If you’ve been thinking about diving into a new hobby and are wondering whether crochet is the right one for you, you’re in the right place for a detailed discussion of the costs involved with crochet and the price range you’re getting yourself into. I’ve been crocheting for over a year and have made crochet items from sweaters, to blankets, to toys, and I’m excited to share what I’ve learned with you. Here’s the short answer on whether crocheting is expensive:
On average, crocheting is a relatively inexpensive hobby on average, and can have a range of almost free to luxury. The starting cost of crocheting is around $20, and costs between $10 and $100 per project for yarn. Decreasing costs is possible by sourcing yarn for free from friends, yard sales, and through couponing.
Crocheting is a fiber arts hobby that involves using a hook to create garments, home decor items, blankets, toys, and other items that have a knit-like look to them. There are a few starting costs involved, but after you get started the major costs to continue are acquiring yarn to crochet with, and purchasing patterns. Let’s break it all down below:
What do I need to get started crocheting?
To get started crocheting, these materials are necessary:
Aluminum crochet hook (US size J, or 4.0mm)
Worsted weight yarn (category 4)
Plastic stitch markers or safety pins
Tapestry needle
The most basic tools and materials you need to crochet are a crochet hook and yarn. Hooks come in different sizes depending on how thick the yarn you’re working with is, but worsted weight yarn is the most common and beginner friendly size, and 4.0mm crochet hooks are perfect for it. Stitch markers are key to a successful start because they help you keep track of the end of each round or row, but can be substituted for safety pins or scrap yarn if needed. A tapestry needle or yarn needle is a needle with a very large eye that yarn can fit through, and is essential for finishing off your projects and tucking in ends.
At the very basic level, cheaper aluminum hooks usually cost around $3, the cheapest yarn (usually acrylic or cotton) costs between $3-5 per skein, and stitch markers and a tapestry needle might run you about $10 total. If you want to get a few colors of yarn, then your beginning cost will be between $20-30. After these starting costs, you will only need to purchase or acquire yarn and perhaps hooks in different sizes to continue making projects. It is entirely possible to learn crochet for free through online tutorials on YouTube (click here for my channel full of amigurumi basics and tips), and many high quality crochet patterns are available for free, eliminating the need to spend more in this area.
Next, let’s talk about the most common crochet costs in three different price points: budget (very low budget or no budget), moderate (around $100/month to spend on crochet), and luxury ($300+/month to spend on crochet).
Can I crochet on no budget?
Crocheting on a budget or on no budget is possible by acquiring basic materials from friends or family, Freecycle, yard sales, church sales, or other means. Tutorials and free patterns are available online, meaning it is possible to be a skilled crocheter without any expenses.
To acquire the basic materials detailed above on a budget, ask around your community if anyone has extra yarn or materials available they would like to donate. Yarns and crochet supplies are fairly common craft supplies for kid activities, so more likely than not there are some people who will be more than willing to let you have them.
You can also put out a request for extra yarn on Freecycle (a local community exchange website), look for No-Buy groups in your area on Facebook, look on Facebook Marketplace for steep discounts on destashes, and attend yard sales or church sales.
I’ve found a huge amount of crochet hooks, knitting needles, and yarn this way, and it’s a fantastic way to cut down on waste, save money, and still delve into a new hobby. If you go this route, you will have less control with the type and quality of the materials you have to work with, but it’s still a great way to get started without a significant investment. If you enjoy it, you can always upgrade your tools and materials later on.
Budget materials might look like this:
How to crochet at a moderate price point ($100/month)
On a modest budget like this, you will be able to purchase some premium yarns that are softer, more eco-friendly, and specialized yarn. You will also be able to use hooks that can be more ergonomic, and get some basic notions that will help you crochet more efficiently and professionally. Further, you’ll be able to purchase high quality patterns from professional designers that are not available for free, which opens up a huge array of possibility for your crochet projects. You may also be interested in subscribing to crochet magazines and subscription boxes, or purchasing books with patterns and inspiration.
This budget is probably the most common for crocheters who are interested in making good quality items and enjoy having a larger selection of yarns to choose from. Also, if you’re interested in making lots of large projects such as sweaters, afghans, and baby blankets, purchasing a larger quantity of yarn is also necessary.
Most people are probably comfortable at the moderate price range because most store bought yarn is accessible here, along with higher quality tools and the occasional premium pattern from a favorite designer. You can stick to this level with the occasional splurge at the luxury price point or only come up to this level for those ergonomic crochet hooks that can reduce wrist pain.
It is also possible to begin off setting the cost of yarn and tools by trying to earn money crocheting. For more information on how you can make money crocheting just to feed your yarn habit or to even make a full time income, read my in depth discussion here.
How to crochet at a luxury price point ($300+/month)
At this price point most of the expense comes from each of the products being handmade in some regard. Hand dyed yarns often cost at least $25/hank and can have exquisite colors, hand carved crochet hooks begin from $80, and handmade stitch marker sets can be $50.
These are beautiful goods that aren’t necessary by any means for a beautiful crochet project, but can be a fun splurge if you have the budget to add a luxurious touch to your crochet experience. Of course, if you have the resources to regularly spend $300+ a month, then enjoy shopping handmade and supporting small businesses and local artists! All of the photos I’ve shown below are woman-owned, independent small businesses built from the ground up and often committed to sustainability, so if you’re interested in supporting their work feel free check them out on Instagram to hear about behind the scenes and shop updates.
Hand dyed yarn
Hand dyed yarns are created by independent dyers on a home-based basis who use natural and acid dyes to make beautifully variegated and tonal yarns on a variety of bases. Since each skein is time and resource intensive to create, one hank can cost from $25-30, meaning that a sweater quantity of yarn can cost from $200-300 at a time. If it’s in your budget, the results are beautiful!
Handmade crochet hooks
Some artists create handmade crochet hooks either by carving, turning, or other means. These are extremely time consuming, and artists specifically source beautiful woods or even recycle wood from a backyard. Each hook can cost at least $80 and are truly extraordinary works of art.
Handmade stitch markers
These stitch markers are a beautiful way to add interest to your crochet project though they are functionally the same as stitch markers in the budget category. These can be made with polymer clay, as in the first two examples, or through hand embroidery like in the third. If you love surrounding yourself with handmade, then these stitch markers can be a great way to help you feel excited to crochet!
These beautiful handmade yarns, hooks, and notions are an amazing treat for yourself if you’re a diehard crocheter and love the craft. Often, crocheters begin at a lower price point to get a feel for the craft and then invest more as they gain experience and love for the art, so don’t feel pressured to spend a lot (or any money) at the beginning. I hope these price points were a helpful guide to you in understanding how much you need to begin crocheting, and how much amateurs can spend to keep up with this hobby.
Next, we’ll discuss the varying sizes of hooks and yarn to help you decide what size to get beyond my initial recommendation.
What sizes do crochet hooks and yarn come in?
Crochet hooks are measured both in millimeters (of the diameter of the tip) and also in letter sizes in the US, and range from 2.0mm to 16mm.
Yarn is categorized according to weight (the thickness of the yarn), and is separated into the following categories from thinnest to thickest: lace (category 1), fingering/sock (category 2), sport (category 3), DK, worsted/medium (category 4), bulky (category 5), super bulky (category 6), and jumbo (category 7). Lace weight is almost threadlike and used to make doilies, fingering is for very fine sweaters and socks, sport weight and DK are a little thicker, and worsted is most common for sweaters, shawls, scarves, and most wearables because it doesn’t take too long to work with but isn’t too chunky. The weights higher than worsted are for chunkier garments or home decor items like baskets, and jumbo is the largest, and is more rarely used.
If you’re ever in doubt about what yarn size to use, refer to the yarn label and it will list what weight the yarn is (usually with the category number and also name), as well as the corresponding hook size in US terms and in millimeters.
I hope this article was illuminating and helpful! If you have any more questions, please leave them in the comments below or let me know through the contact page.
Crocheting is a relatively inexpensive hobby on average, but can have a range of almost free to luxury. The starting cost of crocheting is around $20, and costs between $10 and $100 per project for yarn.
The answer is no, crochet is not an expensive hobby unless you make it one. It costs roughly $20 to start crocheting and between $10 and $100 for supplies per project. It's common to find cheap yarn and crochet hooks and other supplies at donation stores, yard sales, and on sale at craft stores.
The good news is crochet is about as cost effective as you make it. An inexpensive ball of acrylic yarn will set you back maybe $3 (I'm Australian – we don't get yarn much cheaper than that round these parts so cost effective crochet is a bit harder for us!) and the cheapest bamboo hook will be about $3 too.
Knitting Crochet Yarn pays an average hourly rate of $48 and hourly wages range from a low of $42 to a high of $55. Individual pay rates will, of course, vary depending on the job, department, location, as well as the individual skills and education of each employee.
Here are my top five ways to start crocheting on a shoestring budget.
1 Download free patterns. While magazine and books are a great source of patterns, the web is packed with amazing free designs that you can start on straight away. ...
Crochet is slightly cheaper than knitting because it requires one hook compared to two needles, however neither craft is expensive until you start purchasing more specialized tools and yarn. If you don't want to spend money on hooks or needles, you could try hand crochet or hand knitting.
A huge variety of both free and paid knitting patterns are available for knitters of every skill level. Advanced knitters can create complex articles of clothing resembling those you might buy in a high-end store. Knitting uses about 25–30 percent less yarn than crochet, making it a more economical choice.
This is arguably the biggest advantage of knitting over crochet. Knitting creates a soft, stretchy fabric that is much better than crochet for most types of clothing. Knitted fabric denser and finer, which makes it the better craft for delicate garments that need to fit well.
It costs between $20-$100 to crochet a blanket. Baby blankets are cheapest and king size blankets are the most expensive, since a larger blanket takes more yarn. Purchasing yarn that is the most cost effective also decreases total cost, since there is more yardage per dollar spent. Crochet blankets take a lot of yarn.
One of the most “yarn saving” stitches is the Solomon Stitch, which is one of my personal favorites, it works up quickly, uses less yarn, and has a super cool pattern. This stitch can be used in scarves, cardigans, blankets, you name it, it's super versatile. This is by far the best stitch to use for yarn thriftiness!
All regions of the country were represented. Despite having to complete a very long survey (it took between 20–30 minutes), crocheters and knitters in all age groups participated: 15% were 18–34 years old. 13% were 35–44.
If there's something you can make, like simple beanies and little blankets or baby clothes, people will buy them. There's a huge market for handmade things and it's one of the easier ways to make money because you're already creating pieces.
It's possible to make a living crocheting through digital marketing and content creation as a crochet designer. Taking commissions for finished objects and participating in craft fairs likely will yield some revenue, but not full time work from home income.
Many crocheted pieces are one-of-a-kind, and the creator has put a lot of time and effort into making something special for their buyer. The cost of materials also plays a factor in the price of crochet pieces. Wool, cashmere, silk, cotton—all these fibers come with a higher price tag than synthetic materials.
Most beginners start out in the middle with a worsted-weight yarn and a size H-8 (5mm) hook. This is a good middle-of-the-road size that will help you get used to the rhythm of your crochet stitches. When you're more experienced, you can try smaller hooks with lighter yarns as well as larger hooks with heavier yarns.
Pros: Helps you maintain flexibility in hands (especially with finger osteoarthritis). Harder patterns are good for finger dexterity training. Different needle types – can help minimize harm to hands (flexible needles).
Knitted textiles survive from as early as the 11th century CE, but the first substantive evidence of crocheted fabric emerges in Europe during the 19th century.
Is crochet prettier than Knitting? The short answer is no. Both Knitting and Crochet have their pros and cons, but each craft involves a labor of love, precision, and attention to detail. What are your thoughts, are there other details that distinguish one yarn craft from the other?
The double crochet stitch, abbreviated as dc, is one of the most common crochet stitches. It is approximately double the size of a single crochet stitch and is a fast crochet stitch to use.
The single crochet swatch used the most yarn. On this small sample of 2″ x 6″ swatches, the half double crochet used 13″ less yarn than the single crochet. In turn, the double crochet used 38″ less yarn than the half double crochet. However, the treble crochet only used 2″ less yarn than the double crochet.
Crocheting has also been shown to improve memory function and can be used to help with dementia and other memory loss issues. Just like with learning a language or doing a puzzle, crocheting helps focus the brain on a task and stimulates activity in the brain as it learns a new skill.
What's the hardest crochet stitch? Typically, the Jasmine Stitch is considered by crocheters to be the hardest stitch to learn. It is certainly a beautiful stitch, but it uses a very unconventional technique that doesn't always come naturally to people.
The winner: Treble crochet. Treble crochet stitches take the least amount of yarn per square inch when compared to single crochet and double crochet (using US terminology). That's because the visible gaps between each stitch leave less space for your yarn to cover.
If you really can't decide which one to start with, I recommend getting started with knitting because it tends to be a bit easier to get the hang of in the beginning. Then in a few weeks or months when you are feeling confident with your knit and purl stitches, pick up a hook and learn to crochet.
Extra credit activity (not required for this project): Want to know how many stitches you can crochet in an hour? Just take your SPM and multiply that number by 60. Voila! Now you can brag to everyone that you can crochet X amount of stitches per minute!
Now remember, this depends on all the variables above so it will be different for every person. But for 60% of the crocheters in this survey, it took a month or more. 26% said they could easily finish in 2-3 weeks, while only 11% said they could finish in under 2 weeks.
The double crochet is the best crochet stitch for blankets. The double crochet stitch is easy and a basic stitch to learn. It does use a ton of yarn. The crochet stitch is tall so the blanket will work up quickly.
Studies have shown that art therapy activities like crocheting can aid in reducing the risks of developing or even slowing down the progression of dementia.
Crochet's early history was rooted in Ireland where the craft helped provide much-needed income during the desperate times of the potato famine. Visit this gorgeous country and see where the craft came from.
One of the best crochet items to sell is baby items. There's never a shortage of new babies! New parents love handmade items for their little ones. People are always looking for unique, handcrafted gifts for baby showers or to welcome a new addition to the family.
As a general rule, it is legal to sell crochet items made from a copyrighted pattern. Copyright law only applies to the distribution of the pattern itself, not to any items made from the pattern. Despite any language to the contrary, there are no legal repercussions for selling crochet items.
It's not difficult to learn how to crochet, but it can be a little tricky in the beginning. Like learning any new skill, mastering crochet will take a fair bit of perseverance and patience. To learn crochet, start with the fundamental techniques and a few basic stitches.
There is no such thing as a crochet machine. This statement may seem odd, since there are knitting machines. In fact, most knitwear that is found in stores are very likely being mass-produced by a machine.
There are plenty of reasons why people love to crochet. The thrill of finishing a project, the challenge of learning a new pattern or stitch, the kid-in-a-candy-store excitement of choosing new yarn… There is so much depth in the creative process, it's hard to encapsulate!
And, at least in the beginning, you'll need to count the stitches in each row to make sure you've crocheted the correct number of stitches. Crochet uses more yarn than knitting. In general, you can expect crochet projects to use 25-30% more yarn than a knitting project of the same size, depending on the stitch pattern.
Crochet fashion was a defining look last year, with its retro-throwback quality and boho aesthetic. And it's only going to get more popular in 2023. Here's a stylish selection of patterns and kits… All you need to do is pick your favourites.
It is used to draw the yarn through the loops. If you are familiar with knitting, you know you need two needles to knit. But don't go to your local yarn shop and buy two same crochet hooks! You need just one.
Quicker Completion: The thickness of these yarns allows for larger stitches, resulting in faster project completion times. This can be particularly motivating for beginners. Easier Handling: Beginners often find it less challenging to work with thick yarns as they are easier to grip and manipulate with a crochet hook.
Using a larger hook size than suggested will give you looser, more open stitches, as well as making your finished crochet piece larger. Using a smaller hook size will give you tighter, denser stitches, and your finished piece will end up being smaller.
As a general guideline, one yard per stitch might be required for making a baby blanket, while an average twin bed-sized blanket takes between 300-330 yards. Remember, though, that there are many different kinds of blankets. Size and thickness will impact how much yarn you need to make your blanket.
The 5 simplest crochet stitches to learn are the chain, single crochet, half double crochet, double crochet, and slip stitch. Once you get the hang of these few stitches, you can make a plethora of projects!
It doesn't take long to learn basic crochet stitches. With practice, basic crochet stitches can be learned in a day or two. More advanced crochet techniques take longer to learn, adding up to weeks or months, depending on the project and the time the crocheter can devote to it.
But for many of us who spend long hours working on our knitting or crochet the physical side effects are well known and can include: 1) Repetitive Strain Injury (or RSI) including Carpal Tunnel and Tendonitus.repetitive actions and poor posture.shoulders.
Crocheting has also been shown to improve memory function and can be used to help with dementia and other memory loss issues. Just like with learning a language or doing a puzzle, crocheting helps focus the brain on a task and stimulates activity in the brain as it learns a new skill.
Pros: Helps you maintain flexibility in hands (especially with finger osteoarthritis). Harder patterns are good for finger dexterity training. Different needle types – can help minimize harm to hands (flexible needles).
Knitting and Crochet Relieve Depression Depression relief is by far the most reported and studied benefit of crochet and knitting. The repetition of the crafts has been shown to release serotonin, a natural anti-depressant.
One of the best crochet items to sell is baby items. There's never a shortage of new babies! New parents love handmade items for their little ones. People are always looking for unique, handcrafted gifts for baby showers or to welcome a new addition to the family.
The single crochet swatch used the most yarn. On this small sample of 2″ x 6″ swatches, the half double crochet used 13″ less yarn than the single crochet. In turn, the double crochet used 38″ less yarn than the half double crochet. However, the treble crochet only used 2″ less yarn than the double crochet.
The winner: Treble crochet. Treble crochet stitches take the least amount of yarn per square inch when compared to single crochet and double crochet (using US terminology). That's because the visible gaps between each stitch leave less space for your yarn to cover.
Why do you block crochet projects? Blocking helps adjust the size and shape of the crochet item. Blocking helps you get flat corners and straight edges and helps fix unwanting curling. Blocking relaxes and enhances the stitches in your crochet project, especially in ones using lacy patterns.
When you craft, you work your hand muscles and tendons repetitively, and you can end up with fatigue and strain, and sadly, pain. You may have heard terms like repetitive stress injury or carpal tunnel syndrome. Yikes! (Remember: We're NOT doctors!
Introduction: My name is Pres. Carey Rath, I am a faithful, funny, vast, joyous, lively, brave, glamorous person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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