So You Wanna Be A Crochet Professional

I love being a freelance designer. I get to make my own rules about my indie patterns and how they are presented, yet I can also choose to submit to publications and companies. However, designing is not the only way to get involved in the booming fiber arts business. There are so many ways to make a name for yourself and/or have an impact in the fiber world. There's full-time, part-time, flex-time, and contract work sitting out there for the taking. Some positions pay nothing, some positions pay a lot, and most are somewhere in between. Wanna learn how you can get involved? You don't even have to pick just one! You could work in...

Some examples include:

- Raising fiber animals or plants

- Spinning

- Dyeing yarn

- Working in a yarn factory

- Making fiber tools like crochet hooks and stitch markers

Some examples include:

- Promoting products on social media

- Connecting distributors with retailers and product testers

- Promoting publications

- Designing labels and logos for marketing purposes

- Writing product reviews

- Acting as a marketing executive for a specific company

Some examples include: 

- Publishing your own designs

- Working for a book or magazine publisher

- Working for a press that produces fiber-related books or magazines

- Taking professional photos to be used by designers, yarn companies, etc

- Doing graphic design work for books and magazines

- Blogging 

- Preserving historical crochet publications

Some examples include:

- Designing your own patterns for your own private line

- Designing for yarn companies or magazines

- Writing pattern books

 Some examples include:

- Teaching in a craft or yarn store

- Holding private lessons

- Volunteering to lead a group in a school, prison, senior center, etc

- Posting YouTube videos

- Posting blog tutorials

Some examples include:

- Testing for individual designers

- Contract crocheting for yarn companies or publishers

- Making store samples of patterns

- Becoming a technical editor

Some examples include:

- Working in a yarn store

- Working in a craft store

- Working in a warehouse or fulfillment center

- Selling patterns online

- Vending at craft fairs

- Selling finished objects on Etsy

- Take commissions from family and friends

Some examples include:

- Independent art creation

- Yarn bombing

- Creating props for photos

- Digital art creation from crochet photos