More yarn to thing (and a velvet hat)
Tuesday, 16 September, 2008
My store of things to sell at the FEVA How Sweet the Sound markets is growing. Here's what I've been making lately:
Autumnal scarf/shawl
Scarf/shawl knitted in garter stitch on 15 mm needles (I think I made this one 45 or 50 stitches across to give it more width). Made from Patons Feathers vermilion (24). Dyelot: 737421. 100% polyester. 63 m per 50g ball. 99c/ball and Lincraft Winter Warmth orange/red/pink. Dyelot: 7039. 100% acrylic mohair. 78 m per 50g ball. $2.99/ball. This:
became this:
Mint green Crème de la Crème scarf/shawl
Scarf/shawl knitted in garter stitch on 15 mm needles (once again, 45 or 50 stitches across). Made from Patons Crème de la Crème mint green (6040). Dyelot: 8201. 52% tactel, 48% nylon. 91 m per 50g ball. 99c/ball. This:
became this:
and these:
(I didn't really know what to do with the scraps of yarn I had left, hence the cuffs.)
Black scarf/shawl
I found some black yarn at Spotlight that was fairly similar to Crème de la Crème, only it was Moda Vera Burro black (5014). Dyelot: 804. 52% polaymide (tactel), 48% polyamide. Approx 100m per 50g ball. $3.99/ball. Unfortunately I forgot to take a picture of the yarn before I used it. But anyway it turned into this:
I liked it so much, I decided to keep this one instead of selling it. I don't have a black scarf (well, I do, but it's too heavy for day-to-day use—it's a scarf/shawl made out of Bendigo Woollen Mills black wool, Lincraft pom pom and some Lincraft yarn called Mordor, and it's rather heavy but very warm).
Purple/sunset scarf/shawl
I forgot to take a picture of this yarn too (also from Spotlight). It's Moda Vera Sentiments purplish-pinky-browny (21). Dyelot: 154844. 50% mohair, 50% acrylic. Approximately 100m per 50g ball. $1.99/ball. The pattern is from a Lincraft pattern book for a scarf. It looks quite different on 15 mm needles:
Knitty Urchin hats
Made from Lincraft Entice Burgundy. Dyelot: 07032906. 100% nylon. 78 m per 50g ball. $2.99/ball. This:
became this:
And I realised that these wouldn't go together very well for a scarf/shawl so I split them up for more Urchin hats:
Lincraft Flutter scarlet/mauve/brown (claret mix). Dyelot: 28. 100% polyester. 52 m per 50g ball. 98c/ball. This became
Lincraft Romania pink/mauve/charcoal (pastel mix). Dyelot: 07044805. 85% acrylic, 15% polyester. 65 m per 50g ball. $2.99/ball. This became
Sullivans Boa plum. Dyelot: 4524. 100% polyester. Length per 50g ball not stated. $3.99/ball. This became
I made skinny scarves out of the leftovers. I'm not into them myself but some girls like them for a bit of warmth on a cool day.
Urchin fail
This one I'm ashamed of and don't know what to do with. It was made from Lincraft Pom Pom pink and white. Dyelot: 08036001. 100% polyester. 38 m per 50g ball. $2.49/ball. This
became this:
Which looks great on St Katherine because she's got a big head, but it won't look any good on anyone else. *Sigh*. I figure she'll make a good table decoration for my stall. And then I'll work out what to do with the hat afterwards.
Black velvet
Obviously this hasn't been knitted by me! I got this hat from an antique emporium in Katoomba when we were up there for Engage. I think it's fabulous! But then I'm such a sucker for velvet.
A question for you
I'm thinking about how to price my scarf/shawls and hats. My current plan is to sell the scarf/shawls for $50 each, and the hats for $20 each ($25 if they come with a skinny scarf). Do you think that's reasonable? Please bear in mind that each item took me 6-10 hours to knit.
Blinks:
A way of funding writing in the future: pitch and idea and get people to support it.
Place where you can hire play equipment for parties, etc.
How to recalibrate the home button on your iPhone.
Unsolicited manuscripts accepted by Pan Macmillan with certain conditions.
Thought Balloon is a group blog in which the writers tackle a new theme every week? month? with one-page scripts. This URL is for their Phonogram ones.
How to sew a zipper on a knitted garment.
Issues organised by tale.
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I’m not sure what kind of prices people expect to pay but I reckon looking at Etsy or the Aussie equivalent of a site like Etsy you a good idea? I wish I had the patience to do that kind of thing!
And I wish I could construct coherent sentences! Sorry!
What a good idea! Why didn’t I think of that???
Hmm ... MadeIt doesn’t have much knitted stuff available. Etsy knitted shawls, scarves and hats are even more than what I was thinking of charging.
But would anyone actually pay that much???
Lovely stuff K!
I reckon they’re good minimum prices - definitely worth your hard work and they’re beautiful pieces too.
Karen -they are reasonable prices in the art and craft world but probably not in the non-knitting world. People just don’t understand that it takes that long to knit things.
Have you had a look at Ravelry yet? It’s that kniting/crochet/spinning community site that I think I told you about before. There are whole groups and threads on pricing items.
Thanks, Di! I set myself up with a login after Magknits died, but haven’t had the time to wander around and check it out. I’m not really into forums either. But I checked out some of the pricing forums ... I’m still confused about what to charge. I know I want to at least recoup my costs. I think my problem is I take it too personally: I want to be paid what what I made is worth.
Do you really think $20 for a hat, $25 for a hat and scarf and $50 for a shawl is too much in the non-knitting world?
Something about the combination of the wristlets and your necklace make it look as if you are about to start fighting crime. Zap! Pow!
Yes, I am a vigilante disguised as a mild-mannered editor!