11 Best-Selling Market Prep Crochet Patterns that Are Sure to Make a Profit

With so many fun crochet patterns out there, it can be difficult to narrow down exactly what to make for market prep. I am sharing the market prep crochet patterns that I use for my best-selling items for my crochet markets.

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What Crochet Items Sell Best at Markets?

The items that will sell best for you are totally dependent on the type of market you are at, your ideal customer, and your own passion for creating. Here are some tips for finding what to make while keeping all three of these criteria in mind.

When deciding what to make for a specific market, you need to put yourself in the shoes of someone attending the market. Think about how they will feel when they are at the market, what mood they will be in, and what you have to offer to make their lives better.

For example, if you are selling at a large summer, outdoor market, customers are not likely to be interested in purchasing hats and scarves or fall and winter seasonal items. As a customer at a warm event that is crowded, you would likely be looking for something small and easy to carry around. Seeing the perfect accessory like a key chain, a cute cotton bucket hat, or a case for your sunglasses would probably make you want to stop and pull out your wallet.

If you are at an event with lots of kids, like the events I go to, having small and lower-cost kid-friendly items like stuffed toys, resusable water balloons, and freeze pop holders can help parents avoid a melt down and are very likely to be popular.

For events that are geared more towards adults, stuffed toys may not be the way to go. Instead, you may want to focus on seasonal decor or wearable items.

Regardless of the time or audience of your show, it is really important to consider your passion when determining what you want to market prep. You will be making a lot of items, likely on repeat, and you need to make sure you are going to enjoy the process. If you don’t love what you’re making, it’s going to be difficult to successfully market prep.

What Should You Consider When Choosing Crochet Patterns for Market Prep?

There are so many fantastic crochet patterns available all over the internet and in books, but not all of those patterns are ideal for market prep. When deciding what you are going to include in your inventory, make sure to ask yourself the following questions:

Can I make this item quickly?

If your goal is to frequently sell at markets, you will need to be able to restock your items quickly. While it is okay to make some larger items that are more time-consuming, most of your items should be relatively quick makes. I would recommend looking for patterns that work up in less than an hour and a half for the majority of your inventory.

Is there something special about this item that will make people want to buy it?

Just because you really like a pattern unfortunately doesn’t mean that others will. Try to keep your customer in mind and pick patterns that will meet a need or spark a lot of interest for them.

Will people be willing to pay what I need to charge for this item to make a profit?

Making inventory costs money. You will need to buy all of your supplies and charge not only for your supplies, but for your time, booth fees, and other materials as well. When deciding what to make, be sure to work out your pricing to see what you will have to charge to make a profit. If that price isn’t realistic for someone to spend at a market, you may not want to make that item for market prep.

Do I like this pattern enough to make it repeatedly?

If you have been crocheting for awhile, you probably realize that some patterns are enjoyable to make, while others aren’t. It doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s a bad pattern, but it may just not be your preference. Make sure to focus on patterns that you like enough to keep making so you don’t get burnt out in the process.

What Materials Should You Have on Hand Before Starting Market Prep?

It’s always a good idea to make sure you have all your materials ready before starting to market prep, especially for a large show! Not having everything ready and organized can cause you to impulse-buy, get frustrated, and get behind on productivity goals. Here are the materials I would recommend having on hand before you start:

Yarn

This might seem fairly obvious, but you need to have plenty of yarn on hand to market prep. I like to organize my yarn by color and weight in cube shelves to make it easy to see what I have. I also find it helpful to use my yarn winder to wind all my yarn into cakes before crocheting so I don’t have to worry about de-tangling knots along the way.

For each of the patterns below, I listed the suggested yarn for that pattern that was shared by the designer. I make all of these patterns using Bernat Blanket yarn, regardless of what the pattern calls for. You can choose your favorite weight 4, 5, or 6 yarn to make any of these patterns!

