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

Hi Nicole, thanks for joining us today. Let’s jump right into how you came up with the idea?

Nicole: When I first started crocheting amigurumi, I immediately fell in love. It was so fun to create something with life and personality. When I was making the animals, I would give them names and make up little stories in my head about what they would do in their lives. Needless to say, I became addicted, and our spare room quickly turned into a “stuffed animal” room. My husband said something like, you need to get rid of these. The next day I told Melissa that we were opening an Etsy shop.

Melissa: I learned to crochet very young and in college I taught myself to knit. When Nicole and I met, we shared a love for yarn crafts and would joke about how much we had in our homes and how we should start selling them. So, Nicole opened our Etsy store.

Nicole, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Nicole: After Melissa and I opened our Etsy shop, we were bombarded with special requests to make things (especially around the holidays). We quickly figured out that our time was limited, and it wasn’t possible to make all the stuff people wanted. Around the same time, we had started playing with creating our own patterns. We quickly figured out that creating patterns and publishing them for others to make was a much more sustainable practice and a more efficient use of our time. Now we mostly design and sell our patterns, but occasionally make special requests for friends and family members. Recently, we have expanded our business into test and sample knitting, tech editing for patterns, teaching classes, and knitting and crochet help. We love to do all the yarn things and are always willing to learn something new!

Melissa: Being only two people and our items are handmade, we quickly learned we could not keep up with demand. Releasing our patterns were a way for people to still be able to have the items we design by making the item themselves or asking someone they know to make it for them. We love all things yarn (knitting and crochet) and want to pass that love on to others!

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

Nicole: Our friends and family have really been great at showing off our items and promoting us to their friends and families. We make so many things that will hopefully meet the needs of all people and are always willing to try new things. Recently, we have also been teaching knitting and crochet to others and that’s a great way to get our name out there.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

Nicole: For me, this is such a great compliment to my day job. All day, I focus on technical areas and it’s nice to come home and do something that uses the other side of my brain. I love to make things and I feel like designing crochet patterns has really helped me merge two separate aspects of my life (the technical and the creative) into one.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/TexasStitchChicks
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TexasStitchChicks
• Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TexasStitchChicks
• Email: [email protected]