One of the best ways to start a side hustle is to try and monetize your hobby. Learning how to make money crocheting is the perfect way to earn some extra cash.
Maybe you just want to cover your materials to make your hobby cost-free.
Or maybe you have ambitions of becoming a full-time crocheter.
In this post, I will show you the best ways to earn money crocheting including some crochet business ideas you have probably never even thought of!
We will look in depth at the three main ways to make money with your crochet skills:
- Selling your crochet crafts
- Making and selling crochet patterns
- Teaching others to crochet
This post contains affiliate links. Please read my Disclosure for more information.
MORE CRAFTY IDEAS
8 Quick Gifts To Knit In A Weekend
11 Most Profitable Cricut Business Ideas
How To Make Money Crocheting
Before you start thinking about your crochet business, have a think about what you want to achieve and how much money you have to dedicate to your new money-making venture.
There are lots of stay at home crochet jobs you can do and all of them vary in the amount of time and effort they will take, and of course, the amount of money you can make crocheting.
Selling your crochet items is the obvious way to make money but if you become really successful, you might get overwhelmed with requests for items.
Likewise, teaching others to crochet can be a lucrative side gig if you have the time to dedicate to it.
Secondly you want to consider how much money can you can actually make with your hobby.
Yarn isn’t cheap and you need to be able to turn a profit otherwise it won’t be worth your time.
So let’s dive into the best ways to make money with a crochet business:
The Best Crochet Business Ideas For 2023
Sell Your Crochet Items
As I mentioned above, selling your crochet is the obvious choice.
After all, if you love crocheting, you probably have too many pieces already and are looking for excuses to make more stuff.
The main thing to consider when selling your crochet items is how to make a profit.
Price too low and you won’t cover your time and materials. Price too high and you won’t get any sales.
You can sell items you make and are ready to go and you can also accept custom requests or commissions where you negotiate the price.
How Much Do Crochet Items Sell For?
This is the big question.
You want to know if you can really make money off of crocheting.
The truth is that you most definitely can but if you are selling blankets and other items you need to price them correctly.
One issue I have come across is that many crafters undersell their products and don’t really make a profit.
Before selling, really think, “can I sell this for a price that makes it worth my time?”
If the answer is no, then don’t.
There may be some items that are just not worth your time and energy for the price you can get for them.
Most crafters suggest pricing your items at around 2x the cost of your materials.
The only issue with this is that it doesn’t take into account your local market and the need for competitive pricing.
It also doesn’t take into account the time you spend making the crochet items.
In my opinion, your best bet for determining pricing on your crochet items is to do some thorough market research.
Check out local craft fairs, do some searches on Etsy and check out your local Facebook marketplace.
See what similar items are selling for and price yours accordingly, being careful to factor in handling and shipping costs if necessary.
In researching this question, I came across a crochet business expert that has a lot to say on the pricing issue.
I highly recommend you check out her post on this topic if you get stuck with working out how to price crochet items correctly.
RELATED POST: How To Make Money Knitting
What Crochet Items Sell Best?
Although it depends on where you are selling your projects, here are the crochet items that sell best at craft fairs and local markets ( I didn't include blankets and afghans because while they do sell well, it can be hard to recoup your money given the time and materials needed).
Crocheted Photo Props
Photo props, and specifically photo props for newborn babies, are really popular. You probably know about the Anne Geddes photos of babies from the 1980s and 1990s - those cute photos are still really popular.
This one of the crochet items that sell great and that you can price really well.
Crochet Baby Booties
All kinds of baby items sell really well, especially cute booties. Make them in different colors and sizes to get the most sales.
Reusable Crocheted Water Balloons
Crocheted water balloons are a really nice environmentally friendly option for summer and they are really popular at craft fairs.
Crochet Dishcloths / Pot Holders / Trivets
Dishcloths and washcloths make a great gift and are a crochet item that you can whip up in no time and sell in batches.
The top sellers come in cute shapes and colors like the ones pictured.
Scrunchies
The 1990s are back! Handmade scrunchies are a great way to make some money from this retro come-back!
Crochet Macrame
Another retro trend is macrame. Purses, wall hangers and other items are selling like crazy right now.
Headbands
Headbands and ear warmers are another easy to make, popular to but crochet items that sell really well at craft fairs.
The Best Places To Sell Crochet Items
Now you have decided what to sell, it’s time to work out where to actually sell your crafts. Here are some places you can try:
- Craft Fairs
- Local stores
- Farmer’s Markets
- Your Own Website
- Amazon
- Etsy
- Subscription Boxes
- Word of Mouth
How To Sell Crochet Items On Facebook
Selling crochet items on Facebook is a really good way to get started if you are new to making money with your hobby.
On Facebook you have a few options and I recommend you take a 3 pronged approach and try all three of these places on Facebook:
Facebook Marketplace
Facebook marketplace is the obvious place to start selling your items as you don’t need to pay anything and can reach a local audience.
You can create as many listings as you like for free.
The only downside is arranging shipping or pick ups with your customers.
Your Facebook Page
You can create your own Facebook Page and promote your crocheted items that way.
Ask for people to like your page and advertise sales and promotions.
Facebook Groups
In my opinion, Facebook groups are the best way to sell your crochet crafts.
Join as many local groups as you can. Look for handmade groups, mom groups and neighbourhood groups.
You can add your crochet items to business promotions where allowed or respond to requests for unique gift ideas.
How To Sell Crochet Items On Etsy
The Etsy crochet market is pretty saturated so in order to be successful, you want to really hone your Etsy store and make sure to promote your products as much as possible.
If you haven’t started your shop yet, make sure to go through this tutorial on How To Start An Etsy Store Successfully
It will take you step by step through from creating to launching your Etsy shop.
The Top Selling Crochet Items On Etsy
Are you wondering what the best selling crochet items on Etsy are?
With this knowledge you can make sure you are creating items that people will actually buy.
Luckily, it is pretty easy to find out the items that people are looking for by using a tool such as Sale Samurai.
Here are some of Etsy’s top selling crochet items right now:
- Doillies
- Crochet tops
- Ponchos
- Crochet Bralettes
- Bags
- Shawls
- Dishcloths (and washcloths are close behind)
- Cardigans
- Trivets
- Snoods
This list may surprise you but those are the crochet items with the highest number of searches by Etsy users.
Check out my in depth list of the 8 Best Selling Crochet Items On Etsy for more ideas.
Tips for A Successful Etsy Store
1.Pick An Awesome Name
Your Etsy store name is really important for searches so make sure to read up on How To Name Your Etsy Shop.
2. Niche Down
Pick one thing to focus on for your shop. Become known as the best shop for baby items/blankets/scrunchies.
If you want to sell more than one type of product, Etsy has a feature where you can run multiple different shops under your single account if you have more than one focused item to sell.
3. Research Your Audience
Know who you are marketing to. This will help you to plan out future products and items that sell as soon as you list them.
4. Promote Your Etsy Store
Although Etsy has millions of visitors who are searching for handmade products, don’t rely on your shop organically showing up in search.
You want to promote your Etsy shop on social media and especially make use of Pinterest.
This tutorial will show you How To Use Pinterest For Etsy
Sell Crochet Patterns
One of the best ways to make money crocheting is by selling crochet patterns.
In many cases, you can make more money selling patterns than finished items.
If you can create PDF crochet patterns you can sell them in a number of places.
Where To Sell Crochet Patterns
Your Own Website
Starting your own website selling patterns is not as hard as you might think.
Get started for around $5-10 a month and then promote your site on social media.
You can add links to your Etsy store to create even more opportunities for product sales.
You can read my tutorial on How To Create A Website For Your Small Business.
Etsy
I’ve already spoken above about starting your own Etsy store and selling printables on Etsy like PDF patterns is a great idea.
There are no shipping costs and you can sell to customers Worldwide.
You can read my tutorial on How To Start Your Own Etsy Printables Business to learn the nitty gritty of getting started.
Yarn Stores
Selling your patterns in local yarn stores can be a great way to get started.
Most of the time, you will only get paid if you pattern is sold but it’s a nice way to make some extra cash passively.
Shopify
Open An Online Store With Shopify and sell your crochet patterns without the hassle of setting up your own website.
This can be a great way of making sales in addition to an Etsy shop.
Sell Crochet Patterns On Craft Sites
Selling your crochet patterns on craft sites is an easy way to make money crocheting with your PDFs.
The top sites to sell patterns include:
If you don’t get much traction on selling patterns on these sites, you can list some free patterns and then drive the traffic to your website or blog and monetize that way (via ads or affiliate links).
In addition to listing your patterns for free on Ravelry and Lovecrafts, you can also try these sites:
Teach Others To Crochet
The last way to make money with your crochet habit is to teach others!
Lots of people are interested in learning to crochet and don’t know where to start.
If you are good at explaining stuff and can show different techniques and patterns, then teaching others may be for you.
There are a few different ways to get paid to teach others to crochet:
Start A Crochet Blog
I mentioned starting your own website above and a crochet blog is a great way to do this and make money.
You can start a blog and then make money through affiliate marketing, advertising and also selling your own patterns and how-to ebooks.
There are crochet bloggers making thousands every month with their blogs online. Some are even 6 figure bloggers.
READ NOW: Start A Blog That Makes Money
Launch Your Own YouTube Channel
This is a way of making money that you can do as a standalone or combine with your blog.
Lots of people are visual learners and they want to learn via videos.
YouTube is the perfect answer to this and you can monetize with affiliates and also on screen advertising.
LEARN MORE: How To Make Money With YouTube
Start A Podcast
You might think that crocheting doesn’t really lend itself to the audio medium but in fact, anything works for a podcast.
One hugely popular crocheting podcast is The Crochet Circle.
Your podcast can make money through sponsorships, ads and recommending products to earn a commission.
READ MORE: How To Make Money Podcasting
Final Thoughts On How To Make Money Crocheting
If you are an avid crocheter, there are a lot of different crochet business ideas you can start to monetize your hobby.
These crochet business ideas are fantastic for anyone who wants to make money crocheting but doesn’t know where to start.
Now you know the best selling crochet items on Etsy plus tips for pricing your crochet items for sale so you can make money as quickly as possible.
From teaching others to selling patterns, it is a good idea to look beyond selling handicrafts at fairs and online.
Do your research and price your items and patterns well and you will be on your way to owning a successful crocheting business in no time!
More Ways To Make Money Crafting
38 Woodworking Projects That Sell
20 Mason Jar Gifts For Everyone
