Creating a Movement Within the Crochet Community | Podcast Episode #104

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A New Genre of Crochet

We often use crochet as a form of self-expression without really thinking about it. Yarn isn’t something we do, it’s more of who we are. Until recently, there hasn’t been a way to describe how yarn allows us to express our true selves. That’s where “yarn punk” comes in.

Special Guest

On today’s episode, you’ll hear from Vincent of Knot Bad Crochet as he shares a new genre of crochet called “yarn punk”. It’s not so much punk or rock-related as it is a way to showcase what yarn means and expresses for you.

You’ll Learn

• About Vincent and how he started Yarn Punk
• What yarn punk means to you and why it probably isn’t related to rock and roll
• How to express yourself through your projects
• How you can get involved with other “yarn punks” in the community and in your area

Episode Transcript

Brittany:
Thank you so much for joining me in episode 104 of the Be Hooked podcast. I have a really great guest lined up for you today and we are talking about something that’s a little different.

Now I have to ask, when was the last time you crocheted in public? What was the response that you had? Did you get a lot of people who were interested, maybe ask some questions? Did you get some weird looks?

Now, I have to be honest, when I first started crocheting for probably the first year or two, I was too bashful to crochet in public. I know it sounds so silly for me to even say that now, but I was. I was afraid of what people would say, of what people would think, of what they would ask me. Totally silly, I know.

But if you can relate, I am so thrilled for you to hear this message today. So today I had the pleasure of chatting with Vincent from Not Bad Crochet, also the person who recently catapulted a new genre of self-expression. It’s food for thought, right? It’s really intriguing.

Now the message here will challenge you to think about who you are and what you love, but more importantly, how that blends with yarn. We can use yarn as a way to express ourselves. A lot of us relate to yarn in that way. It’s not something we do. It’s a part of who we are. And to be able to express ourself through yarn, that’s really the basis of what we’re going to discuss today.

So are you ready? Here we go. Vincent, hey, welcome back to the show. How are you doing today?

Vincent: 2:13
Hi, Brittany. I’m good. How are you?

Brittany: 2:15
I am wonderful. It is always a good day when I get to chat with you, so I’m super excited.

Vincent: 2:20
I’m excited to be here again. I was on this podcast a long time ago, so I appreciate you having me back, and I’m glad we could still stay in touch.

Brittany: 2:28
Yeah, me too. It feels like a really long time ago, doesn’t it?

Vincent: 2:32
It does. It does. But I mean, I guess that just gives us a lot of content to work with when we’re talking today.

Brittany: 2:38
It sure does. Yeah. And we actually had the opportunity to meet one another in Chicago this past year. So that was pretty cool too.

Vincent: 2:44
That was awesome. Yeah. I got to listen to your speech and it was so cool to like I’ve seen you online for however long I did and then finally be able to see you speak across the country. That was really cool. Oh man, what a whirlwind of an event that was.

Brittany: 3:02
It was. It was crazy. It was quite the experience for me too. It was wonderful to be able to stand up and just share a little bit of my story and my experience and to have that many people who are genuinely interested in what you have to say. It just made my day.

Vincent: 3:20
Oh, my gosh. Yeah. Well, props to you for being able to stand up there. I would like to do a whole speech like that. That was so cool. Well, good for you, Brittany. That was really cool.

Brittany: 3:29
Well, thank you so much. Yeah, I was I was a nervous wreck because it was my first time doing anything like that before. But I think it’s the first of many. I would love to do it again.

Vincent: 3:40
Yeah, I remember we talked before and you were telling me how much practice you put into it. I was like, all right, this woman’s dedicated. I cannot wait.

Brittany: 3:46
Yeah, it was crazy. I went a little overboard probably, but that’s because I wanted it to go really well. And since I didn’t have any experience I didn’t really know how to prepare so I just over prepared and I was able to get up there and just sort of run in autopilot because I’d practiced so many times that even though I was nervous I still knew what I wanted to say and so I think it worked out.

Vincent: 4:14
Do you remember being up there? Did you like black out?

Brittany: 4:16
No, I do remember. I remember the nerves. I remember standing and kind of feeling a little bit jittery. And I remember looking around the room. There were a couple of times when I felt a little distracted, where I kind of lost my train of thought. Hopefully that didn’t come across in the message. But yeah, it was… I just remember being done and telling my husband that was a huge rush. I had so much fun and I have to do it again.

Vincent: 4:48
Oh my gosh, yeah, what a high that would have been. Oh, I can’t even imagine.

Brittany: 4:52
Yes, yes, totally. Well, while we were there, we had the opportunity to chat a little bit about something that you have going on, and I would just love to dive into that a little bit today. Before we do, though, in case our listeners haven’t heard our previous episode, tell us a little bit about you and what you do.

Vincent: 5:15
Yeah, so I’m Vincent. I live over in Portland, Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest of the United States, and I am just a crochet artist. I started off with a lot of doing the amigurumi, which is just the little knitted dolls, but crocheted. I was doing that for a while, and kind of just taking advantage of what the internet has to offer and being able to show my art to people.

