Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Erin Lewis. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Erin, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. The first dollar you earn is always exciting – it’s like the start of a new chapter and so we’d love to hear about the first time you sold or generated revenue from your creative work?

When I first thought about starting my crochet business, I never imagined the world it would open me up to. I had plenty of encouragement from family and friends, but presenting my craft to complete strangers felt pretty intimidating. My first craft market was at a friend’s coffee shop in April of 2022, and I just expected a couple of friends to come by to show their support. What I didn’t expect was the support and excitement from so many strangers who stopped by my booth and shopped with me! Those strangers have now become familiar faces I see at many of my events. They’ve commissioned me to make blankets for their babies, birthday gifts for their best friend, and even bandanas for their dogs. I could never have envisioned the amount of support my local community has shown me and my business.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Erin Lewis, and I’m from Wilmington, North Carolina. I’ve always loved any kind of creative project or hobby, whether it was photography, scrapbooking, making jewelry, or writing. I got my creative side from my mom, Terry, who passed away in 2019. While I was helping my dad go through some of my mom’s storage bins, we came across a tub of yarn and crochet hooks. My mom crocheted when I was a kid, but I never had the patience to learn. My dad encouraged me to take the supplies and see what I could do. I started by watching YouTube videos, and from there my love of crochet took off. I would spend hours practicing new stitches, watching the same video clip at .5 speed, and learning the language of written crochet patterns. My friends and family received their fair share of crocheted presents for every occasion, which led to them encouraging me to start my own small business.
In 2022, I decided to finally take their advice. I looked back over the last four years of learning to crochet and thought about just how many times I’d unraveled a project to fix a mistake. Even though unraveling and starting over was frustrating, it was necessary in order to learn, improve, and end up with a beautiful result. I try to mirror that process in life too, which led me to my name, Erin Unraveled.
After taking the leap of starting my business, I began to vend in local craft shows. I started small at coffee shops and breweries, and eventually worked my way up to large street fairs.
The love my local community has shown me has been beyond what I could have imagined when I was first starting my craft. I have customers run into me at markets and show me pictures of their past purchases, like an ornament I made on their Christmas tree or their baby wearing a hat I made. Seeing my art become something special in someone’s life has been the biggest reward in starting my business.
I can’t help but think that my mom helped me find my way to this craft and was there alongside me when I was starting this journey into being a small business owner. I’ve met other artists and creatives at my events who have become lifelong friends outside of markets, and cultivated a customer base that trusts me with creating keepsakes for their loved ones. Even though I’m the only person behind Erin Unraveled, I wouldn’t be able to run this business without the community I have beside me.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

So many people stop and tell me that their mom or grandma made them a vest or a bag like the one I have on my rack. I love that fashion is cyclical, because it gives a new generation the freedom to experiment with trends in their own way. I love seeing kids get excited about a vintage top pattern made in a bright, funky color scheme. I think keeping this art alive and introducing it to younger generations to see what they do with it is a goal I’ve made since starting my business.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

Every job, art form, and industry has its own unique challenges that people on the outside wouldn’t understand. I’ve had plenty of people try to haggle my prices or question why an item is so high when they request a custom order. Crocheting, unlike knitting, can only be done by hand. Anything you see that’s crocheted has been made by a person. Unfortunately, crochet has become a trend in fast fashion, which means the maker is getting paid pennies for their work. Time and materials are a factor when pricing my art, but so is the time, effort, and skill that went into learning how to craft the piece. I make sure to take all of these things into consideration when pricing my inventory so that my customers are getting a high quality piece for a fair price.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://erinunraveled.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/erin_unraveled/
• Facebook: Erin Unraveled
• Other: Tiktok: @erinunraveled

Image Credits
Yellow outfit: Instagram @hatt_ttt