Cord's Crochet weaves its way back to 2010 when the accidental crochet business sprouted forth. I was about 8 months pregnant with my second daughter, fresh out of a seven-year stint as an Army lab tech, and scouring the vast world of baby fashion for the newest arrival into the family. And then, there it was—an adorable infant Jack Skellington hat online with a jaw-dropping $25 price tag. At that time, it was an absurd price for such a tiny hat.
Now, call it pregnancy-induced bravery, but I decided I could make this hat myself. Armed with a few balls of yarn, a crochet set bought for $10 from Bookoo.com (basically military Craigslist) and YouTube tutorials, my crochet journey began.
A few hours later, my inaugural creation—an oddly shaped Jack Skellington hat. Naturally, I flaunted my masterpiece on Facebook, and the universe responded swiftly. A friend, also very pregnant at the time, begged for a hat and I gladly obliged. Days later, that same friend informed me that a coworker of hers also wanted a hat and was willing to cough up a whopping $5 for it. My first PAID order!
This is when I had a lightbulb moment: If one person was willing to pay for my hat, maybe, just maybe, others would too. I posted a blurry photo onto Bookoo.com and Craigslist, and to my astonishment, people started clamoring for these $5 beanies for their tiny tots. The requests multiplied—bigger hats for toddlers, stylish hats for husbands, you name it. Within a month, I'd pocketed over $100. Unbeknownst to me, a business was blossoming from the comfort of my couch.
Fast-forward a decade and Cord's Crochet has seen some serious crochet glow-up. Through occasional Etsy and Facebook sales, this crafty endeavor has kept me supplied with enough yarn to fuel my passion. Some months it paid a bill or two, but it never morphed into a crochet kingdom. And you know what? I was content with that since this has always been a fun and therapeutic hobby for me.
But this year, I've decided to thrust my crochet hook into the spotlight. Armed with a decade of crochet wisdom, I'm diving headfirst into sharing my craft with the world. What's the worst that could happen? I stay right where I am, which, by the way, is a pretty sweet spot. At best? I could be paying off my house and funding my parents' dream retirement.
And so, with my enormous yarn stash and more hooks than I could possibly need, I'm documenting this crochet escapade. As of today's post, I've had 591 sales on Etsy, maybe an extra 1,000 through Facebook and craft fairs, and a grand total of less than $10,000 since my debut $5 baby hat in 2010. So, here's to creating more magic with my hook and seeing just how far this crochet adventure can go!
*Oh, and don't judge too harshly—the first hat I ever made. Yikes!*