But now I’m kind of in the blogging world, so I offer a lot of free patterns for my work and everything. It’s been really fun to be able to turn crochet, which is something people don’t typically take seriously, into a full-on career. I’ve been really blessed to be able to do that.

Even while we’re doing this, I’m actually crocheting while we talk, just because a lot of crocheters… I feel like are pretty fidgety with their hands. So got to keep them going. Got to keep them moving.

Brittany: 6:14
Exactly. I get that question all the time. Brittany, do you crochet while you’re interviewing? And I have to be honest, I can’t. I can’t really like think and talk. And I would probably be likely to hit my microphone as I was working. So yeah, props to you for being able to multitask there.

Vincent: 6:33
Thank you. Yeah, if I wasn’t crocheting, I’d be like either ripping paper or something. So it definitely keeps my mind in check, which is really nice that when I was in school, my teachers let me crochet, which I’ve realized I’m able to absorb information better when my hands are moving rather than just going out one ear or in one ear out the other.

Brittany: 6:50
Yeah. I can totally relate. Makes sense. So spill the beans. What is it that you’ve been up to?

Vincent: 6:58
So yeah, I guess the big thing that people are kind of interested in what I’m doing right now is actually, it’s a new thing I’ve started. It’s called Yarn Punk. And it’s, I guess what it really is, is it’s kind of like a new genre of yarn mixed with punk, but there’s a lot more to it than the name.

It’s been kind of slowly growing. It started off as an idea like anything does. Actually, when Brittany and I met over in Chicago, that was my first time really debuting Yarn Punk. I was just kind of walking around and throwing up some metal signs and saying it. Everyone was kind of eating it up and loving it. I was too. I was just like, wow, this is really cool that people are loving it as much as I am.

I actually had the opportunity to stand up. I actually got to share the stage with Brittany for a few moments to be able to talk about it, which is really a unique opportunity.

But spilling the beans on what Yarn Punk is, I don’t even know where to start. I guess a good place is probably the definition of it. It’s more of a mindset, I guess. My biggest worry about starting Yarn Punk was the fact that it does have the word punk in it. And a lot of people do associate punk with more of a grungy slash darker look. But I have been trying to push the fact that punk is more of the mindset behind it, kind of rebellious.

Because I mean… Honestly, people that are crocheting or knitting in today’s day and age, I find a really odd thing to do. Even though I do it, I still find it really weird when I see people doing it, which is so awesome because you usually see people out in public with their phones in their hands or whatever. But I don’t know. People that are crocheting or knitting are definitely going against the grain, which I think is really a punk thing to be doing.

Brittany: 9:04
That’s so cool. I love that. I just love everything about it and what it stands for. So the inspiration came from, it sounds like, you know, just being able to express yourself and not being afraid to do that.

Vincent: 9:21
Yeah, I mean, like as a, I started off, I started crocheting right before I turned 21, so I’ve been getting hit with those stigmas or stereotypes like, oh, that’s weird you do that. You’re a young guy. My age is in play. My gender is in play.

And I’ve always kind of found it ridiculous that I need to be like– I wasn’t necessarily criticized for it, but it was always just like, why are people second-guessing? Or like– I don’t know. It’s just like– how am I going to explain this? It’s just funny that it’s weird that I’m doing it.

I was always really nice that people said I was standing up against that stereotype. I never really felt like I was, though. I never felt like I was doing it for a cause. I was only really doing it because I like to. I had nothing else to do with my time anyways.

But yeah, back to your question. The inspiration came from– I was doing– I had this idea for the longest time to like just cut or put crochet into like your everyday clothing. So I actually took a coat and I just cut the sleeve off and I just crocheted on a new sleeve.

The intent wasn’t to like really start a new genre, but I remember doing it, going over to my roommate, showing him, and I was walking through the kitchen back to my room and I was like, huh. This is pretty yarn punk. The word didn’t really come from anything. It just kind of came to my head. I was like, okay, cool.

It was actually really perfect timing because Lion Brand, the big yarn company that I work closely with, they had just asked me to do a photo shoot in a Joanne store or something kind of looking more edgy. I was like, okay, that sounds fun. So I did that. And I posted one picture. And I already had the word yarn punk in my head. And I just threw the phrase yarn punk at the end of that caption on that one post.

And I’m pretty sure that’s my best post I’ve ever posted on Instagram before. And that’s all anyone was commenting was, yeah, yarn punk. And I was like, Wow. Okay. There’s, there’s some actual like potential here.

And I had actually also made a Facebook group. It seems like everyone in the scene, it kind of has their own community Facebook group, which is really awesome. And I wanted to be part of like, have my own too. But I wanted to find a way to like kind of differentiate myself from it.

So it’s just like any other crochet group. You talk about fiber and stuff, but you’re also allowed to talk about anything audio related. So like music, what you’re listening to while you’re crocheting, just because music has played such a big role in my life.

And I think that’s what kind of makes people, makes the yarn punk stand out is just, you know, finding things that make your heart beat a little bit faster. And in this case, it’s music and yarn. I mean, because usually for like the punk stuff, music does have a big role in the punk scene and rock scene. So that was kind of fun. So it’s fun to be able to keep the rock and roll alive through yarn.

