58 | http://www.crochetnow.co.uk
When I fi rst built TOFT, social media was
very different to how it is today. Facebook
was something that I just about had by the
time I left university a year before starting
the business, but it was new, a way to keep
in touch with people you met in daily life,
and certainly not yet a way to sell things.
By the time I wrote Edward’s Menagerie
nearly six years ago, TOFT had profi les on
Twitter, Facebook and Instagram along
with YouTube and Pinterest. Social media
was a way that you could connect with
your customers and tell them about new
products. Since then, I feel that social
media has once again evolved and places
like Instagram Stories are now expected
to show behind the scenes of a business,
with more of a focus on the day-to-day
activities of the team behind a brand
rather than just promoting sales.
Being a craft author in an age of social
media is absolutely amazing, because
every day I get to see just how much
pleasure my patterns are giving
other people. People tag me and
message me with their Edward’s
Menagerie stories, from the very
beginning of picking up their hooks
and starting a new project to the
end results, and very often those
toys being gifted to other people.
When I fi rst wrote the book, I had no
idea that it would become a part of so
many people’s lives. The #edsanimals
hashtag that was established very early
on and printed on the title page of the
fi rst book now boasts 42.1k posts. It’s a
way not just for me to see what everyone
has made and offer help if needed, but
means that anyone who enjoys makingSocial media is now an
integral part of the craft
community, so TOFT founder
Kerry tells us all about her
journey, and the highs
and lows that come from
interacting on social media
KERRY’S
JOURNAL
“Being a cra author in
an age of social media
is absolutely amazing”
Being a craft author in an age of social
media is absolutely amazing, becauseidea that it would become a part of so
#edsanimals
hashtag that was established very early
on and printed on the title page of the
my patterns can see everyone else’s
makes too. The community around TOFT
and Edward’s Menagerie is extremely
passionate and very supportive of eachTake your time with placement
and light for fab pictures