I have heard many would-be crochet designers worry that their designs
Original Crochet Designs?
If you believe you need to wait until a totally original, never been seen, never been done crochet design pops into your head in a moment of pure design clarity…you might never get started.
You can bet that most crochet designs have an element that is basic to a lot of other crochet designs. You will be hard pressed to find a crochet design that is utterly and completely original.
You will find this to be true in fashion in general. You know how specific fashion styles come and go and come back around again? Usually they come back with a new twist to make it a “new” trend.
That small twist will render the design style different enough that it’s considered “new” but “inspired by” that former trend.
If you want to design crochet fashions or home decor just start designing! Finding an inspiration piece that you love can be reimagined with your own twist(s). This is how most (all?) crochet designers are inspired.
(I have also created a printable cheat sheet that you can keep handy to remind yourself of these processes. That will be at the bottom of this post.)
Crochet Fashion Style and Color
When deciding on a crochet fashion style you want to determine if your idea is stylish and/or trendy. For a crochet design to resonate with potential customers, whether a completed item or a pattern, take care to be on trend OR to design something classic.
For this classic crochet cardigan below I designed it to be “cut” a little slimmer than the usual. I also added the twist of a different style of ribbing. Classic but not frumpy or dull.
When deciding if your crochet design is trendy enough to satisfy the younger or more discerning customer, take care not to create something that might be considered too much of a fad.
I like to take a run through the mall to see what is currently trending in style and color. Or flip through fashion magazines.
This post contains affiliate links, which means I will make a commission at no extra cost to you should you click through and make a purchase.
One such trip to the mall inspired one of my most popular designs, the poncho shown below. That color was showing up a lot and I knew I wanted to use it. I was worried I wouldn’t find the exact right shade in yarn, but this Lion Brand
Yarn Quality
This topic is a little tricky. We want to use good quality yarn of course. But we don’t want to price ourselves out of a decent profit by spending too much money.
If your goal is to sell either the completed crochet item or crochet pattern (especially for the purpose of selling the item made from the pattern), you need to keep your costs to a minimum. Luckily, yarn companies are making amazingly good quality, inexpensive yarn. Please click on the link in the paragraph above for more detail on this topic.
What you don’t want to do is use or recommend cheapo yarn that is rough and uncomfortable.
Excellent Quality Work
Do you have to be an advanced crocheter to design or profit from your love and passion of crochet?
No! Absolutely not!
However…Quality matters!
Whether you consider yourself a beginner, intermediate or advanced crocheter, you can use very basic stitches and simple patterns, but you must aim for excellence!
Consistent Tension
Consistent tension makes a huge difference. This often trips up crochet beginners. Getting the tension just right takes lots of practice, but when done consistently well, your creations take on a whole new level of excellence. Watch this short video to help you master consistent tension. Start at 3:44: Consistent Tension
Clean stitches mean the difference between putting out ok work that may or may not sell, or putting out superior pieces that help you develop a following.
Count your Stitches!
Count as you go. If your crochet scarves or hats or avocados (yep, it’s a thing) look all wonky, it’s likely your count got goofed up along the way.
Counting as you go assures even edges and consistency all around. The basket below is an example of what I did when I was rushing and stopped counting. What a difference a stitch or two makes!!
Eeek! Did I really do that? 
Much better!
Tying Off Crochet
Tying off matters!
Making clean tie offs is another detail that will make your work stand out. The wrong side of your work matters too.
You want your customer to feel comfortable and happy with their purchase.
Nobody wants to see tied off tails hanging loose. And if the item is washable, you don’t want weak knots to unravel the piece. That would be a disaster and a customer who will not be returning!
There are several ways to tie off ends. Choose whichever works for you and the particular item. Weaving in and/or knotting are the most common choices. Just be sure to keep it nice and clean.
Create your own Crochet Designs
There you have it. Permission to design crochet granted! LOL Let your creative juices run free!
Click the graphic below to save this info to your Pinterest board.
As mentioned at the start, I have created a printable cheat sheet with the steps detailed in the post. This colorful PDF is accessible in the exclusive Resource Library that is password protected for my select readers (YOU!). Get the password by entering your name and email below. The password will be found in the Welcome email you will receive upon signing up. Enjoy!
Continue your crochet journey by learning how and where to sell your awesome crochet creations. Click the link below:
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