Brittany: 12:19
For sure. It’s such a unique twist. I love it. So if a lot of the inspiration comes from like garments and wearables, like from your side of things, what is… Some of the feedback you have had in the community who are now kind of rallying around this, do you find that others are sort of following in your footsteps and really expressing themselves through their clothing and how they can incorporate yarn into that? Or are you seeing other trends?

Vincent: 12:51
So I… You know, I kept it somewhat vague at the beginning of what Yarnpunk was. It took me forever to come out with like an actual like website and like info on what it was. So I kind of just like left it in the air and people have just been running with it and making it their own, which I think has been really awesome.

I don’t. Yarn Punk I have been– I wear a lot of darker clothes and I like the kind of edgier look. But if you’re someone who wants to wear rainbow colors or just like anything, as long as there’s yarn involved and you’re expressing yourself the way you want to, that is more yarn punk than you could ever be, which I think is really awesome that people are doing that.

And it’s evolved– past just garments people are you know even when they’re like crocheting their amigurumi or they’re doing like other fiber related crafts they’re still using the term yarn punk which is really really crazy to me because I did not think it would take off so well but I I think what’s making it an impact is that you know crocheters and knitters have been around for so long and But when you explain what you do, you just say you’re you crochet like as a hobby. There’s never really been like a genre for it.

Brittany: 14:20
Yeah.

Vincent: 14:21
There’s never been like a word you call yourself when you’re, you know, when that’s something that you do. So I think now that there’s like a genre, it’s just easy for people to place themselves in that. And there’s a lot of sense of like camaraderie when other people associate with the same kind of terms as you do.

So I think it’s really cool to see people like about it, like I—people—I was kind of worried people might think, oh, well, it’s a new young millennial thing because people give me a lot of crap about being a millennial, which I find extremely annoying because I don’t see what the problem with being a millennial is. But that’s a whole different topic anyways.

But yeah, I mean, so many age groups are doing it. Like people—you know, the whole point, a part of the point is like to go against the stereotype, but like people, any age, gender, sex, race, it really doesn’t matter. It just seems like everyone from all types of walk of life are contributing.

So it’s really cool. Like even people—like these parents are like dressing up their kids in like these like new crochet clothing and considering themselves yarn punk. It’s really cool that it’s like kind of getting handed down generation. It always does get handed down generation, but I remember friends being like, oh, my grandma made me this and that’s all it kind of was. But now it’s like, oh, I got this like style, like this new genre of clothing I get to wear.

And I think it’ll make a lasting impression on people. I think that would be—you know, when I have kids I would love to be able to dress them up as yarn punks. That would be so cool.

Brittany: 15:51
Yeah, it would. So if somebody is like, yes, this is me. I want to express myself. I want to own what I’m doing. How do they get involved with this? Is it just as simple as just doing it? Or can they take it a step further and kind of be a part of a community?

Vincent: 16:13
So, yeah, they can. If they want to just, you know—if it’s just like an internal thing—you know, say you’re a yarn punk. I mean, for me, like whenever I’m going through anything, I just kind of remind myself that I’m a yarn punk.

Like I got three root canals recently. Ouch. And each time they’re about to do it, I’m like, I can do this. I’m a yarn punk. I can survive. So even from there is like, honestly, that is more of a—that’s amazing.

But if you really do want to get involved, there’s actually a lot we’re putting on. I have quite a few people that are—thank you so much for having me. I actually just started streaming on Twitch, which is a live streaming thing. It’s under Yarn Punk.

I live stream and there’s a nice little community so you can hang out with others. It’s kind of like a cyber cafe. You can just hang out online and crochet on the other side of the screen. It’s a very… very tech of us, but it’s really fun.

And then also, I’m also coming out with like submission posts for the Yarn Punk blog. So if you do make something that’s really like unique to yourself and you do want to share on how you did it, that is going to be an option available to like make to the public. So, you know, kind of showing off your yarn punk style—because like, why wouldn’t you want to show off your yarn punk style? You made something with yarn and it was—we all know as crafters, we love to show off our work.

So I think it’ll be really cool to see what people come up with. And the last thing we also are going to be doing is across the world, we’re going to be doing yarn punk meetups. So just like knit nights or meetups in any city, we’ll have captains for certain places.

But I know over here in Portland, I’ll obviously be hosting my own. I’m actually working with a food vendor over here to host some events. So it’ll be nice for people to be able to find other yarn punks in their local area to be able to, you know, have that sense of community around them rather than just the internet. Because the internet is really great, but there’s nothing that can beat the like one-on-one interaction with other people.

Brittany: 18:26
Yeah.

Vincent: 18:27
So it’ll be really cool to be able to, you know, have that. We were going to do it earlier, right when I launched everything. But, you know, the holiday season—I always underestimate the holiday season.

Brittany: 18:38
Me too. Yeah.

Vincent: 18:39
And I was also in the middle of a move and all this other stuff. So I kind of put on a lot on my plate. So I did have to take a step back. But with 2019 on the horizon, it’ll definitely be a good time to start doing that kind of stuff, especially with the warmer seasons to meet with people.

