The Story Behind Our Brand: Who We Are and What We Stand For

I'm Michael Sellick, known to many crocheters as Mikey. Branded as The Crochet Crowd in 2010 and morphed into Mikey Stitch Studio in 2024. Mikey Stitch Studio is the place for downloadable content, online workshops, and event ticket sales. Located in Nova Scotia, Canada. The journey into the creative arts through crochet was very much like the zebra, Marty, from the movie Madagascar; he zig-zagged. Our journey is like success, rarely a straight line.

With no roots in the yarn business and no one to turn to for advice, the journey started from the ground up as a pure hobby, which eventually became something more.

Mikey, from The Crochet Crowd

Our Beginning: A Simple Idea with a Clear Purpose

What was missing from my life was the sense of connection with other crocheters—no community, no sharing... just an empty hole. Having lost my crochet book, I turned to YouTube in 2007 to learn, but the hosts were not speaking in terms I could understand.

By identifying what is off about the learning process, I decided to teach crochet from my perspective. I had no design skills, so I used the cheapest yarn I could find. I had an uphill road ahead without knowing about it.

It was the creation of my Crochet Crowd YouTube Channel and the formation of a business in 2010. However, The Crochet Crowd wasn't self-sufficient until 2012. Pioneering what is now known as Social Media wasn't a thing in 2007 and 2008. I am one of the original creators on YouTube and have stood the test of time.

I'm not flashy... I'm pretty much the same person online as I am in person, which surprises many people. What you see is what you get. I'm not hooked on designer labels, nor do I need the absolute best of anything to be happy. Success to me is not defined by money but by how I will be remembered in the end. Having no children and no contact with family, I am the last of my family line.

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What Drives Us: Core Values That Define Our Brand

Our values are the compass that guides every decision and action. They reflect what I believe in and how we want to make an impact on the world.

• Word Is Your Bond

I've come from a generation where my word is my bond. I rely on others to exercise the same core beliefs. I can get overwhelmed and forget at times, but once I am fully committed, I'm all in.

• Quality

I've learned through mentorship with Yarnspirations how to design and write patterns correctly. I'm focused on aligning my writing style with the Yarn Craft Council so my patterns meet publication standards.

• Consumer Advocate

By working with others, I have become a consumer advocate in the yarn world, but there comes a point when I should step in or stand back and watch the cookies crumble. If there is an opportunity to improve something, I am all for it.

Crocheters often ask how to get their love of crochet back, and I tell them to take a break. My words should be: here's a project, try this, try that... sometimes it's the reality of the situation that wins, not the added pressure.

• Empathy

I am usually on the manufacturing or supply chain side when it comes to complaints about product availability. My background in courier, logistics, and trucking gave me firsthand experience taking the brunt of complaints, often without fault. Taking verbal abuse from retailers for being late when the shipper promised something, and it appeared I was a week or two late. I believe much goes unseen behind the scenes and is taken for granted. Yes, both of these areas of the business can make errors, but the story may not be a straight line.

• Taking Accountability

I have no issues with apologizing when I am wrong or fixing mistakes in patterns. I'm not one to fight back when it's clearly apparent that I am in the wrong. It goes back to the beginning of my word is my bond.

Mikey is a trucker in his early 30s.

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How We Work: The Process Behind Our Products

On larger projects, two samples are always made, sometimes three if the pattern is really complex.

1. Designs are created in a crochet diagram format, line by line, and crocheted in real time on the sample before moving on. The diagram is finalized.

2. The original lacks the colour structure, as it's essential to get the pattern to lie flat and the proper size before worrying about colouring.

3. The pattern emerges from reading the diagram.

4. The pattern is made a second time using the written words to test and cross-check the diagram. This time, applying the final yarn and colouring strategy.

5. The sample below is the Study of the Journey Afghan. It was made three times before the public saw the final pattern.

Crochet Study of the Journey Pattern

The People Who Make It Possible

My direct team that the public sees firsthand are Daniel, Wendy, Karen, Sherry, Joanne, Anna and the support crew at Yarnspirations for advice and future development. I also have unseen people behind the scenes who help bring this together, but don't participate in the public sphere. I'm also the voice and the lead, both in front of and behind the scenes. I'm Michael Sellick, known as Mikey.

• Daniel is my life partner and has expertise in community development and computer skills that I don't have. He's involved in arranging major cruise-ship events to take communications off my plate.

• Wendy is the voice of The Crochet Crowd, but uses her own name when communicating to the public, so as not to fool anyone into thinking it's me. She runs some of the communities solo, leaving me free to continue to create new content.

• Karen and I have known each other for over ten years. Her experience in running live events is remarkable. She has no issues picking up the phone to get things done. If you book a land retreat, Karen oversees communications.

• Sherry, Joanne, and Anna are behind the scenes but direct communications with guests for live events involving air travel and cruise ships—registered travel agents to coordinate a guest from start to finish.

• I am involved in every aspect of the business, with a hand in all regions of The Crochet Crowd. It takes a village, and I am working every day in some capacity across marketing, design, communications, illustration, blog writing, and customer service for this website and The Crochet Crowd. If you are to send us an email, I'm the only one who sees it. The volume on some days is pretty high, but my main priority is to ensure I answer pattern download sales as quickly as possible.

Our Vision for the Future

Just create... keep challenging myself to learn more. As I know, so does my community. My community also inspires me to be curious and develop my own way of thinking about patterns and designing. I can see that this is my career and life path to the end. The road to learn never stops, and what keeps me hooked on crochet.

Mikey is writing the Crochet Cruise Pattern Book.

Why Our Story Matters to You

I'm just a crochet designer at heart—ambition to inspire but not see myself above anyone else. I make mistakes, but I try to set things right when I can. I want to teach others, but I also expect them to take the initiative to find the best way to learn.

I was a failing student until my mother figured out how to teach me and keep me on track, in a way that stuck. I owe much of my success to her, as I come from a generation where failing a grade meant you were held back.

I've come from the same generation where integrity and authenticity matter. Not to be overshadowed by the fact that the customer is always right, but sometimes needs more information to understand the whole picture.