Vincent Green-Hite

Tell us a bit about yourself…

I currently live in Portland, Oregon in the USA and I live with my loving partner! She and I don’t have any pets yet, but I am surrounded by enough plushies that I am okay.

Could you tell us a bit about what you do?

I am a professional crochet artist – aka Knot Bad or Yarn Punk – and content creator! I focus on offering free crochet patterns to all my followers. When I am not crocheting, I make content for bands on TikTok and I am part of the Ribblr team.

How did you first learn to crochet?

I taught myself how to crochet via YouTube when I was 21 and I have been doing it ever since for the past seven years.

Do you have a “day job”?

This is my full-time job now, but I have had many side gigs while I was trying to make this a career – I have worked as a caregiver, at USPS, and spent most of my time as a Driver’s Ed instructor. I now also teach private crochet lessons and I am the chief marketing officer for Ribblr.

How and when did you get into crochet design?

Very early on – after just a few practice projects, I knew I wanted to pursue the design side of crochet.

What are your most popular designs?

Most of the designs that do well are very simple ones – however, my Pumpkin Spice Latte and Laci the Banana Split Snail I would say are iconic in my portfolio. As for my personal favourite, I don’t feel right picking just one, they all mean so much to me in different ways.

What achievements are you most proud of?

Overall, I am very proud of myself for working hard all these years so that I can feel confident internally about who I am. Crafting can make you feel vulnerable, and I am glad to be in a position where people are even interested in interviewing me!

Tell us about your colour palette…

Although I have no colour in my wardrobe, I like to have every single colour to work with in my yarn stash. I try to keep my amigurumi very colourful. So I guess my favourite colour would be… rainbow!

What is your favourite part of the creative process?

It’s the part when I can just crochet and not have to count. The best thing about this career is the flexibility – being able to take time off when I need to enjoy life’s moments is amazing. However, I have to consciously do that. Work is on my mind 24/7. Also, creative burnout is real.

Any advice for an aspiring crochet designer?

Don’t feel like you’re not a good artist if you haven’t found your style yet! It took me years to feel confident with mine and it’s still changing. The internet is a great tool and it’s not going anywhere. Take your time with it, each project will be a memory you get to hold onto.

What else do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

Outside of crochet, I don’t do anything else creative. I like to absorb media and play games! I play video games, card games, watch anime, read manga, hang out with friends, and I try to get some exercise in.

What are you looking forward to in 2023?

My book Knot Bad Amigurumi is finally out so now I am excited to enjoy the fruits of that labour and continue growing my personal brand. I am new to Ribblr so I look forward to seeing how I can help bring even more tech into the fibre arts world. I am very open about what I am up to so if you follow me on social media, you can hear me talk crafting, music, nerdy stuff, and even politics!

Find out more about Vincent’s work at www.knotbadami.com and follow on TikTok @knotbad. Check out his new book Knot Bad Amigurumi (Quarry Books, £18.99) or buy from his Ribblr shop.