Brittany: 18:53
Exactly. Yeah, I think that’s a great idea. Now, if you had to estimate… when and where do you think someone would figure this out or if there was going to be a meetup in their area? Now, my audience knows that we record these in advance, so just share the details that you can, and then I’m happy to include the finalized details in the show notes.

Vincent: 19:19
So yeah, everything will be on my website. I have actually—it’s notbadami.com, yarnpunk.com, and notbadcrochet.com. They all go to the same website. I’ve integrated everything into one just so it’s easier to find everything and there’s more credibility to it.

Yeah. So it’ll all be available. I’ll be marketing it, everything. But just on the blog and the community section of the website, you’ll be able to find how often people meet and which cities are available. And it won’t be set in stone. We’ll always be taking more submissions to be a captain of your local city or town because, honestly, the more the merrier.

Brittany: 20:00
Yeah, exactly.

Vincent: 20:03
And I started the hashtag Yarn Punk, and it’s doing really awesome. So it’s just really cool that people are being so receptive and want to be part of the community.

And, you know, disclosure—I don’t—I’ve never started the community before. So this is all really new to me. So I’m learning with everyone else and everyone else. I’ve learned so much from everyone else and what they’re doing. So this is definitely not a—this is definitely a beneficial relationship between me and all the other crafters.

Brittany: 20:32
Yeah. And you’re kind of growing with one another. And that’s really cool. The hashtag is yarnpunk and it’s primarily on Instagram. Is that correct?

Vincent: 20:43
Primarily on Instagram. Yeah. It would work on any other social media, but I just don’t really know how hashtags work everywhere else as much.

Brittany: 20:50
Yeah. I feel like they’re all a little bit different.

Vincent: 20:53
They are. Yeah. I just know Instagram is a little easier to use just because it is also visual.

Brittany: 20:59
Yes. And I feel like that’s really the basis of what’s going on here. It’s—you know, expression is a visual thing.

Vincent: 21:08
It is. It is. Especially for like, that’s the way we all show our stuff off is because, yeah, pictures. Which has been—Instagram has been such an awesome platform for so many of us. That’s how I got my start. And I’m not sure how you started, Brittany, but I know you have a very, really large following on Instagram. So that’s really cool that so many eyes are able to see you.

Brittany: 21:27
Yeah, it is. It’s surreal, really. I honestly—I got my start in Pinterest because Instagram wasn’t around then when I started. It doesn’t seem like it was that long ago, but I was really hesitant to jump on the Pinterest bandwagon.

And I don’t know why—I just remember I was at the grocery store and I was talking to my sister and she said, Brittany, there’s this thing called Pinterest and you have to try it, it’s amazing. And I didn’t really do much of anything with crochet at that time. I was trying and failing to learn knitting around that time.

And I got on that platform, kind of played around with it for a little bit with more personal stuff like finding recipes and that sort of thing. But once I started crocheting and I knew that I enjoyed teaching and designing so much, that was just the platform I was really excited about at the time.

I’ve never been too much of a Facebook person and that’s just—it’s just a personal preference. I never got into that too much, but I was just all about Pinterest. And then a couple of years later, Instagram came about and that’s just been my happy home for so many years.

And I feel like that community has grown so much just because it’s the platform that I like to use. It’s where I hang out normally and nothing is forced or fixed. It’s just—that’s where I hang out. And I feel like that’s really what grows a good, strong community on Instagram.

Vincent: 23:05
Yeah, and it’s all just such colorful, pretty pictures, so you can’t ever have a bad time.

Brittany: 23:10
It is, and I geek out a little bit about photography and graphic design. Actually, both of my sisters do that for their profession, so I’m sort of like a self-proclaimed enthusiast, I guess we’ll say, when it comes to those things.

But I have the guidance of my sisters there, and I just love taking photos of what I do. It’s kind of like my favorite part, actually.

Vincent: 23:35
Nice. That’s good to hear. Yeah, it’s always so satisfying when you get like the picture to show off.

Brittany: 23:41
Yeah, and you get good feedback from it. So it feels like all of your hard work has really paid off there.

Vincent: 23:48
It seems like there’s always something to learn with photography. It’s a really hard craft.

Brittany: 23:53
It is. I have such a respect for it.

Vincent: 23:56
I do too. Yeah, I’ve… Man, my biggest downfall is lighting. I don’t know how people get it so perfect.

Brittany: 24:03

Yeah, I, gosh, I struggle there a little bit too, especially this time of year. So we’re recording this a couple months in advance and it is like all gray skies here all the time. So it’s tough, but… I figure out ways to make it work somehow. Stand in front of big windows, go outside, do what I have to do, and then thank goodness for things like Photoshop and the filters on Instagram.Vincent: 24:30

