Has anyone done any commission knitting? I’m thinking about taking commissions, but I don’t know the first high about it and I’d appreciate the opportunity to pick someone’s brain.
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Knitting is a gateway drug. Starts with one pair of knitting needles and one ball of yarn. And before you know it, you have three spinning wheels and two weaving looms, and you can’t find a place to eat your dinner, because every available surface in your house is covered with fiber.
Personally, I would not do it. check the ravelry forums for stories
like this. People love to complain and will not be willing to pay a
decent price. (”But you like doing this!”)
Think about socks (if you want to do socks, that is) - one average sock (stockinette, maybe some really small pattern at the sides) takes me about 9 hours to knit. (We’re talking fingering weight here, and an average sized woman’s or man’s foot.).
Minimum wage in Germany ranges about 8,50€ (a bit more now, but let’s go with 8,50€), so 8,50€ x 9 = 76,50€.
Now, that’s one sock.
Unless you’re knitting for Mad-Eye Moody, you will have to knit another one, which means that the total sum will be 153€. That’s about 180US $.
For a pair of stockinette socks. Without postage and yarn. (Will you buy the yarn? That will make the price go up even more, because if you let people buy the yarn themselves, they might pick whatever).
I do not want to spoil your fun, by any means, but from what I have learned, comission knitting ends up in tears of frustration more often than not. At the local Christmas market of my hometown, you can buy handknit (!) socks (not machine-knit ones) for abou 8€ (10 US$). The woman they interviewed for the local newspaper said: “Oh, this is so nice, that covers the cost of the yarn and I even have a little extra.”
With all due respect, that’s bullshit. It’s rip-off (and I don’t use that term lightly).
To every non-knitter reading this: Yes, you read this correctly. A simple pair of stockinette socks is worth about 150€ (or about 180 US$). So the next time your birthday, or Christmas, or whatever rolls around and your knitter friend suprises you with a pair of socks, you’d better thank them properly, because you sure as shit can’t buy them at Walmart. ;)
I tried it once, and it did not turn out well, because they forgot or did not care about their order, and never picked it up at the store.
A friend actually got told that “I am already paying for the yarn, you get your knitting fun for free thanks to me” by a customer.
Add the pressure of getting everything absolutely perfectly right since you are getting paid for it, which is very hard for me, and spoils the experimental fun I love so much about my craft.
So now I prefer to give my finished knitting away as a gift to lovely people.
Works a lot better this way!!!
raziikale asked:
becausedragonage answered:
Oh boy.
- Stay away from novelty yarn. It can be difficult even for seasoned knitters.
- Cheap acrylic yarn from Walmart is fine. Some will try to steer you to pricier wool and natural fibres, but save that stuff for when you’ve got more practice in and know what fibre is best for what project.
- Cheap aluminum needles are fine too. You’ll learn what you prefer as you go so there’s no need to spend a ton. Most of my supplies actually come from thrift shops.
- If you’ve got good tension, you’ve got everything. Pick up a ball of cotton yarn and just knit garter stitch (all knit stitch) washclothes for a awhile. You’ll work your way into a natural tension for you and still come out with something useful.
- Don’t be afraid of frogging (ripping back) your work or making mistakes. Those are great for learning.
Other than that, I’m not sure. I gained most of my knitting skills in one crazy year where I knit obsessively to deal with grief. I gathered information from relatives, friends, youtube, books, etc. but can’t exactly remember how it all came together. I do know there are a lot of people out there who are too willing to tell you that how you’re doing it is wrong and what you’re using (in terms of needles or fibres) is wrong, so don’t listen to them. :D
Also, I’m here so if you encounter any roadblocks or need a bit of advice or want to show off progress, let me know!
Crafty Thoughts: Vol. 1
If I die doing what I love, it’s probably from a heart attack after someone spoke while I was counting stitches.
Character on a tv show: I knit this
Character on a TV show: brandishing item
Me: *pauses show*
Me: *moves towards the tv*
Me: *visually inspects item*
Me: Fuck you that is crochet. ITS GRANNY SQUARES
Hahaha
Just the thought sends me into a frothing rage.
Washed and blocked. Just need to find a box to put it in so I can drop it in the mail. =D
So once you get past the agony of realizing you have to frog rows and rows of a project, the actual act of frogging can be kinda cool, you know, one satisfying little pull and you rip out dozens of little stitches, a tremendous amount of effort undone with hardly a thought because you are these little stitches’ ruler, their god, capable of destroying them with a single tug and yes I am trying to romanticize frogging because this is absolutely terrible oh my god help me
Shoutout to all the knitters and crocheters who take their hooks and needles to family gatherings to keep them sane.
Special shoutout to those who get criticized/scolded/yelled at for doing so.