Crochet Hooks

I find myself market-prepping everywhere I can leading up to market season – at the bus stop, in the car, in waiting rooms at appointments, and anywhere I can sit or stand in my house! Because of this, I highly recommend getting a few of your go-to crochet hooks. I use my Clover Amour K10.5/6.5 mm hook for almost all of my market prep, so I have several of these hooks so I don’t fall behind because I misplaced my hook.

Make sure you have the hooks you need on hand before starting your prep. If you need to use multiple hook sizes for your market prep, make sure you have your hooks organized in an easy-to-find location so you can switch without wasting time.

Safety Eyes and Felt Eyes

If you are making amigurumi, you will want to make sure you have plenty of eyes on hand. Especially if you are using safety eyes, you will want to have them readily available so you don’t have to stop working mid-project. If you are using felt eyes, it helps to have them pre-cut prior to starting. I purchase pre-cut felt eyes in a variety of sizes in bulk, and this has been a total game-changer for me!

Stuffing

If you are making stuffed toys, you want to make sure you have plenty of stuffing on hand. Since I sell mostly stuffed toys, I buy my stuffing in bulk and keep them in a large metal bin in my craft room. As I work, I use a small fabric basket to hold several handfuls of stuffing to work with so the rest can stay clean and organized while I work.

Additional Tools

In addition to the previously mentioned materials, you will also want to make sure you have a good pair of scissors and a yarn needle on hand. I recommend using a steel yarn needle for finishing work. If you are using safety eyes, you may want to have a tool to help you secure them. If you are using felt eyes, you will want to have a hot glue gun and plenty of glue sticks for attaching them. If you like using stitch markers, make sure you have those on hand. I also find that having ami sticks or long knitting needles can help when sewing amigurumi pieces together.

My Go-To Market Prep Crochet Patterns

I specialize in making stuffed toys and accessories intended for kids and kids at heart. Here are the products that I have found to consistently sell well at all of my markets:

1. Mabel Chickens

There’s just something about a chubby plush chicken that drives the crowds wild! The Mabel Chicken pattern by Oak and Marlow is hands-down my best-seller. I have even had people come back show after show to add to their chicken collections!

I love making these chickens in realistic colors. I even wrote up an entire blog post about the Mabel Chicken pattern that includes all the modifications you can make to the pattern, the yarn colors I suggest, and lots of other great info. If you think your customers would like chickens, definitely check it out!

2. Tank the Turtle

Tank the Turtle by Mel’s Crocheted Creations is right up there with Mabel as one of my all-time best-sellers! These cute turtles are so fun and easy to make up, and they always sell out. I have recently started making them in ALL the colors, and I am obsessed with how cute they are!

This pattern is a great no-sew pattern that doesn’t even require any embroidery. While you can add a smile if you want, they look great with just eyes added. They use very few materials, so they are a great stash-buster since the shells and bodies can be different colors. They are also super adorable made in mini size with worsted weight yarn!

You can find my full pattern review of Tank the Turtle on the Eye Love Knots blog!

3. Mini Kitty

I’ve seen a lot of “loaf cat” patterns being sold, but I think this Mini Kitty Pattern by Crafty Kat Shop US is the absolute best! When I say this pattern works up quickly, I’m really not kidding! During my kids’ hour-long gymnastics practice, I can easily make four of these cuties!

I have made these cats in all sorts of realistic colors. Orange, white, and medium gray tend to sell the fastest for me. I think they would also sell really well in some non-realistic colors as well.

You can find my full pattern review of the Mini Kitty pattern on the Eye Love Knots blog!

4. Ollie the Octopus

Ollie the Octopus by Knots Merry Yarn is my go-to pattern for stash busting, crocheting on walks, or making something quick. I have this pattern down by heart and have sold hundreds of these little cuties! I personally like to over stuff them so they feel similar to a stress ball.

While these always sell great for me since they are one of my least expensive items, I have found that the variegated yarn options always go first. After that, purple, pink, and blue tend to be the most popular.

You can find my full pattern review of Ollie the Octopus on the Eye Love Knots blog!