Yes, thank you technology.Brittany: 24:32

Exactly.Vincent: 24:32

NowBrittany: 24:34

before you mention something that I want to dig into a little bit, and that’s about the mindset. of all of this. You said when you were at the dentist, you were saying, I’m a yarn punk, I can do this. That’s really, really interesting to me because I like to do a lot of reading and I like to surround myself with ideas from other entrepreneurs and what they do that in their normal routine or what makes them successful. I’m just really fascinated by all that stuff. And something that comes up time and time again is affirmations. And that’s basically just where you own something. You say something every single day and the act of saying it, it really controls your actions because then not only do you just say it, but eventually you believe it. And that can go both ways. If you’re saying the same thing every day that’s negative or that’s not true, then you’re just going to believe it because it’s easier for your brain to just believe what you tell it. And I think it’s so important for us to take that knowledge that we know and flip that around so that we’re owning something that’s positive and I feel like yarn punk can do that for a lot of peopleVincent: 25:58

yeah I I think so too yeah you’re right the the verbal affirmation for yourself is like internal propaganda almost I mean you just keep saying something it’s gonna you’re gonna start believing it but for sure it’s for right now it’s kind of like I mean probably forever it’s definitely my mantra at the moment I’ve had a lot of You know, self exploratory stuff, you know, early 20s and whatnot. And, you know, what I believe in and what is important to me. And that’s kind of been a struggle bus for me. But, you know, I finally found something and it just means so much to me. You know, it’s something I just kind of it’s my own little brainchild. Yeah. Um, I really do believe in it. And the fact that so many people believe in it with me just like creates that stronger feeling in my heart. And it, it really does help me. I, it is what I use for everything. Like, even if I’m like just trying to get out of bed, it’s like, okay, I’m a yarn punk. I can do this. So it does help me. And I hope it does help other people. I, cause I mean, being a yarn punk is really BA. I, I don’t know. I think it’s like, it’s one of those things where it’s like, I want it to live out through history. So like, you know, people, people know like the sub genres of like goth or punk or, you know, they’re preppy or whatever. You know, someone asked you what you’re about, but I’m, I’m a yarn punk or, you know, he’s, she’s a little yarn punk or whatever. So I, it would be really cool. I want, I think the, the values of a yarn punk are definitely really strong. I, cause it really does come down to be believing in yourself. I mean, With it, I think it’s easier to fit in when you stand out, and I think that’s what it’s doing, is you have to stand out to be able to fit in.Brittany: 27:43

Oh, I love that.Vincent: 27:46

And with crochet and knitting, it’s so easy to stand out. I mean, the things you can do with what you make, there’s just no end to it. Every day I see makers making something new, and my jaw drops. Ah, man. It’s amazing what your imagination can do with this craft, and there’s just no end to it.Brittany: 28:05

So true. So what would your advice be to somebody who is maybe struggling right now to figure out who they are, what they want to represent, or maybe they’re having some struggles that you can relate to with being a male who crochets and people think that’s different, or you’re young and you crochet and people think that’s different. What would your advice be to somebody who’s going through that?Vincent: 28:30

That’s hard, because I know, especially online, you get so many compliments and nice words, but it’s always just the one negative comment that’ll tear you down, even though there’s hundreds of positives. And that’s really hard. I struggled with that for a little bit at the beginning, but I guess it’s kind of a cop-out of an answer, but you just have to remind yourself that you’re a yarn punk, and you’re not on this earth to… please other people or make sure you’re following the status quo. Um, cause there is no status quo. I don’t know where we all get these quotas from, like what we’re supposed to be doing. We’re just kind of like just told that, um, you know, so if you just tell yourself that there’s no rule like that, like you were just saying that internal affirmation is, is really important. And if you’re, you know, like being a yarn punk means you’re being really confident with yourself and doing what you believe in. I, Like really, you crocheting doesn’t take away anyone’s sleep at night. So don’t let their opinions take away your sleep at night. If you want to crochet and knit, that’s all up to you. It’s like the best thing on earth. And if you love it and you’re not doing it, you’re only taking away that from yourself.Brittany: 29:46

I think that’s really well said and it’s so true. Yeah. For me personally, it’s so natural for me to be a people pleaser. And I really struggle with that because I just want to make people happy. I want to say yes to everything. And I find though that when I find myself going through a spiral of doing everything for everyone or maybe I am– Maybe I have a great idea for something and I run it by somebody else. I find myself being influenced by other people because of my desire to make people happy. And through that process, I’m thinking to myself, I would probably do this a little bit differently if… you know, X, Y, or Z, if this person wasn’t involved, or if I didn’t have any, if I wasn’t trying to get advice or trying to do something for somebody else, I have to ask myself, would I be doing this? And a lot of times the answer is no. So I feel like when we try to please other people, we’re influenced to do things that maybe we wouldn’t do. And it’s so hard to be yourself and accept yourself and be original when you’re influenced by other people and because you want to please otherVincent: 31:12

And I am so glad you said that. That is so completely true. Yeah, you know, it takes away the whole, like, it’s your art if you’re getting everyone else’s opinion. And I’m so guilty about that. Me too. I’m always asking for opinions. I actually, when I started Yarn Punk, I made the… I was… I was worried about making the Facebook group because I was like, oh, that’s kind of weird, like music and yarn. No one’s really done that before. And so I actually asked someone who I was kind of involved with their opinion, and they actually told me it was a bad idea. And, you know, if I had listened to that, I would not– and honestly, yeah, I wouldn’t have even created Yarn Punk because that was kind of one of the bigger influences on like the– just the fact that they’re adding that niche to it. And even when I– because I started my crochet career because I had dropped out of school and I quit my job and everything to do this, and I got a lot of crap for it. A lot of people were giving me their unsolicited opinion. And if I had listened to them, I would not be where I’m at today. And I am so blessed and fortunate to be doing what I’m doing today. And I don’t know. I feel like you just have to kind of break out of that cycle and just really believe in yourself. I know that’s like super cheesy to say to believe in yourself, but dang, if you don’t believe in yourself, no one else is going to.Brittany: 32:32

