Sharon Cone, 52, of South Carolina learned how to crochet as a young teenager. Since then, into adulthood, crocheting has been a hobby. But a special yarn turned her laid back pastime into a money making opportunity.
It all came down to reflective yarn. “I got excited when I saw it online in a Facebook group,” Cone laughed.
So she decided to put the reflective yarn to the test. “I made a hat and put it on my daughter’s head to post and thank the ladies for showing me the yarn,” she said. “Imagine the warmth of grandma’s afghan coupled with the reflective yarn.”
Before she knew it, requests for reflective hats were flying in. “A whole host of ladies wanted to know if they could buy them,” Cone says. “I also created a pattern for people who wanted to make the hats themselves.”
Demand was so high Cone created a page on Etsy to keep track of who wanted what and in which colors. Now, Cone offers hats, hats with ponytail holes, scarves and arm warmers. She is even trying to appeal to the male runners.
“My state-ranked wrestler nephews run for cross training,” Cone says. “They wanted a hat because they ran at night. So I made a more masculine beanie type.”
The importance of safety is no light topic for Cone, a former nurse. “I run at night and I have a college kid who runs at night,” she says.
Cone wrote on her Running Reflections Etsy page: “My creations were birthed through a love for running and a desire to be safe when exercising after dark. It is my hope that you, too, may benefit from what I have to offer and stay safe, whether it be before the sun rises or after it sets. Let’s make sure those drivers SEE us out there!”
Interested? Demand is high, so get your order in. But Cone is confident. “My turnover is fairly quick, she says. “I am a fast crocheter.”