About The Crochet Crowd & Michael Sellick

An accidental fluke developed the concept of The Crochet Crowd by Michael Sellick. Learn how it was inspired. We are an adult-based educational platform.

In This Article

• A Relatable Host
• Role Models for Adult Development
• Religious Belief
• Functioning the Best
• The Crochet Crowd Background
• The Missing Element of Crochet
• Officially The Crochet Crowd
• The Beginning of Learning Crochet 
• The Crochet Crowd / Michael Sellick Press Kit
• The Benefits of Writing a Book
• Where is The Crochet Crowd?
• Original Location of The Crochet Crowd
• We Have Additional Family Members
• Belief in Consumer Values

A Relatable Host

Michael Sellick, the host of The Crochet Crowd, is an openly gay man, but it wasn't always that way, aka me. I was confused by pressure and the need to get approval from others. Not understanding I was gay from the first moments, I knew I was different but didn't know exactly what it was—lack of attraction to females and curiousity about males.

I encountered years of molestation from the age of eight to ten years old by a neighbour's father. The father created a ring of molestation in which I was part of. In playing a female role, I threw myself out of balance in confusion. I didn't know, at the time, that it was wrong. I knew it was a secret and to keep it that way.

When I was eleven years old, we moved to a city with access to more than two TV Stations. A young man named Emanuel Lewis, aka Webster, ran across the screen, go run and tell.

I realized instantly that I had a secret that I was keeping. It causes such extreme emotional damage in holding this secret. I thought people could see my secret, and I withdrew emotionally from the world. I closed myself down and off to the world and continued on my childhood in fear of my secret getting out. It caused me to be socially awkward, leading to bullying, suicide and despair. Crochet for me was born out of this despair. Not realizing that at fourteen, learning crochet would save me not only in that moment but also give me a career two decades later.

I thought I could suppress myself to partner with a woman. Following the path to getting married to a woman would be a faux marriage, as the idea of lying to myself and others around me collapsed. I came clean at the age of twenty-six to reveal myself for what I was. With the inability to conceive children, our marriage dissolved, and both of us walked our own journeys, never looking back at each other. There are no words for the emotional damage to my former wife and me in being a closeted gay male following the wrong path.

Role Models for Adult Development

My parents were good to me growing up—hands-on punishment for correction, but not to the levels of abuse. If I got hit, there was a legitimate reason for it. It taught me to fear my parents and seek approval.

My parents would mask their stories or comments behind sexual innuendo, suggesting one thing while meaning another. It was the basis of humour in the house. As I aged, I would come to understand the language. Having never had kids, I haven't had to filter that part of my personality. Being relatable online, I leaned into it as a strength.

With yarn, a lot of suggestive innuendo can be present. I started my journey in online teaching with my genuine personality instead of masking it to be something I am not. Having lived twenty-six years in the closet, I let myself be myself. My humour and personality are not for everyone. I don't cater to children, nor do I try.

I never had kids, so I have not had practice suppressing myself for younger ears, but from what I can see, today's children would probably teach me a few things.

Religious Belief

While I grew up in a religious setting for most of my childhood, my parents were eventually pushed out of a church. They got too deep in the administration of the church to see the fraud and called it out.

I've avoided churches and religion since coming to understand my homosexuality. I have sat through sermons as a child with the pastor condemning people like me. I have sat through sermons of pastors asking for more money, but knowing my parents had seen fraud, I question their validity. My trust was broken.

As I become more known online, and with the political climates of the USA and Canada being toxic at times, politicians tend to use people like me as a voting strategy instead of as real human beings with feelings and a purpose. To some people, I am considered disposable.

All the death threats I have received over the years tend to quote bible scriptures. Knowing the amount of hate and wishing for my death, religion isn't something I need in my life. Life is already hard enough. I don't want to aspire to be religious to cause pain to others who don't believe the same things I do.

I'm not an activist, but I wish for the fair treatment of others. I don't need to be religious to have that core belief.

Functioning the Best

I best function around people who understand me. I have learned that live events need to be self-hosted by me rather than being a guest at an existing craft show. People who sign up for my events understand my personality, communication style and backstory.

Without this knowledge, I catch people by surprise, and it's awkward for everyone. I am selective about what I participate in, knowing myself, my personality, and how I fit into this world.

The Crochet Crowd Background

The Crochet Crowd originated on March 6, 2008, after I was inspired by Oprah Winfrey by chance. I learned crochet at the age of fourteen. I have turned to crochet to see me through difficult times. It calmed my mind from suicidal thoughts and gave me milestones. I had programmed my mind to realize I cannot leave something unfinished. As one goal finished, I created another.

As life got better, the crochet hook and yarn disappeared. Throughout the years, as I slipped emotionally, the box of yarn and hooks was pulled back out of the closet, and I hooked my way through another journey.

