If you’ve ever ooh-ed and awww-ed at a picture from an adorable newborn photo shoot, and wondered where you could buy an outfit for your little one or an expectant friend, you’re going to love today’s maker! Chrystin is the founder of Cozy Cricket, whose hand-knit baby bear outfit, kids’ knit headbands, and beanies for kids and parents will keep you cute and cozy. We can’t wait to go beyond the knitting needles to learn more about Cozy Cricket!
Hello! Thank you for sharing your story with us today! Can you please tell us a little more about yourself?
Hi, I’m Chrystin. I grew up in south Texas in a very small town called San Diego. It’s so small, at one point my dad was the 8th grade English teacher, head girls’ basketball coach, and the mayor, lol. I am the oldest of 5 siblings and now live in Denton with 1 of my sisters and our 2 dogs, Frank and Stella. I love to read and actually have a bookstagram too. I have always loved crafting, so if I’m not knitting or crocheting then I’m trying out painting or other DIY projects. I am in my last semester of grad school and work full time for an autism center as a Behavior Technician. I hope to one day work as a BCBA in this area.
Oh wow! Graduation is so close– congratulations on chasing your dreams! What are you most excited about for the future?
I am so excited to be done with school, a while at least, and have more time for crafting and reading. I’m excited to see what my business can do when I’m not bogged down with assignments and readings. I am also so excited to keep working in my field but in a new capacity and maybe even trying out different settings as a BCBA one day.
We’re excited to see the crafting and creativity that comes out of you having more free time, too! This past year has been a tough one. Can you share something good that has come out of this time?
At the beginning of the pandemic, I had just invested a lot of time and money into getting started at Mosaic and was so nervous about how the pandemic was going to affect this new dream. But I saw so many people rally together to keep Mosaic going and had friends give me ideas for how to keep going, too. It helped me expand on the items I was able to make and really let me be even more creative. I also got to start a new job and a new school. Both were terrifying at first but have truly been the best fit for me, and I don’t know if I would’ve found them if the pandemic hadn’t started.
That’s some incredible perseverance! Tell us about the Cozy Cricket! What do you make and how long have you been doing it?
I own the Cozy Cricket and I crochet and knit gifts and accessories. The name the cozy cricket came during brainstorming with a friend and is also the story of how my business started. I have been crocheting since I was 13. When my friends started having babies, I was so excited to make blankets and newborn photo costumes. My friends loved them and constantly encouraged me to start selling these things. So I started attending craft shows and selling on Facebook but it was all very small. One of my best friends Trina was already a maker at Mosaic and knew about my very small business, so when the applications to become a maker at a larger location came out, she encouraged me to apply.
I had always gone by Chrystins Crafts which was not very creative and I mentioned to her that if I was going to do this I wanted a new business name. I loved cozy because I felt like crochet was just that, it’s a comfortable accessory that while growing up, I would call “grandma hugs,” so cozy fit. The cricket part is a nickname that my mom gave me when I was very little and I loved that the initials would stay CC as those are my initials and I always thought a fun initial combo. And so the Cozy Cricket applied for a spot and was approved and here we are.
What a sweet way to keep a little nod to the past in your new business name through the initials and your nickname! Why did you get involved with MMC?
The selling myself part has always been hard for me, and why I was never able to grow my business. I loved the idea of having my things in a store and taking the social aspect of being a business owner out. If you think about it, it opens a door for all the women who are too shy to grow on Facebook or Instagram, it gives them a safe space to have their creations in a market they can be sold.
This kind of teamwork is our favorite thing about what we do. We love helping you sell your products! They’re absolutely adorable and it’s so fun to tell expectant moms and friends shopping for moms-to-be about your cozy newborn photoshoot outfits! What are you most proud of?
In my business, taking the leap to apply for a position at Mosaic. It was way out of my comfort zone and I always feel pretty proud when I do something I’m scared of. The success I’ve had at Mosaic is way out of anything I could’ve imagined and I’m so proud that I took that leap.
We’re so glad you took the leap! How has your work evolved over time?
I love looking at my early crochet projects and seeing how much my skills have progressed. Yarn art can be considered a dying breed, but we can all agree it takes skill. My friends have kept the outfits I made for their newborns and it’s fun to hold those up to the things I have at the shop now and see how far I’ve gone.
It’s so fun to look back and see the progress and dream about what’s to come! What advice would you give a young artist?
Keep going!! It took me years to even go to craft shows because I never felt like my stuff was good enough. I’ve learned there’s a market for just about everything and you’ll only get better if you keep working at it. I saw a quote recently that said, you are gonna be bad at something the 1st time you try it, but you can’t get to the 100th try without doing the 1st. Basically, you’ll never have an idea of how good you can be unless you keep trying.
That’s great advice! What’s the most recent show you binge-watched?
Law and Order SVU, but to be fair I’ve been bingeing it for years, I could watch the old seasons over and over and never get tired of it.
Oh yeah! That’s a fun one to watch! Thanks so much for sharing your story today, Chrystin! We are so thankful to have you as a maker at Mosaic Makers Collective.
Want to learn more about our makers or shop Cozy Cricket? Check out these additional resources:
- Visit our shop in the Bishop Arts District
- Meet more of our Mosaic Makers on the Blog