Exactly. And I do think it’s important to say too that it is great to get opinions. I definitely don’t want to say that I never want to get someone’s opinion. I think– It’s great. There’s definitely a time and a place for it. But I feel like knowing yourself is probably the most important thing. For me, I know that I’m heavily influenced by other people’s opinions. And so for me, it makes sense to kind of filter through those. Maybe trust myself a little bit more. But that might not be the case for somebody else. There are people with different personalities that they like me. Right. Right.Vincent: 33:33

uh just because you get an opinion doesn’t mean you have to go with it which I think is important um I used to try to get opinions just because I knew it was a good idea and I just kind of wanted the like verbal affirmation to like tell myself that but then I would get like a conflicting opinion and then I’m just like double or double guessing myself so yeah it’s a it’s a gray area but you know it all comes down the final decision does come down to you soBrittany: 33:57

Yeah, you can take and make yarn punk whatever you want, whatever it means to you. I love how people can just own it and not just own it, but express themselves through it and ultimately become better, you know, be more confident. And it’s just it’s so cool. I’m just so thrilled that we’re able to talk about it today.Vincent: 34:20

I think some of my favorite images of the yarn punk is just seeing people who are like… You wouldn’t even think they even like the word punk, yet they’re just like, yeah, yarn punk. And it’s just really cool. I don’t know. Everyone looks so different and acts so different. There’s not one type of person. So it’s really, really cool.Brittany: 34:40

It is. And I wouldn’t necessarily call myself a punk either, but I think it’s just… It’s fun. For me, it means… Right. Right.Vincent: 35:15

And one last thing I do want to say about that. I like two different personalities on the Internet. I have yarn punk, which is kind of like my darker, edgier side that I have not bad, which is my really cutesy, colorful side.Brittany: 35:25

Yeah.Vincent: 35:26

So some people are like, oh, that doesn’t look very like punk rock. I’m like, because it’s not. It’s yarn punk. It’s a whole new genre. I don’t know. Everyone seems to think that there needs to be like. these different things that come from punk and yarn. But it’s a new genre. You can create anything you want from it. There doesn’t need to be any of these underlying feels to it. It’s a whole new thing. So I’m excited to create it with everybody. I’m not the only one creating it. This is definitely a community-based thing. I’m just as involved as everyone else is.Brittany: 35:56

I think that is a wonderful note to end on. We fully understand what it is and what it means. But before we wrap up, though, I do want to give people a chance to connect with you after listening today. So let’s run through it one more time. I know you’ve mentioned them here and there throughout the episode, but where is the best place for people to connect with you online?

Brittany: 24:03
Yeah, I, gosh, I struggle there a little bit too, especially this time of year. So we’re recording this a couple months in advance and it is like all gray skies here all the time. So it’s tough, but… I figure out ways to make it work somehow. Stand in front of big windows, go outside, do what I have to do, and then thank goodness for things like Photoshop and the filters on Instagram.

Vincent: 24:30
Yes, thank you technology.

Brittany: 24:32
Exactly.

Vincent: 24:32
Now—

Brittany: 24:34
Before you mention something that I want to dig into a little bit, and that’s about the mindset of all of this. You said when you were at the dentist, you were saying, “I’m a yarn punk, I can do this.” That’s really, really interesting to me because I like to do a lot of reading and I like to surround myself with ideas from other entrepreneurs and what they do in their normal routine or what makes them successful. I’m just really fascinated by all that stuff.

And something that comes up time and time again is affirmations. And that’s basically just where you own something. You say something every single day and the act of saying it, it really controls your actions because then not only do you just say it, but eventually you believe it.

And that can go both ways. If you’re saying the same thing every day that’s negative or that’s not true, then you’re just going to believe it because it’s easier for your brain to just believe what you tell it. And I think it’s so important for us to take that knowledge that we know and flip that around so that we’re owning something that’s positive. And I feel like yarn punk can do that for a lot of people.

Vincent: 25:58
Yeah, I think so too. Yeah, you’re right. The verbal affirmation for yourself is like internal propaganda almost. I mean, you just keep saying something, you’re going to start believing it.

But for sure, for right now, it’s kind of like—I mean, probably forever—it’s definitely my mantra at the moment. I’ve had a lot of, you know, self-exploratory stuff, you know, early 20s and whatnot. And, you know, what I believe in and what is important to me. And that’s kind of been a struggle bus for me.

But, you know, I finally found something and it just means so much to me. You know, it’s something I just kind of—it’s my own little brainchild. I really do believe in it. And the fact that so many people believe in it with me just like creates that stronger feeling in my heart. And it really does help me. It is what I use for everything.