I had a crochet blanket for my partner nearly completed, but it turned out that I was crocheting it in the wrong colours for him to be happy. Having lost my crochet book to pull up new inspiration, I found a YouTube website online. People were teaching crochet, but using language I didn't understand. It was technical and formal. From the motion of the crochet hook, referring to yarn over, my mother said it was wrapping the hook. Though I got it visually, the words didn't match how I was taught.

I thought to myself, if I showed people from how I was taught with memory hooks, adult-based humour from my upbringing, they would be relatable. What would I do differently?

With the push of Oprah opening my reality to showcase something I know how to do, I thought, film something from my experience in crochet and share. I did just that with ten tutorials. Gawd, I was nervous. I genuinely wanted to share.

Being a metric and analytics junky who loves analyzing numbers, I thought to myself. How do I create a tutorial that will get people to look at it? What does it take to convert ten views into twenty views?

The Missing Element of Crochet

What is missing, though? Community! I didn't have anyone in real life to connect with about crochet. Someone like-minded and truly understanding of the passion and thirst to learn something new.

With the understanding that I brought out my yarn and crochet hook when I was emotionally in trouble.

• What if I crocheted regularly?
• Could I be more even-keeled to function?

A new journey began unexpectedly to fill in the gaps in my life. Though The Crochet Crowd is built for crocheters, it's built for me, too.

Officially The Crochet Crowd

The Crochet Crowd got its name from Daniel Zondervan in September 2010. Up to this point, the YouTube channel was just a video teaching platform. We were invited to showcase ourselves at a major show, Creativ Festival, and didn't have a name for ourselves.

The original channel name was Mikeyssmail, and it didn't make sense, but as outlined in our official book, it was just a nickname for me. We officially launched The Crochet Crowd after attending the show in October 2010.

I vowed to myself that if I could make enough money in YouTube monetization to cover the wages of my full-time job, I would quit my job and run YouTube full-time. In May 2011, I leaped at the chance and risked it all. Pushing full-time on YouTube, I dedicated 100% of my time to the platform.

By the summer of 2012, the platform got a significant boost in winning an award. It was the catalyst for four years' worth of being acknowledged. Years of understanding analytics, algorithms and consumer behaviour for the need to learn stitchwork. It was validation but also a true sense of purpose.

---

The Beginning of Learning Crochet 

I was taught to crochet by my mother at the age of fourteen. Intrigued by the speed of the craft and the simplistic designs of what my mother could achieve through double crochet, I became 'hooked' on the craft. She only knew how to double crochet, so I went and bought a crochet book because I was so bored with double crochet. From the moment I purchased a crochet book, I taught myself the skills you see online today. Without my children to pass along my skills, I have turned to the Internet to show others how to crochet

The Crochet Crowd / Michael Sellick Press Kit

---

Crochet Leadership

The Crochet Crowd relies on me to steer crocheters in the right direction and/or give sound advice. My advice is based on experience through using products, services or other key factors. I've managed to find excellent companies to do successful cross-promotions online. Like many people/companies starting out, I have experienced companies where I have learned some difficult lessons. I understand that The Crochet Crowd needs me to be accurate and honest regarding recommendations. I have key contacts in place to cross-check facts to make more informed decisions.

Unlike social media posts, people make assumptions or ask questions without checking with sources. A person has to be curiousity but also thirsty for solutions. It's easy to complain, but just as easy to find answers if the desire is strong enough.

Role of The Crochet Crowd

I have been partnered with Daniel Zondervan since January 2009. Daniel is the co-creator of The Crochet Crowd. Daniel's strengths are behind the camera in marketing and conceptual thinking.

Daniel is a trained musician who prefers to be in the orchestra, playing with others, rather than being the soloist. He prefers to stay behind the camera. He is an avid user of Pinterest. His patience for the hours of time I have invested in the operations is above and beyond what a reasonable relationship can withstand. As Daniel would tell you, "The amount of energy I have devoted to a strand of yarn is astounding!"

Relationship with Yarnspirations

Spinrite Yarns sponsors the Crochet Crowd, but the public knows them as the branding of Yarnspirations.

Started unofficially in Fall 2010 with the local outlet store, which morphed into hosting tent sales for the retail location. In winter 2015, we became sponsored on an ongoing basis.

Yarnspirations doesn't have spokespersons, which I thought was odd, as the ultimate goal for someone like me is to be a brand representative. In being sponsored, my voice stays my own without being forced to echo talking points to share a point of view if I feel it's not right for me (our community). A spokesperson has an entirely different role. 

We always have a choice to decline participation in a product or idea launch. If something goes wrong on social media or if a trend occurs that isn't planned, we can change direction immediately to adjust.

Our sponsorship pays for the development of tutorials, content, and community management, which requires a team of us. Each team member has a role to try to keep us balanced. We don't always get it right, but we try. Some days, it's really rough on social media when people backlash against something that was never intended, or a person intentionally throws a social grenade into our community.

