The rise of the craft podcast

The podcast industry is growing – in March 2021 Apple Podcasts alone was hosting 1.96 million podcasts, with topics ranging from true crime to crafts, cooking to comedy.

“What I love about podcasts is that they are not just produced by famous people or big brands, many podcasts are made by normal people who just have a passion for a subject or specialist knowledge to share and they can be so interesting and informative,” says Caroline Bryant, a keen crocheter and podcast enthusiast.

If you’re interested in getting onboard the podcast trend, all you need is a podcast app – try Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or Audible – and you’ll find millions of episodes to listen to.

The LoveCrafts Show, hosted by Merion Willis, star maker from LoveCrafts, and Jamie, aka Mr X Stitch, is a great one to start with. Dedicated to all kinds of crafting, this podcast is fun and lively with special guests such as Debbie Bliss, Tom Daley and Jeanette Sloan.

The Crochet Sanctuary Podcast promises “the most unprofessional crochet ramblings” but also guarantees a giggle while you listen, while The Crochet Circle Podcast run by designer Fay Dashper-Hughes is inspired by her love of fibre crafts. The WeCrochet Podcast comes from the team behind www.crochet.com, and features chat and interviews about patterns, yarns, design and techniques.

Treble the Trouble is a video podcast with Faye from @unravel_unwind, Helen from @rainbowvalleycrafts and Vicky from @veraandbess, and can be found on YouTube. Keep Calm and Carry Yarn is a podcast about knitting, crochet and the mother-daughter bond of hosts Vivian and Alyson, living on different sides of the Atlantic.

One of the original crochet podcasters, Yarn Thing with Marly Bird, is well worth a listen for her regular live shows and designer interviews.

For makers interested in selling their work, Pam Grice’s Dear Crochetpreneur podcast offers plenty of useful advice for those running a handmade business, while The Etsy Success podcast is really informative for anyone who sells their work online, or hopes to, with lots of tips for makers with small creative businesses.