsy store too. I opened it shortly before my first child was born. One thing that I saw as consistent is blogs, like this one!

Blogs are practically everywhere, from Pinterest to Google search. They offer great information and personal experiences for anything under the sun. As was famously said, "Write what you know".

What Are the Things I Know?

I know I want to share my love for the craft of crochet with my sons and others.

I know I'm going to be inspired by something random.

I know I want to keep creating for as long as I can.

I know I'm going to continue crafting at every available moment I can spare. Stitches add up over time, and time spent equals a completed project.