---

The Crochet Crowd Book

In Fall 2021, we released our first real book, which was sold in stores and online purchasing websites such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and even Walmart USA.

Background

Over the years, publishers have approached us to write a book. I have declined them due to the workload and my lack of desire to have a book. John from McIntyre Purcell in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, was persistent—like really persistent.

What changed my mind was Jonah Larsen's cooperation with the ghostwriter of his book, Hello, Crochet Friends! I realized it's possible to have a ghostwriter who knows how to write a book. I lacked the skill to keep it brief yet on point. I asked if it would be possible to have a ghostwriter, Rick Conrad, to help put the pieces, background, and timeline together.

Rick interviewed Daniel and me three times, and I also wrote about 50 pages of stories and timeline events in the book. Rick pieced together the storylines, slashed irrelevant ones, and sewed a timeline together. Remarkably, Rick could keep it in our tone, slang, and messaging.

The development of the patterns was almost random but on-brand for The Crochet Crowd. I decided not to ask any established, published designers. We invited friends and even people who had never designed anything before. Jeanne Steinhilber, Anita Grover, Kathleen Nolen and Megan McHugh. With our testing team as the wind in our back to find our errors. They include Nancy Elliott, Diane Suder, Anita Grover, Cathy Lund, Michele Sanders, Donna Bondy, Wendy Marple and Kathleen Nolen.

Daniel and I designed crochet diagrams. The book forced us to learn how to do the diagrams and finally be consistent.

The Benefits of Writing a Book

1. Forced consistency in pattern writing.
2. Writing a manual for myself to design better and to have resources on hand for cross-reference.
3. I learned Adobe Illustrator to draw the diagrams myself. It was hell to learn, but I finally got it.
4. To be established as a traditional author instead of a blog author.
5. Patience... my gawd was it hard.

There are no plans to write a second book. The time commitment and struggle to make the first one are not journeys I would like to repeat.

---

Where is The Crochet Crowd?

The Crochet Crowd is based in the Annapolis Valley, Nova Scotia, Canada, specifically in the village of Greenwich, which has just 200 residents. While there are larger retailers in the next town, we rely on online shopping for a source of materials, products, and more to be brought to us. The closest major city is Halifax, which is approximately an hour away. It's cheaper to order online than to use gas and time to pick up things, whereas the stores or services may be out of stock

Original Location of The Crochet Crowd

The Crochet Crowd's beginnings were in Hanover, Ontario, but it relocated to Walkerton, Ontario, less than a year later, in February 2009. From 2009 to 2017, it was based in Ontario, Canada.

In 2018, during a visit to a craft store in Ottawa, Ontario and watching HGTV on the hotel TV, we binged-watched Homes with A View across Canada. We questioned living circumstances in a sleepy town in Ontario and wondered what our lives would be like if we picked up, moved and restarted a fresh story in our lives. We considered several locations in Canada to set up something new:

• Victoria, British Columbia
• Chilliwack, British Columbia
• Montreal, Quebec
• Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
• Halifax, Nova Scotia

A mentor recommended that we choose an area near Wolfville, Nova Scotia, due to its creativity, lifestyle, and thriving culture based on Acadia University. It settled the decision based on what we could afford. We were Nova Scotia-bound in January 2018 and began a new story.

We prefer a country setting versus a hectic city life atmosphere. Social media is already hard enough.

We Have Additional Family Members

PuppiDawg is a cross between a Great Pyrenees and a Marmar Mountain Dog. Her parents were adopted by a family where the farmer aged and had to give away the animals on his farm. PuppiDawg's parents came with that adoption only to realize the female was pregnant. PuppiDawg came into our lives as a puppy. She intentionally turns her head when photographed. You have to catch her, not paying attention to the camera.

Salti is a Great Pyreneese mixed with an Australian shepherd. He's a daddy's boy and sucky at best. You know exactly how he feels with the tail wag. Gives it away each time.

Binky Boo is a tabby cat who was injured and rescued by the SPCA. We adopted her from the SPCA. She has back and leg issues, but when food is involved, she's remarkably healed. She loves to lick faces when she is getting attention.

Puss Puss is a ham and vocal when she needs us to listen. She was also rescued from the SPCA at the same time as Binky Boo. We selected Binky Boo first and walked with her in our arms past the cages, and Puss Puss didn't react to Binky Boo, so it was an obvious choice.

Puss Puss ends up being a bully and lives most of the time in my bedroom, and Binky Boo seems not to be allowed.

---

I Thrive Best

I thrive best online as my humour is adult-based.

---

Belief in Consumer Values

Crocheters are intelligent individuals who can tell the difference between being pushed to purchase and an inspirational demonstration. If a crocheter really wants to buy something, they will find a way.

This belief allows me not to harp on about the products in video demonstrations of projects. Yes, I say the brand and the yarn count, but I don't go on about where to buy it, pricing and more. That's on the crocheter to find out more. That's what a spokesperson would do, which I am not.

I allow the inspiration to be the motivation.