June Gilbank from Planet June was on the show last week, and we had a great time talking about her crocheted animal patterns, and the technique of brushed crochet.
Last night we were guest-free – I have been so busy lately that I haven’t had time to spend booking guests! I wound up doing a sort of theme show on both spreading the fibery love to the (current) non-believers, and supporting the crochet institutions from which you get value. Money isn’t the only way to do that, but it sure helps!
The book I was talking about which I have almost finished reading, is Free: The Future of a Radical Price, by Chris Anderson. Check out the (free!) abridged audio version at Hyperion Books.
I also talked a bit about the 3/50 program. Of course I love it when you guys download my patterns. But I also love it when you go to your LYS and pick one up – and your LYS loves it too!
I appreciate that the economy sucks. I appreciate that we don’t all have unlimited resources to spend a ton of money on stuff we don’t love or need. I appreciate free content too. But there does have to be some money in the equation somewhere – free content is not completely free to produce!
Another thing we talked about was crochet classes at fiber events getting canceled for lack of attendance. This just happened to the fabulous Myra Wood for Oregon Flock and Fiber, and I am pretty sure is about to happen to me at WEBS. I don’t feel so bad for my class because I am a new teacher without a big track record and the class was not cheap – I feel terrible for Myra who is an experienced teacher with a well-earned following.
We come back to the thought that if crocheters (in general, not you specifically) complain that XYZ event doesn’t offer crochet classes (or vendors, or patterns, or what have you), and then XYZ event responds by offering what we said we wanted and that stuff doesn’t sell, we have just convinced XYZ event that they were right all along and crocheters are cheap (don’t read, don’t support their own, whatever their justification was for ignoring crochet in the first place). And now they won’t try again – or not for another five years. Which kind of sucks.
To take that one step further. It doesn’t make any sense for me to whine that crocheters don’t support their own, any more than it does for crocheters to whine that XYZ event doesn’t support crochet. Both of those complaints, while they might be valid on some levels, are not specific enough to get us all the results we want.
Clearly, no one can afford to buy something they don’t want or need – nor should they have to, just to be supportive. Clearly the classes (or times or costs) on offer were not what was wanted by the local crocheters or they would have bought them. But there isn’t any dialog in place to tell XYZ event that we wanted THIS and not THAT.
So how do we fix this, guys? I want to create all the free content you want, while paying my car payment at the same time. You all love the free content, and want options for classes, books, patterns, what have you at fiber events and shops.
Lest I sound curmudgeonly and whiny, or that I expect everyone reading this to go buy one of my patterns – that is not my primary point. Sure I care what happens to my business, but I am thinking big picture here too.
What is a specific, actionable thing we as unbelievably creative Loopy-ites can do to get a specific thing that we as crocheters who are tired of being second class fiber citizens want? Talk to me – here, via email, on the Ravelry group (tab above).
Oh – and speaking of unbelievably creative – check out Lexie Barnes. Yes, her fashion week experiment was knit-centric but it was a big step forward towards getting acceptance for fiber lovers – and she put her money where her mouth was and tried something new. I applaud her for that. And I love her bags, too 
well put, mary beth! I had a hard time filling my crochet classes locally and the cost was something like $25 for three sessions. It was difficult to convince my LYSO that people weren’t buying crochet stuff b/c we weren’t carrying it, but working there, when they had a chance to get to know me, etc, got people interested. I’ve been thinking about the things you mention in your post, and how, really, crocheters need LYSs (and need to support them) if we want to advance our craft, because what the LYS really provides (if they are good ones) is COMMUNITY. a sharing of ideas, new tools and techniques, etc. I have learned so much from working at mine, just in seeing what everyone is working on and honestly, I hadn’t really frequented LYSs much myself before that. I’m blathering now, but—thanks for posting this!
I enjoyed the 9/14 show and I like hearing you raise issues and express opinions when you’re occasionally on alone, in contrast to (equally good) hearing from other crochet artists and promoting their books. Too bad about losing podcasts (thanks for persevering!) and cancelled classes—same is true at an LYS in my neighborhood, where they need at least 3 people to make a class. But I spent $85 on a class and the (high-end) yarn and pattern for it, a pattern I had already downloaded and started with cheaper yarn. I was paying for personal instruction and a place at the table, and the right to come back for help and camaraderie as I worked on it, I guess.
Please consider having Howie Woo (WooWork.com) on the program. He makes wonderful amigurumi and his blog about them is hilarious.
This was another great show, Mary Beth. I’m one of those newer listeners who have downloaded the old shows from the archive. (And listened to some of them several times when no new ones were available!) BTW, I could have kicked myself for missing a rare opportunity to join the chat room for your Labor Day show. Usually, I’m not home from work at that time. Wouldn’t you know, I got distracted by my Labor Day beer and didn’t remember until too late.