Like, even if I’m just trying to get out of bed, it’s like, “Okay, I’m a yarn punk. I can do this.” So it does help me. And I hope it does help other people. I mean, being a yarn punk is really BA. I don’t know. I think it’s one of those things where it’s like, I want it to live out through history.

So like, you know, people know the subgenres of like goth or punk or, you know, they’re preppy or whatever. You know, someone asks you what you’re about—”I’m a yarn punk” or “he’s, she’s a little yarn punk,” or whatever. So it would be really cool.

I think the values of a yarn punk are definitely really strong, because it really does come down to believing in yourself. I mean, with it, I think it’s easier to fit in when you stand out. And I think that’s what it’s doing, is you have to stand out to be able to fit in.

Brittany: 27:43
Oh, I love that.

Vincent: 27:46
And with crochet and knitting, it’s so easy to stand out. I mean, the things you can do with what you make—there’s just no end to it. Every day I see makers making something new, and my jaw drops. Ah, man. It’s amazing what your imagination can do with this craft, and there’s just no end to it.

Brittany: 28:05
So true. So what would your advice be to somebody who is maybe struggling right now to figure out who they are, what they want to represent, or maybe they’re having some struggles that you can relate to with being a male who crochets and people think that’s different, or you’re young and you crochet and people think that’s different. What would your advice be to somebody who’s going through that?

Vincent: 28:30
That’s hard, because I know especially online, you get so many compliments and nice words, but it’s always just the one negative comment that’ll tear you down, even though there’s hundreds of positives. And that’s really hard.

I struggled with that for a little bit at the beginning, but I guess it’s kind of a cop-out of an answer, but you just have to remind yourself that you’re a yarn punk, and you’re not on this earth to please other people or make sure you’re following the status quo.

Because there is no status quo. I don’t know where we all get these quotas from, like what we’re supposed to be doing. We’re just kind of like just told that. So if you just tell yourself that there’s no rule like that—like you were just saying—that internal affirmation is really important.

And if you’re—you know, like being a yarn punk means you’re being really confident with yourself and doing what you believe in. Like really, you crocheting doesn’t take away anyone’s sleep at night. So don’t let their opinions take away your sleep at night. If you want to crochet and knit, that’s all up to you. It’s like the best thing on earth. And if you love it and you’re not doing it, you’re only taking away that from yourself.

Brittany: 29:46
I think that’s really well said and it’s so true. Yeah. For me personally, it’s so natural for me to be a people pleaser. And I really struggle with that because I just want to make people happy. I want to say yes to everything.

And I find though that when I find myself going through a spiral of doing everything for everyone or maybe I am—maybe I have a great idea for something and I run it by somebody else—I find myself being influenced by other people because of my desire to make people happy.

And through that process, I’m thinking to myself, I would probably do this a little bit differently if… you know, X, Y, or Z—if this person wasn’t involved, or if I wasn’t trying to get advice or trying to do something for somebody else. I have to ask myself, would I be doing this? And a lot of times the answer is no.

So I feel like when we try to please other people, we’re influenced to do things that maybe we wouldn’t do. And it’s so hard to be yourself and accept yourself and be original when you’re influenced by other people and because you want to please other—

Vincent: 31:12
And I am so glad you said that. That is so completely true. Yeah, you know, it takes away the whole, like—it’s your art if you’re getting everyone else’s opinion. And I’m so guilty about that. Me too. I’m always asking for opinions.

I actually, when I started Yarn Punk, I made the—I was worried about making the Facebook group because I was like, oh, that’s kind of weird, like music and yarn. No one’s really done that before. And so I actually asked someone who I was kind of involved with their opinion, and they actually told me it was a bad idea.

And, you know, if I had listened to that, I would not—and honestly, yeah, I wouldn’t have even created Yarn Punk because that was kind of one of the bigger influences on like the—just the fact that they’re adding that niche to it.

And even when I—because I started my crochet career because I had dropped out of school and I quit my job and everything to do this, and I got a lot of crap for it. A lot of people were giving me their unsolicited opinion. And if I had listened to them, I would not be where I’m at today. And I am so blessed and fortunate to be doing what I’m doing today.

And I don’t know. I feel like you just have to kind of break out of that cycle and just really believe in yourself. I know that’s like super cheesy to say to believe in yourself, but dang, if you don’t believe in yourself, no one else is going to.

Brittany: 32:32
Exactly. And I do think it’s important to say too that it is great to get opinions. I definitely don’t want to say that I never want to get someone’s opinion. I think—it’s great. There’s definitely a time and a place for it.

But I feel like knowing yourself is probably the most important thing. For me, I know that I’m heavily influenced by other people’s opinions. And so for me, it makes sense to kind of filter through those. Maybe trust myself a little bit more. But that might not be the case for somebody else. There are people with different personalities that they like me.

Vincent: 33:33
Uh, just because you get an opinion doesn’t mean you have to go with it, which I think is important. I used to try to get opinions just because I knew it was a good idea and I just kind of wanted the verbal affirmation to like tell myself that. But then I would get a conflicting opinion and then I’m just like double guessing myself.

So yeah, it’s a gray area, but you know—it all comes down, the final decision does come down to you.

