Are Crocheters 'Cheap?'

ARE CROCHETERS ‘CHEAP?’
I read this in a Ravelry group discussion:

Why will a knitter drop $60 - $100 for a sweater, but a crocheter won’t?

Why do crocheters seem to take fewer classes at conferences or yarn/fiber festivals than knitters? Are we better at it or just cheap?
Why do so many LYSs (even crochet friendly ones) have such a hard time filling crochet classes?

If you do take classes…do you like classes about techniques, a particular project, how to design, other (please share)?
When you take a class around a particular project…do you want it to be small so that you can finish it in the class?
If you do take a technique class, should there be a finished project at the end or is a series of swatches enough?

How is a class around a specific project different than a crochet-along?

Do you think classes at LYSs are more about selling the yarn than teaching the student something more about crochet?

I’ve never taken a class at a Michaels (do Wal-Mart, Hobby-Lobby, A.C. Moore or Jo-Ann’s give crochet classes?) Are they about techniques or finished projects?

Or what’s the ratio?

How far would you drive to take a crochet class at a LYS? What would need to be special about the class to get you to pay for it and drive there?

If money was immaterial, what would keep you from taking crochet classes?

I thought this blog entry was interesting, although dated.

Do you think more people crochet in the southern regions of the States than Midwest/north/Canada?

Is crochet really divided across generational lines? If so…to what degree do you think?

Do crocheters do more for charity projects than knitters (projects per year per crafter)? (I couldn’t get real numbers on Ravelry for this). Is this why we’re “cheap”?

Do you buy crochet patterns in LYSs or do you prefer to download them from online, or via magazines?

What’s would be your ratio of purchased vs. free patterns completed?

What makes a LYS crochet-friendly…good attitude or an inventory of patter patterns completed?

What makes a LYS crochet-friendly…good attitude or an inventory of patterns, hooks, thread? classes?


Here's my take on the subject:

In a word……YES!!!

Of course, there are exceptions (if you’re not, then I’m not talking about you!!…so don’t get upset with me!)

I find that, overall, knitters tend to spend their money on ‘quality’ of yarn, whereas crocheters tend to spend their money on the ‘quantity’ of yarn

Things have been changing over the years, with newer yarns that’s more affordable, as well as the mindset of who and what the average knitter/crocheter are today. It’s no longer something that just elderly women did to keep busy (not that there’s anything wrong with that either,of course!) ;-)

As a former crochet teacher to primarily seniors, I find that most crocheter tend to not want to spend too much time and money on just one item. The few knitters I come across tend to be more concerned on what type of yarn and where they buy it.

Here, in Philadelphia, we really only have one crochet friendly LYS, called Jane’s Yarn Shoppe, but most people still tend to but their yarn at the local craft stores, that are mainly in/near a shopping center, where they can can multi-task to do other things.

Another thing I find that a lot of crocheters aren’t technically skilled as they would like to be, and aren’t willing to both take the time and expense to improve their skills.

I’m always asked if I can ‘simplify’ a pattern or a idea, but they’re not willing to pay me for it.

Each year, at our annual Knit/Crochet Out, there are less people that attend, mainly because, due to the decrease in donations, the ‘free’ items have been dwindling. We might not have one this year.

So, no matter how you phrase it, until we as crocheters, that want to improve our status as not being ‘cheap’, we need to go out and promote crochet more, step up our skills, shop at the LYS, demand better service and respect.

Otherwise, we’ll be still asking the same question years from now.