Anyway, I’ve enjoyed all of your shows whether they deal with the business of crochet or other topics. I find them all interesting. And I have made purchases (books mostly) based on information presented on your show. Right now I’m lusting over some of June Gilbank’s cute as the dickens patterns. My cube at work is inhabited by a number of stuffed creatures, and I feel the need to add one or two of June’s designs.
I don’t know the answer to the question of why a lot of crocheters don’t seem to put their money where there mouth is. I think we need to ask what is different between crocheters and knitters or between the businesses of crochet and knitting. Maybe those of you who inhabit both those worlds have a clue. Do the knitters have better publicity for their shows/classes, etc.? Have those activities been around longer so people know to expect them and look for them? I know I’d have signed up for at least one of Myra’s classes at Oregon Flock and Fiber had I known about it earlier. Being a new crocheter, I don’t know yet where to look for the best information on local activities. I didn’t notice any posters or other information at my LYS the last time I was there. I didn’t see anything on Ravelry, but maybe I don’t hang out in the right places. By the time I found out about OFF, I was committed to something else for that weekend. Since I didn’t know about it in time, maybe there are other local crocheters in the same situation.
Maybe crocheters tend to be a different personality type from knitters. More independent? (Sounds like material for a masters thesis.) Maybe because crocheting is easier than knitting, or so I’m told, some crocheters don’t feel they need classes or books. (I’m a “self-taught” type of person, but I still enjoy an occasional class. And I buy a lot of books. I am a book junkie.)
Well, this has devolved into stream of consciousness babbling. Enough of that. If I have any strokes of genius regarding this problem, you’ll be the first to know.
I agree with a lot of what has been said. I wonder if most of the crocheter’s are still stuck with the older mind set. A lot of the typical crocheting was afghans and household items. Fashion crochet is just now hitting the scene. Whenever I bring up crocheting in public or do crochet in public I am asked what blanket are you making or what are you knitting? Most crocheters I know still buy there yarn in the big box market. I am the only crocheter in my SNB group and our LYS is all knit, not anti crochet but don’t display any crochet. They carry high end expensive yarn and hold knitting classes. If asked: they will do one on one crochet classes. A lot of people think of crocheting as something older people do. We all know that this is not the case and do all we can to rectify this mind set.
Keep up the good work MB,
tena
Hi! Thank you for talking about the business of crochet every now and then. I was not interested at all when I first found Getting Loopy- I’ve only been crocheting since April, after all! But I did find the talk interesting and when people started asking for patterns and offering to buy things I made I realized very quickly that it would BE a business and I had a bit of background knowledge. So I think I will be going down this path, whether to a great extent or not I do not know, but I have some knowledge about it already. Thank you!
That said… the gamer in me wants to know more about the Nintendo area, or if there was any swag. In exchange, was the name of the game you mentioned “Style Savvy”? If so, gamestop.com says it will ship to stores on 11/2 and will retail at $35.
I wanted to drop you a line, because I am an avid fan of Getting Loopy.. and listen to every podcast. I do occationally enter your contests, when I remember, because I am always in my car when I’m listening to you. Please please please keep up the podcast. I really appreciate the effort you put into it.
I agree with the idea that we all have to vote with our dollars. I found that when I taught at my local yarn store, my crochet classes generally got cancelled and my knitting classes were full?
I’ve been wondering if there are 2 different types of people who knit and who crochet. To me, crochet is so free form – ish and less structured while knitting is very structure and pattern oriented. I wonder if that appeals to different people.
For those of us who do both, I’m not really sure what I am. But I find that sometimes I crave crochet. I am an addicted thready, I’m never satisfied with my crochet, unless it’s out of thread.
Judeh22 (Ravelry)
Hey Mary Beth!
I don’t confess to know the answer either. I recently had my beginning spindle spinning class at TNNA in Long Beach cancelled, which was meant to have a broad appeal to both knitters as well as crocheters. I also had taught a free class on Hairpin Lace Crochet at the recent Arkansas Fiberarts Extravaganza, which was attended by a rather impressive crowd. In spite of that, I only had a handful of people attend the FREE class! I know from having peeked into the classroom that the (2) knitting classes were much better attended than my class. Those who attended were very happy they attended and many of them came to my booth afterward to buy my pattern for my hairpin Moebius. I also teach crochet classes at my LYS; however, it seems all the classes (including knitting) are experiencing decreased participation in this ecomony. In terms of designing, I have been told by a major publisher (name witheld) to basically “dumb down” my yarn choices in my designs because “crocheters won’t buy expensive yarn” ; yet IC uses “knit worthy” yarns in their crochet and was voted the best crochet magazine…so perhaps the tide is turning? I personally LOVE natural fibers (and am working on a book of projects with all natural fibers) and feel that crochet is an ART that is every bit as worthy of heirloom quality yarn as knitting (and yes, I am a knitter as well as a crocheter). Anywho, that’s my rant!
Renee’