5. Frank the Frog

I know that leggy frogs can be popular, but I have found Frank the Frog by Rachel The Farmer’s Wife to be my favorite and a great seller for markets. I find that the bright green color tends to sell the best, but other shades of green work too!

If you are up for making mini versions of Frank the Frog, they work great for key chains! I sell out of my key chain versions every single time I make them!

You can find the full pattern review of Frank the Frog on the Eye Love Knots blog.

6. No-Sew Axolotl

While some of my older customers have absolutely no idea what an axolotl is, the kids sure do! These cute little No-Sew Axolotls designed by Stitch by Fay are always the first to go at my recent markets. I love the two shades of pink that represent the real animals, but I have found that customers love them in all sorts of color combinations.

With axolotls being super trendy right now, you can probably find some cute stickers or other merchandise to pair up with these little guys to make a gift set if you want some higher-priced options.

You can find my full pattern review of the No-Sew Axolotl on the Eye Love Knots blog.

7. Mini Belly Giraffe

I absolutely fell in love with the Belly collection by Madeline Mae Co. when she first released it! I started out making the Belly Elephant, but then quickly discovered my love for the Mini Belly Giraffe! While this pattern can be a little time-consuming, it’s definitely worth it to batch-make them and stock up. I sell out of these every time I bring them to shows.

There is also a pattern for a larger (non-mini) version of this Belly Giraffe. Both sell well for me, but the larger pattern takes a few shows to sell. I don’t mind though – the big giraffe always brings in customers and gets tons of compliments.

You can read my pattern review of the bigger Belly Giraffe on the Eye Love Knots blog!

Note: Madeline Mae Co. has rebranded and is now Todd + James. The Belly collection patterns can be found in her archived Etsy shop. She has also released some new versions of these stuffed animals if you want to try them out.

8. Knotty ‘Lil Bee

The Knotty ‘Lil Bee by The Knotty Boss is one of my longest-selling makes. I started out making these into tiny little keychains in all sorts of colors and moved into making them as small plushies out of blanket yarn. They look great in all sorts of colors!

These cute bees can be paired up with all sorts of cute tags, including the ones designed by The Knotty Boss. You can pair them up with other yellow items for a gift set or sell them individually. Add a rattle insert, and they can make a great baby item as well!

9. Jellie Jellyfish

I don’t think these adorable jellyfish will ever go out of style! The Jellie Jellyfish pattern by Heart 2 Stitch Co. is one of my favorite patterns to make! I love using variegated yarn for these to make them in all sorts of fun colors. They work up quickly for a larger make, and I love that they are easy to take as an on-the-go project because the tentacles don’t really have much counting involved.

Customers love the feeling of pulling on these tentacles. I have customers that call them all sorts of things – jellyfish, octopi, squids, etc. Whatever they call them, they sure do love them! And if you didn’t already know, babies really find comfort in the tentacles of these because they mimic the feeling of the umbilical cord.

10. Connor the Manta Ray

The smile on Connor the Manta Ray just warms my heart to the core! I honestly don’t think I will ever get over how cute they are with that little smile! And I’m not the only one that thinks that – I get so many customers that comment on how much they love their little personalities.

While these aren’t always flying off the shelves as fast as some of my smaller makes, I never have to take these cuties to more than two shows for them to sell. This pattern, which is free from Hobbii, is made in flat pieces so it’s super beginner-friendly. I love how easily they work up and the fact that they require very little stuffing. I make mine in differing shades of blue and gray for the body with a white belly, and they are always a hit!

11. Duck

These little ducks from Rose and Lily Amigurumi work up really quickly and make the cutest stuffie for kids! I made my first duck for my niece who loves them, and I fell in love with the pattern!

I make these ducks in both bright and light yellow and found that both shades of yellow sell out in similar quantities. The light yellow tends to sell best for baby gifts and the bright yellow sells best for small children.

I hope that this list helps you with your market prep journey! Let me know how these makes sell for you by commenting on this post or tagging me on socials!

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