Friday, October 17, 2014

Selling Handknits.

The shawl I made.  The shawl that drove me batty for who knows how long.  The shawl for my friend's wedding present.  The beaded, lacy heirloom I made her.  The something blue for lack of a better term.

It was handed over with clear instructions on What Not To Do with it.  Ever.

Then this happened:

"Why don't you sell your handknits on etsy?"

My friend has been inhaling way too many wedding fumes lately.

I'm sure, in fact, I'm almost positive that this happens to most knitters and hookers out there.

Yes, crafters do have their wares for sale on etsy.  But there's a wee little problem with that.

See, the shawl I made?  It was with fifty dollars of yarn, a six dollar pattern and over 100 hours of my time.

Let's break that down.  I used yarn from Verdant Gryphon, Eidos to be specific.  At $27.00 a skein.  I bought two.  The pattern I used was Promise Me by BooKnits.  It wasn't an original.  Therefore, I can use it for personal use only.  I can't make and sell.  I run into a large problem there.  LARGE.  I'd have to work something out with the designer.  And that would be a headache.  Then my time.

Someone once broke what the average cost of handknit socks are.  I think they broke it down to roughly $200 US.  That's if one pays themselves minimum wage for their time.

To place my handknits up for sale, I would either have to seriously have to undercut myself or price them to where no one could afford them.

There's a reason why I am starting to design and sell patterns.