Shannon Talks Yarn

  There’s something exciting -and slightly terrifying- about trying something completely new. Recently, I stepped outside of my comfort zone and became a vendor at a local market for the very first time. Not only was I selling my handmade crochet pieces, but I was also one of the organizers. So yes… I chose maximum chaos for my first experience. Today I’m giving you the honest recap: what I learned, what sold, what didn’t, mistakes I made, and whether I’d do it again. If you’ve ever thought about selling crochet at a craft fair or market, I hope this gives you a realistic look at what it can be like.  First Lesson: Practice Booth Setups Don’t Always Translate Before the market, I practiced setting up my booth space in my living room. I took pictures, moved things around, and thought I had it figured out. Then I got to the venue. Suddenly, what looked great at home didn’t work the same way in real life. That taught me an important lesson: be flexible. You can plan all you want,...

  There are moments in the yarn world that just feel… extra special. This was one of them. Recently, someone from my community dropped off a giant bag of handmade crochet doilies for me. And when I say giant, I mean it had some serious weight to it...like a couple of pounds of thread, time, and love all bundled together. The thing is… I had no idea what was inside. So naturally, I decided we were going to open it together. The Magic of the Unknown There’s something really exciting about not knowing what you’re about to uncover, especially when it comes to handmade items. Right away, I could tell this wasn’t just a random collection. These pieces were thoughtfully made, carefully stored, and incredibly well preserved. No stains, no fading - just doily after doily in beautiful condition. A Whole World of Doily Designs Of course, there were some familiar elements, like the classic pineapple pattern that so many of us recognize. But there was also so much variety that genui...

  Hey, hey, hey! So much has happened this past week, and I feel like things have officially kicked into high gear—in the best way possible. If you’ve been following along, you know I’ve been working toward hosting my first vendor market, and this week brought a mix of inspiration, connection, and a few “wow, this is really happening” moments. Let’s dive in. Visiting Another Market (and Learning a Lot) Last week, I made a last-minute trip with a couple of friends to a nearby town for a craft fair. Interestingly, it was hosted by the same organizer as the one I previously attended in Ames. And let me tell you, it was fascinating to compare the two. Even though this was a much smaller town, the event actually felt better in a lot of ways. It really opened my eyes to how much venue, layout, and local energy can impact the overall experience. But beyond the logistics, what made the day special was the people. I tagged along with my friends (shoutout to Sarah and Shaye for bei...

  I am having so much fun getting ready for my first vendor market… but I’m also very aware that I don’t fully know what I’m doing. And honestly? I think that’s kind of the point. Instead of waiting until I have everything figured out, I wanted to bring you along for the process: mistakes, experiments, and all so that maybe you can skip a few of the headaches I’m probably about to experience. Because if there’s one thing I know about myself, it’s this: I tend to make things more complicated than they need to be. So this time, I’m trying something different. Starting With Who (Not What) Before I bought a single display piece or designed a tag, I asked myself one question: Who am I creating this for? For me, the answer came pretty quickly— fun, rural women… probably around my age… who love a little mix of: western boho vintage and a touch of 80s/90s nostalgia Everything I’m bringing to this market ties back to that one person . Not random products. Not ...

  Craft Market Prep If I have a typical pattern of behavior, it’s this: I make things far more complicated than they need to be. And when it comes to preparing for my very first market booth… I think that’s exactly what I was doing. I had started going down the rabbit hole of spreadsheets, inventory tracking systems, receipt books, and all sorts of complicated ideas about how I was going to run my booth. I knew I wanted to be able to accept credit cards and digital payments, and I also knew I didn’t want to just guess at what sold. Since this is my first market, I really want to learn from it. I want to know what people are drawn to, what sells quickly, and what maybe doesn’t sell at all. But the question was: how do I keep track of everything without making the whole process overwhelming? Eventually, I realized the answer was simple. Deciding on a Point-of-Sale System I spent quite a bit of time researching options for taking payments. These days, most shoppers expect to ...

  Lately, I’ve been seeing more and more creators - especially in the yarn and craft space - talk openly about overconsumption. And honestly? It’s a conversation I’ve been sitting with for a while. If you’ve been around here long enough, you might remember that I touched on this topic in a video some time ago. I’ll link it for you HERE if you’d like to revisit it. But I wanted to come back to the idea again, because it’s at the heart of a small, but meaningful, shift you may be noticing in my content. This spring marks nearly five years of me creating videos on YouTube , which still feels wild to say out loud. I’m incredibly grateful for every view, comment, and word of encouragement you’ve shared with me over the years. This channel has always been about more than stitches. It’s about the why behind making. But after almost five years, I’ll be honest: consistently creating “fresh” content can be hard. It’s tempting to fall back on things like yarn hauls or starting projects...

  A Cozy Yarn Catch‑Up:  Well friends… it’s been a minute. If you’ve been around Shannon Talks Yarn for any length of time, you know this channel has always been about more than just stitches. It’s about the why behind the making, the seasons of life we’re in, and how yarn fits into all of it. Today’s post is a cozy, behind‑the‑scenes catch‑up on what I’ve been working on lately: creatively, professionally, and personally. Grab your coffee, your work in progress, and let’s talk yarn. Learning From Other Markets (a.k.a. Strategic Snooping) A few weeks ago, a friend and I took a little road trip to check out another vendor market in a larger town. Not as competitors, more like students. We went in with open eyes and the goal of learning what works and what doesn’t . Some of our biggest takeaways: Booth layout and spacing matters a lot Crowded aisles make it hard for shoppers to linger Vendors need room to chat without blocking traffic Focused booths are easier to understand (a...