Fall is upon us! Many of our normal autumn festivities have been cancelled or moved online, and for many crocheters and crafters, this slow fall market season is sadder than dropping our ice cream in the dirt!
While there are fewer events to choose from, there are many shoppers who are already online screaming “Take my money!” and want to support small handmade businesses.
If you are able to participate in an upcoming market, I know you want to make the most of your time and effort to create bestselling crochet gifts that shoppers want.
I’ve put together this roundup to help you focus on a few key categories that I see trending or have had firsthand success with at markets and online. Many of these I have sold lots of both on Etsy and to family/friends via social media posts. Some are free patterns, some are paid.
I hope you find a pattern or two that you can crank out several of for your upcoming market or craft show. I hope that these will not only be fun to create but will be crowd-pleasers.
(some of these are affiliate links,
which means I earn a small percentage from sales from the sites like Etsy.)
Last fall when I was selling at a market, I sat behind my table and crocheted scrunchies and I couldn’t keep up with the customers who were ordering them from me as I hustled my little hook. Velvet, fur and fuzzy yarn especially sell well in bundles like 3/$10 or 2/$5. Another great stash buster, scrunchies stack well on a paper towel holder and I found that working on them live always creates interest and demand. I sold all of my stock, made some for pickup later at the event and even got some prepaid orders for more scrunchies. Here I have posted two FREE patterns that work up in less than five minutes.
Everyone has a favorite something. Llamas, sloths, Disney princesses, comic book characters, etc. Many parents and grandparents are shopping fall markets with Christmas presents in mind. Unicorns, my dears, NEVER go out of style. I made these two Ragdoll Unicorns shown for a local artist gallery and they both sold immediately! I highly recommend a rainbow mane because so many kids love it, and it’s easy to create out of those tiny balls of yarn you have lying around. You can use any color for the body of the unicorn, so it is a great stash buster. You can find the printable pattern on Ravelry, or the free version at SpinaYarnCrochet.
Speaking of favorites, sloths are on lots of Christmas wish lists! I sold lots and lots of these plant hangers this year, and the pattern by Hello Happy is so easy to follow and works up pretty quick once you learn all the sloth parts. Grab the pattern on Etsy.
I’m sure you’ve seen the Claire Bun Beanie for years, but did you know that Ashley has made the pattern available for free on her blog? I do have the paid version and I get orders for these every Fall and sell them at markets. They are a great suggestion for shoppers who are looking for a gift for someone teen-20s. This is me in a beautiful charcoal Claire Bun Beanie a couple of years ago. I wish I had more chances to wear them in Florida! Grab the free version on ACraftyConcept.com or the paid version on Etsy.
I don’t even know where to start with this amazing Boho Pumpkin by Days Crochet. She has a wonderful printable, paid pattern for this beauty, and also filmed a Youtube tutorial if you don’t need a written pattern. Pumpkins are great sellers at markets!
(Especially boho delicious ones like this!)
I can’t count how many pairs of “Mermaid Scale Glove” as I like to call them since I live at the beach. Dragon and Mermaid fans will love these and they look soooo impressive but actually work up quick! Grab the FREE Ravelry Download by YarnivoreUK.
Every. Single. Crocheter seems to have been tagged in a photo of a pocket shawl this summer. Everyone wants one! This beauty was created by Stitching Together and she has the pattern for free on her blog!
Hang your pocket shawls from fancy velvet hangers (Dollar Tree!) and include a small framed photo of the pocket shawl on a real human. Also, you don’t need to make a ton of them – One or two will do, as it is totally acceptable to take prepayments for custom orders for large items – I get orders for custom makes at every market!
How classy is this???
Days Crochet really hit it out of the park with this unique boho pumpkin collar. Imagine a couple pumpkins wearing these for your Thanksgiving centerpiece or front stoop decoration. Add beaded tassels to the points for even more boho flair.
Find the pattern on Etsy here.
I can’t even with this pattern. Cables can be daunting but this pattern by TheCrochetFix is so well written that after making two hats, I can make it without even reading the pattern! The cablework looks like intricate knitting and these will REALLY stand out on your market table! The pattern is on Ravelry and also available for FREE on the blog.
