How much does handmade REALLY cost - Handknit Rat Edition // Rachel is Knitting

[@kayrahyatt923]

That price definitely seems reasonable because your time is valuable! I don't sell much of my handmade, but most of what I do sell are items that I made but never ended up using. With those items, my aim is to recoup the cost of the materials, but with commissions, it's important to not undervalue yourself, your time, or your expertise. I love this series, and I can't wait to see more!

[@rachelisknitting]

I have totally been there. Selling items as more of an “offloading” often has me severely cutting the price.

[@susannehadden]

50 plus years knitting experience here and believe me, I'd think twice now about knitting anyone anything at all! My sweaters and shawls have been greatly admired when anyone finds out that there is probably 60-80 hours of my labor in them not including non synthetic materials, well, the enthusiasm goes out the window when they start doing the math in their heads you just did ! Thanks for putting this out into the stratosphere! I have also found that my love for a craft disappeared once I decided to try to sell at craft fairs etc. It really took the joy out of it!

[@rachelisknitting]

Wow! 50 years is AMAZING! I bet your FOs are just stunning. And I totally agree about the joy being taken out. Halfway through a commission I inevitably ask myself why I agreed to do it. Underpricing makes that feeling even more pronounced!

[@jackiewiggins4188]

this is an excellent explanation to share with people who think we charge too much. If you assembly line the rat and make more then that changes the cost too. This is also a wonderful process to check if your projects are profitable when comparing what your time is worth and what the market can sustain. More makers need to spot check their costs like this. It helps you focus on who to make things for. Thank you Rachel for your time on this!

[@rachelisknitting]

Thank you so much!

[@celestedouville2529]

what a fabulous explanation. And this is exactly the reason I would 100% never knit any commission for anyone, because I'd have to at least partially explain the numbers before giving them a link to this video for further details. My life has been sheltered enough that I cannot imagine anyone spending their disposable income on a $150 rat - or fingerless mitts, or anything that would take that much time to knit. That said, I have knit dozens of things for friends, family and colleagues; and dozens of charity projects. And, I very rarely pay $30/skein of yarn.

[@knitcalifornia]

I find this series so fascinating!!

[@rachelisknitting]

It’s been really fun so far! More to come!

[@EvanKnitsThings]

Definitely reasonable it’s your time and expertise that’s being paid for and those cost a lot!

[@karendavis7278]

Your dilemma is the reason I rarely sell my knitted and crocheted projects. In my experience in my rural area, people aren’t willing to pay enough to validate the time and talent I put into my yarn crafts. So I gift and donate to charity silent auctions. If I do “sell” it is usually to really good friends and I don’t charge much at all. I once had a casual acquaintance ask me to make her a crochet turkey farmer like I had made for myself. I basically was only going to charge her for the cost of materials x 2 and didn’t even factor in hourly wage. She balked at the minimal price. I offered to teach her how to crochet her own. She said “I know how to crochet but just don’t want to do it.” Really? It was ok to ask me to spend hours making her one but she didn’t want to compensate me for my time and effort and materials. I didn’t make it for her. And I quickly decided I would say “No!” and not feel guilt!

[@rachelisknitting]

Ugh! That acquaintance really overstepped! I’m glad you made a firm decision with no guilt. Way to go!!!

[@kristendroke5413]

Thank you! Your time is valuable. And this is a fabulous skill. It might help you to think 'project' in place of 'rat'. This 2.5 hour project would be $100- to commission. No guilt! That's the price. So often people compliment my work saying I should sell my makes. I thank them for the compliment. If they insist, I ask them 'how much would you pay for a pair of socks?' and they say 'oh, how long do they take to make?' ... When you turn your hobby into a business, it changes the metrics. Add in cost of accounting: shipping, invoicing, taxes... AND all that also takes away time from knitting projects for yourself.

[@kristendroke5413]

Also the rats are adorable. I might even pay $100- for one! : D

[@rachelisknitting]

Thank you!! Conceptualizing it as a 2.5hr project first and foremost helps. Who cares if it’s a rat! It still took 2.5hrs to make!

[@Sandy-lq9xe]

Thanks for your supportive response, Rachel. I will try to summon the courage to say "no" to her. I think what I'll do is knit the hat (no issues with that) for her late-October birthday and when I mail that off to her, include the sweater wool with a note saying sorry, no can do. Still, I somehow feel guilty about it because they are truly lovely people, just unaware about crafting.