Brittany: 33:57
Yeah, you can take and make yarn punk whatever you want, whatever it means to you. I love how people can just own it and not just own it, but express themselves through it and ultimately become better—you know, be more confident. And it’s just—it’s so cool. I’m just so thrilled that we’re able to talk about it today.

Vincent: 34:20
I think some of my favorite images of the yarn punk is just seeing people who are like… you wouldn’t even think they even like the word punk, yet they’re just like, yeah, yarn punk. And it’s just really cool. I don’t know. Everyone looks so different and acts so different. There’s not one type of person. So it’s really, really cool.

Brittany: 34:40
It is. And I wouldn’t necessarily call myself a punk either, but I think it’s just… It’s fun. For me, it means…

Vincent: 35:15
And one last thing I do want to say about that. I have two different personalities on the Internet. I have Yarn Punk, which is kind of like my darker, edgier side, and I have Not Bad, which is my really cutesy, colorful side.

Brittany: 35:25
Yeah.

Vincent: 35:26
So some people are like, “Oh, that doesn’t look very like punk rock.” I’m like, because it’s not. It’s yarn punk. It’s a whole new genre.

I don’t know. Everyone seems to think that there needs to be like these different things that come from punk and yarn. But it’s a new genre. You can create anything you want from it. There doesn’t need to be any of these underlying feels to it. It’s a whole new thing. So I’m excited to create it with everybody. I’m not the only one creating it. This is definitely a community-based thing. I’m just as involved as everyone else is.

Brittany: 35:56
I think that is a wonderful note to end on. We fully understand what it is and what it means. But before we wrap up, though, I do want to give people a chance to connect with you after listening today. So let’s run through it one more time. I know you’ve mentioned them here and there throughout the episode, but where is the best place for people to connect with you online?

Vincent: 36:16
Online is—my best place is going to be finding me is my website. That’s where I offer all of my free patterns, newsletter, things I’m doing. And from there, you can also find all my social medias, which I’m very active on because I’m a millennial, so I’m addicted to my phone. So I actually have three URLs pointing to it: notbadami.com, yarnpunk.com, and notbadcrochet.com.

Brittany: 36:43
Okay, awesome. I’ll have that in the show notes too, by the way.

Vincent: 36:47
Perfect. And then, yeah, like there’s a Yarn Punk Instagram and a Not Bad Instagram, Yarn Punk subreddit and all that kind of stuff. And Twitch. We are now on Twitch. So if you actually want to come and talk to me while I’m live streaming my crochet, you can find me on there as well under Yarn Punk.

Brittany: 37:02
Awesome. I will include that too. I think that’s a fun new platform. I’ve heard a little bit about—I haven’t tried it for myself, but I feel like it’s going to be kind of a big deal.

Vincent: 37:13
Yeah.

Brittany: 37:14
So yeah, it’s been amazing to chat with you again today. And I’m so appreciative of your time and for starting something that I think is going to help a lot of people in the community.

Vincent: 37:26
Well, thank you so much, Brittany. I thank you for sitting down and like wanting to hear about it and helping me kind of spread the word. So thank you for being a yarn punk with me.

Brittany: 37:34
Absolutely. I can own that.

Vincent: 37:36
Yes. Yes. Thank you. After this conversation, you’re in the community, whether you like it or not. No, I’m kidding. Nice. Yeah. Sweet.

Brittany: 37:44
Okay. So now that you know about yarn punk, just take a couple minutes to think about what that means for you. Once you have that figured out, please tell me about it. I would love to hear how you express yourself with yarn, what yarn is to you, what it means to you.

You can share your inner yarn punk with me and with Vincent in the comment section of the show notes page. So just head over to behooked.com/104 and leave your comment there.

Now, after you do that, the next time you share a project on Instagram that really represents you in every single way, use the hashtag #yarnpunk to share that with this growing and thriving community. It’s a great way to connect with other makers and really rally around this idea of yarn not only being what we do, but who we are. I love that.

Today’s episode was brought to you by Red Heart Yarns Colorscape. If you’re looking for a beautiful yarn that will grab anyone’s attention, Colorscape is a really great option for you to try. It’s smooth and sturdy, and it’s a roving-style yarn. It has really long, flowing colorways, and there’s sort of a mix of fibers here and there for lots of visual interest.

It’s made up of acrylic fibers, which is really great if you are making something for someone with an allergy or if you just prefer the feel of acrylic. And it’s really soft to the touch, and I found that it holds up really well to wear. If you want to check it out today, you can do so by visiting redheart.com.

Now, before we wrap up, I would love to ask you a quick little favor. So you heard me mention to Vincent that I love to spend my time connecting with you on Instagram. However, here in the new year, I would really love to spend more time on Facebook as well. And I would love to see you there.

I would love to connect with you inside of Facebook. There’s a lot of great things that Facebook has going on that I would really just love to be a part of. And not only that, I know it’s a place where a lot of people love to hang out. And so I want to be there and present and active in that community as well.

So you can find me and follow or like me on Facebook by just going to facebook.com/behookedcrochet. I will see you there. And thank you for that follow and that shameless little plug. I would really love to see you there, and I appreciate you taking action and being a part of that community as well.

So I will see you there, and I will see you next week with another episode. Same time, same place. Bye-bye.