We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Hannah Ashbaugh. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Hannah below.
Hi Hannah, thanks for joining us today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.
I had been “loosely” taught crochet by a cousin and a family friend growing up but I never really stuck to it. I never learned any complicated stitches or how to make anything other than a simple scarf. After graduating college in 2019 and moving away from my home town for the first time, I needed a hobby. Somehow, even though I hadn’t thought about crochet in years, a crochet page popped up on my Explore page on IG. I remember seeing so many cute tops that were made from crochet and thinking, “hey, I think I could do that.” So I went to Michael’s and got some kind of ‘crochet for beginners’ book, some hooks, and some yarn. The book didn’t make much sense so I took to YouTube. YouTube really taught me everything. There were so many channels related to crochet, basic stitches, how to hold the hook, how to hold the yarn, etc. That whole summer I spent so much time trying to make a couple different projects. It was a hot mess at first. Following YouTube tutorials wasn’t always easy. Some people come to crochet and take to it easily. My projects weren’t bad, but they just weren’t that good. I started off trying to make cute tops for myself – crop tops and bikini tops mostly. It took A LOT of patience, and also grace. I had no one outside of YouTube to call on for help so I was basically teaching myself. It took me a while to learn different stitches, how different types of yarn looked and acted, and how patterns could be adjusted. Now looking back on my earliest projects, Im able to understand the mistakes I was making. I just stuck to it and watched a ridiculous amount of tutorials. I will say that in 2019 before Covid and crochet/creative work/hobbies becoming more popular, there weren’t nearly as many tutorials and channels that there are now for crochet. So now I can find so many more resources and tutorials than in the beginning. I practiced often, I tried to stick to similar projects…practice, practice, practice, and with time, I began to truly feel comfortable in my craft and proud of the things I could make.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
When I started getting into crochet in 2019, I was mostly interested in making clothing items for myself so that was really all I practiced for a long time. In March 2020, I found out I was pregnant with my son and realized I’d probably need a shift from making crop tops. I started branching out – trying baby blankets, purses, sweaters, baby booties. I took some time off for a while before having my son and then when he was first born. But after some time, desperately needed an outlet that was just for me so I fell back in love with crochet. The first money I made from my crochet item was on a pillow I made in the shape of a…booty. People loved the booty pillows I could make and I finally made something that made people interested in my work. I got quite a few orders for them and I really thought, “maybe I could actually make money doing this!” I created an Instagram page that was different from my mine now and began posting my work, mostly as a creative journal, really. It wasn’t until later that I wanted to rebrand and come up with a name that better suited me. I wanted something that fit me, and represented what I was about. Crochet during my motherhood journey has helped me in so many ways, so I choose something with “mama” but wanted it to represent that this wasn’t just your grandma’s regular crochet (like blankets and sweaters), so I came up with Knot Ya Mama Crochet. The word knot being related to crochet and also a fun play on words. Soon after that I began really trying my hand at Amigurumi, which is a term that means crochet plushies (like stuffies, loveys, etc). I had always said I had NO interest in amigurumi; that there was too much sewing of pieces involved, I didn’t want to buy the stuffing, too much extra work…all the excuses. But after my booty pillows sold well, my confidence grew, and I began making more “family friendly” items and started with crocheted bees. I enjoyed those enough so I tried crocheted flower plushies. I liked that too, So I made crochet cows…before I knew it, I had built up a little stock and I got some confidence to actually sell my plushies.
I had always said that selling at markets intimidated me because I wasn’t a fast maker, I didn’t know anything about business, I didn’t have a proper name, my stuff wasn’t good enough…all the things I told myself not to get my feelings hurt if my stuff didn’t sell. In early September 2023 I signed up to get my sole proprietorship and have my name officially made as Knot Ya Mama Crochet and ordered some business cards. By the end of September I had signed up and attended my first market.
To my excitement and surprise, my stuff sold really well! People actually liked my stuff! For my markets I create and sell mostly plushies, anything from cows to turtles, food items like chicken nuggets or corn, and anything in between. I also sell small accessories like key chains, rear view mirror decorations, tote bags, bucket hats, and baby hats. During Christmas I was also making Christmas tree decorations and some small holiday decor items. I mostly sell at markets but I can also do custom orders as well through my instragram (@knotyamama_). I’m taking customs almost always unless it’s during a busy season. I do have an Etsy page and can do business there as well, it just doesn’t get the traffic I’d like so I mostly sell through my IG page, but whatever works for customers works for me!
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
In the beginning of my crochet “journey,” it was jus a fun way for me to express myself and try out new things. I was able to make myself cool clothes and be proud of what I was wearing. But over the course of years that I’ve been working on my crochet skills, it has changed hats for me in purpose several times. What started as just a fun hobby so that I could make cool crop tops, eventually grew my confidence into trying my hand at so many other things that can be made from crochet work. I began making things for friends and family, and that filled my heart. When my son was born, my free time was lacking and I fell out of crochet for a while. I eventually came back to crochet and it became an outlet for me during a time when I felt very much not like myself. Crochet gave me something that was just my own in the beginning of my motherhood story. Even now, after I put my son to bed, having time to crochet and create is such a sweet time of night for me and allows me to be creative and do something that is just for me.
It took a while, but then crochet became something that I could do to help support my family. I work as a part-time preschool teacher and crochet enabled me to bring in some extra money – which is something I truly did not think that I was capable of doing. I constantly doubted my work or thought that I wasn’t fast enough to make things to sell, but I proved myself wrong and now I’m able to see other people’s happy faces when they purchase my items and enjoy my makes.
All of these changing aspects of what crochet has brought into my life are the rewards of what being a creative means to me. Crochet has been an outlet in so many different ways for me and brought so much joy into my life. Now I am able to both enjoy crochet and make some money doing it. Crochet feels so good for my mental health and headspace and I’m so thankful for this craft.
How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?
For a society to better support artists or creatives, I think there needs to be more emphasis on the importance of local markets. Most people know what local markets are, but I think so many people think of markets as just a fun place to go walk around on the weekends. When in reality, markets are a way that a lot of creatives and small businesses are able to make money and support themselves and their families. Support local work is what helps drive small businesses like my own and helps us better deliver to more customers. People, including myself, so often are quick to go and get something from a chain retail store when they need something but I think it would help us out a lot more in people would turn to local small businesses and creatives for some of their needs. I understand not everything can be bought at a market, but I think there needs to be a shift in the way people think of markets as a resource for their needs.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/knotyamama_/
- Other: https://www.etsy.com/shop/KnotYaMamaCrochet https://knotyamamacrochet.square.site/ *My square site is still a work in progress as it’s just me working on it and I’m not the most tech savvy (: