On today’s episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast, we’re talking about building a crochet business with my guest Amy Ting.
Amy is a Korean-Taiwanese crochet designer based in the Bay Area, California. She is the author of Amigurumi Critters and creator of Curious Papaya. Amy’s amigurumi creations have resonated with a wide audience but especially so with the Asian-American population.
Her designs have been featured in notable publications such as Simply Crochet Magazine and Crochet Society, and she has also collaborated with popular brands in the fiber arts community such as Michael’s Arts and Crafts, Jo-Ann Fabrics and Clover Needlecrafts. Amy hopes for those viewing her work to feel empowered through representation and inspired to take on new challenges.
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We begin this interview with Amy talking about growing up in Michigan and attending Michigan State University, where she studied to become a teacher. Amy moved to California to take a job in the classroom. Amy really enjoyed her career as an educator, finding it very rewarding, but also challenging. She found crochet as a hobby during a particularly stressful teaching year. She eventually left teaching in order to focus on raising her children.
Amy began crocheting toys that represented traditional Korean and Taiwanese foods to add ot her daughter’s play kitchen. We discuss the fact that a hobby like crochet can stay a hobby, rather than being monetized and becoming a side hustle or a full-fledged business.
Amy talks about her design process which is fairly spontaneous rather than involving detailed planning before beginning a new design. Amy started her business by selling finished toys at craft fairs. Her first market was held outdoors in 2021 and was profitable despite a very simple setup. Eventually, Amy shares some of the difficulties of selling handmade goods at markets, especially in crochet where sellers are competing with resellers of overseas products.
During the pandemic, chunky crochet became a trend and Amy began making larger versions of her designs, alongside the traditional small amigurumi. Amy has a large following on Instagram and we talk about her strategy and approcaht to growing her audience there.
Amy’s book, Amigurumi Critters: 25 Imaginative Crochet Designs for All Skill Levels, is available in bookstores now.
Amy’s first book has just come out, and it was published by Cider Mill Press, a division of HarperCollins. This particular imprint had never published a craft book, and Amy talks about the unique experience of being their first author in this sector. She convinced her publisher to make animals the focus of the book, completing 25 patterns in a six-month time frame! Amy also took all of the photos in the book, including the cover photo, teaching herself photography along the way. If you’re looking for a whole book of adorable amigurumi patterns, this book is for you!
And, of course, I ask Amy to recommend great stuff she’s enjoying right now. Amy recommends:
- The Empyrean book series (Fourth Wing)
- Animal Crossing (Nintendo Switch game)
- Textured yarn like Premier Parfait Chunky or Lion Brand Feels Like Bliss
Keep up with Amy on her website, Curious Papaya, and on Instagram.
