Time....
I wonder if I will ever have enough time to knit everything I want to knit. Everyday people create, publish, post new patterns. Fabulous Fabulous Patterns. Books, Magazines, PDF. files, blogs, email posts, and the list goes on. Then new yarn, new colors, new dye lots, dye blends, fiber blends, textures......it's enough to send a knitter right over the edge into bankruptcy. (don't worry mom, I'm fine)
I said before that I like knitting. I have reasons that I like knitting. It's relaxing. It calms me down and at the same time I get to make something that I probably wouldn't be able to afford in the store.
Do you knit on commission? I've been asked that. I suppose I could but then it would lose it's charm for me. If I knit for money it becomes a job rather than a pleasure and while I can take pleasure in my job, I take more pleasure in the giving of something knit. Let's do a breakdown though just for fun.
The finisher that puts sweaters for Me together charges 35-40 dollars per hour. Quite a deal and she's very good at it.
So I can start there as my hourly rate to knit say a sweater.
So now you say a sweater takes 80 hours to knit, block, sew, weave in ends and give to the recipient. That puts us at $2800.00 dollars. This however doesn't include the cost of the yarn, which say you like Cashemere (who doesn't) average ball of cashemere is about 25 dollars p/ball and you're an extra small so you'll need 5 balls. 125.00 for the yarn. Now lets be clear on one thing. I'm not going to charge someone 2,925 dollars to knit a sweater that they could buy 3 of at Nordstroms. I won't charge people, I do it for the pleasure.
See when you break it down into a cost, if you're like me it takes the fun out of it.
I buy yarn based on 3 things in order of importance.
Color, Texture, Cost.
Cost is least important because the first two out weigh the third. Of course when looking at cost I also check fiber content. I'm not going to drop 20.00 p/skein on an acrylic blend yarn when I can get a lovely wool for less. Fibers important. You need to choose what feels good to you. Are you going to like working with it? How's it going to look once it's all knit up? How's it going to look with the pattern you have in mind?
I knit a baby sweater for a friend. It turned out great. I used a beautiful cotton yarn. Loved working with it so much I went back, bought 12 skeins and have started an afghan in it. It's moving fast and is turning out great. However, we all know my ADD side of things, so I'm also working on a scarf with dropped stitches in it. Clapotis from Knitty. It's fabulous. It's pink, it's shiny, and it's going to be way to dressy for anything I'm going to wear with it. Whatever, the beauty is that I made it.
The blanket pattern? making it up on my own. Very simple diamond lace pattern over 11 stitches. I'll write it out when I figure out the crochet edge I want to do and it's all done.
For now, I'm going to go fondle my fibers and maybe move to a new color on the afghan.
Have a great evening!
C.
I said before that I like knitting. I have reasons that I like knitting. It's relaxing. It calms me down and at the same time I get to make something that I probably wouldn't be able to afford in the store.
Do you knit on commission? I've been asked that. I suppose I could but then it would lose it's charm for me. If I knit for money it becomes a job rather than a pleasure and while I can take pleasure in my job, I take more pleasure in the giving of something knit. Let's do a breakdown though just for fun.
The finisher that puts sweaters for Me together charges 35-40 dollars per hour. Quite a deal and she's very good at it.
So I can start there as my hourly rate to knit say a sweater.
So now you say a sweater takes 80 hours to knit, block, sew, weave in ends and give to the recipient. That puts us at $2800.00 dollars. This however doesn't include the cost of the yarn, which say you like Cashemere (who doesn't) average ball of cashemere is about 25 dollars p/ball and you're an extra small so you'll need 5 balls. 125.00 for the yarn. Now lets be clear on one thing. I'm not going to charge someone 2,925 dollars to knit a sweater that they could buy 3 of at Nordstroms. I won't charge people, I do it for the pleasure.
See when you break it down into a cost, if you're like me it takes the fun out of it.
I buy yarn based on 3 things in order of importance.
Color, Texture, Cost.
Cost is least important because the first two out weigh the third. Of course when looking at cost I also check fiber content. I'm not going to drop 20.00 p/skein on an acrylic blend yarn when I can get a lovely wool for less. Fibers important. You need to choose what feels good to you. Are you going to like working with it? How's it going to look once it's all knit up? How's it going to look with the pattern you have in mind?
I knit a baby sweater for a friend. It turned out great. I used a beautiful cotton yarn. Loved working with it so much I went back, bought 12 skeins and have started an afghan in it. It's moving fast and is turning out great. However, we all know my ADD side of things, so I'm also working on a scarf with dropped stitches in it. Clapotis from Knitty. It's fabulous. It's pink, it's shiny, and it's going to be way to dressy for anything I'm going to wear with it. Whatever, the beauty is that I made it.
The blanket pattern? making it up on my own. Very simple diamond lace pattern over 11 stitches. I'll write it out when I figure out the crochet edge I want to do and it's all done.
For now, I'm going to go fondle my fibers and maybe move to a new color on the afghan.
Have a great evening!
C.
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