How to Become a Crochet Designer
If you wanna know how I went from a casual, hobby crocheter to a full-time crochet pattern designer then stick around! I’ll share tips for developing your skills and pursuing your dreams of crochet pattern design. Watch the video below or keep reading!
So how did I even get started with pattern designing??? Learning how to follow crochet patterns was the very first step. I have a tutorial with tips for how to read crochet patterns. The easiest way to learn how to follow patterns was to find projects with both a video tutorial and a written pattern. This allowed me to see what the designer was doing and match it to the written instructions. All of my patterns have a video tutorial for this reason! So if you’re learning to read crochet patterns, I recommend checking out my patterns here on the blog!
Next, I looked for crochet pattern testing opportunities. It massively helps to see a designer’s process and add to your skills at the same time! Here’s a helpful infographic about pattern testing
Designing
Then, I started free-handing (meaning crocheting without a pattern) and writing down the steps I took as I went. I usually get inspired by things I need in my daily life. For example, I needed plant hangers so I created hanging baskets for them! To be sure, I wasn’t just ADAPTING an already existing pattern, I stayed away from getting inspired by other crochet patterns. What do I mean by that? Create a crochet pattern from the very beginning without any influence from other patterns. It should be in your own words and style. If you’re concerned your design is too similar to others you’ve seen here are questions to ask yourself:
Does your pattern have the exact wording and sequence as another one?
Is it using the exact same material/yarn as a similar pattern?
Is it essentially the same as another pattern with just a few variations?
If you answered yes to any of these you may want to consider sharing your project as an adaptation of the pattern it’s inspired by. To do that, You would credit the original designer and state what adaptions you made. You would not sell a pattern that’s adapted from another one.
When I was ready, I wrote my first pattern in a google doc and asked a friend to look it over and test it! Eventually, I created a pattern template in Canva that I use for all my designs. I have other crochet templates available for download in my shop! It will take the guesswork out of designing an aesthetically pleasing pattern. You just fill out the sections!
As I developed new patterns, I would reach out to people I knew to see if they would be interested in testing them. 1-2 testers for a project is okay! A lot of people think they need to do big tester calls to their entire following. In the beginning, it can be really helpful to find a few crochet friends that have similar interests and help each other!
In the beginning, I shared my patterns for free on my blog and used the feedback I got to improve my pattern writing. Not gonna lie, I got some not-so-great feedback at first. But’s that how you learn! My very first pattern was a super simple coaster. Don’t overcomplicate it. Get the basics down first and then explore.
The free patterns that did well and got good feedback, I turned them into PDF downloads and began selling them on Etsy. Eventually, I made them available on my website as well.
Pricing
To price my crochet patterns, I use an app called crochet.land to track the time spent on writing the pattern. I also keep track of the cost of materials to make the item for the pattern writing process. I add up any other costs to writing the pattern and the total is how much I need to recover from pattern sales. I researched patents for items on Etsy or Ravelry in the same category as mine (for example crochet rug patterns). This would give me a ballpark range for how much the pattern should cost. You should consider how unique is this pattern. Can you find it anywhere else? The time and cost for creating it. And of course the demand for the item. Remember, you can always adjust the price. I lean towards overpricing versus underpricing. You can run a sale or lower your price. It's more challenging to increase your prices and keep up with demand.
Marketing
Lastly, you need to market your pattern! You have to make sure people actually know about it! Posting listings in several places is helpful. For example, Etsy, Ravelry, and your own website. Sharing it on social media. Considering if ads might be helpful. A common strategy these days is to share youtube tutorials and free patterns for an item on a blog and offer a paid printable pdf option. This works for established designers but it challenging for new designers to recover their costs this way. However, if you’re looking for long-term growth, it could be worth following this model in the beginning and being okay with not getting your investment back right away. You could also do the video tutorial and only offer a paid option for the written pattern. If video isn’t your thing that’s totally fine. Video tutorials aren’t required.
Current Writing Process
So my current process is to keep a running of pattern design ideas. I schedule time for myself to experiment with pattern designs and when I have a pattern ready, I send it to a tech editor who is a professional crochet pattern editor. They are super helpful and worth every penny. After the pattern is edited I do a tester call on Instagram. Post a google form for people to fill out. Choose my testers and communicate with them throughout the process about any issues they’re having. Make adjustments to the pattern. Create the listings. Launch and start marketing the hell out of it!
There you have it! That’s my process. Feel free to ask questions in the comments or email me at bagsbybento@gmail.com until next time! Happy crocheting!