[@rachelisknitting]

You can be an awesome person and still commit a faux pas! I’m sure that it was well intentioned, but you can also reply with a well intentioned boundary! I’m in your corner.

[@MintzMakes]

I think $100 is completely reasonable!!!! Some perspective; someone who makes $104,000 a year makes $50/hour! some examples of people who make ~$100,000 a year are software developers, truck drivers, real estate agents, healthcare administrators, and human resource managers. This is such a wide range of jobs! If you were to charge $50/hour, not even including materials, it would be over $130. I sell things, and I probably shortchange myself more than not... this video was encouraging and helped reset my perspective. You have spent many years "studying" this art form to become as knowledgeable and skilled as you are. Many people receive yearly raises or raises for additional certifications or time spent training. The time you spend is valuable, and if you are using it to bring joy, happiness, and comfort to someone who is paying for that, that makes complete sense.

[@rachelisknitting]

This is a great perspective! Thank you!

[@KarenRothfus]

Love this. Next time someone says can u just make me one. I will break it down for them. And I have been wanting to make the rat for a while. My oldest always had pet rats that he trained. Even in college, on his 21rst bday he asked for rats. (He is a rocket engineer, can you say nerdy lol). His first child is turning 1 soon and will get a stuffed rat for his birthday. Both he and my son will it.

[@rachelisknitting]

That’s so wholesome! I’m sure your son and grandchild will both be thrilled!

[@jennifertran600]

This was a great breakdown! What is the pattern for your cardigan?

[@rachelisknitting]

Thank you! I'm wearing the November Jacket.

[@Sandy-lq9xe]

I don't knit on commission, but I DO knit hats and mittens as gifts for family members. Over the years I have identified the family members who are "knit-worthy". Two of the knit-worthy people (a married couple) recently traveled to New Zealand and bought 14 skeins of wool which they sent to me: four skeins the husband would like knit into a hat; 2 skeins the wife would like knit into a hat; 8 skeins the wife would like knit into a pullover; and three skeins for me. Now, I was going to knit each of them (yet another) hat for their upcoming birthdays, so the fact they provided the yarn (beautiful, 100% NZ wool) is wonderful. I am, however, REALLY resentful of the sweater quantity of wool with the request to knit a pullover. REALLY resentful. They are a lovely couple whom I adore, but I am certain they have no idea whatsoever the number of hours a long-sleeved sweater will require. I told the wife it will be awhile before I start the sweater, to manage expectations. But I am quite upset to have a sweater request thrust upon me. Am I being too sensitive?

[@rachelisknitting]

This comment started so sweet but now I’m SEEING RED!!! I do not think you are being too sensitive at all. Not at all. That is really presumptive and honestly if it were me I would let her know that I can’t knit her the sweater for her. Life is too short to knit what you don’t want to. Ugh! I’m so mad for you! I’m sorry that happened.

[@rachelisknitting]

Once I have a sweater included in this series, you can send the video to them. Lol! Maybe not. But then there will be no question how presuming that you’d knit up a pullover is inappropriate.

[@kristendroke5413]

This was incredibly presumptuous of them. Likely they were just excited by the beautiful yarn and knew you could make incredibly beautiful things from it. People often don't understand the time it takes to craft, if they aren't makers themselves. This was really rude of your family member to assume you would make them a full sweater. If you are willing to do it, (the yarn is lovely and there is a pattern that you'd like to make that would suit this person , but not you... Whatever the factors are) accept the project. If not, you could return the yarn. Either way, I recommend having a heart to heart talk with your loved family member about time and how little there is already for working on your own projects. Ideally we are making for joy. Life is too short to spending an entire sweater project in a resentful state of mind. If you can turn that energy around, great! If not, I wouldn't take the project on. I hope this incident can lead to better understanding and appreciation. Good luck! 🫂

[@Sandy-lq9xe]

@@rachelisknitting Great idea! I will watch for your "the cost of knitting a sweater" video in the future. Whether or not I will have the testicular fortitude to send it to them remains to be seen. 🙂

[@rachelisknitting]

Perhaps another alternative would be to say, “I won’t be able to knit the pullover, but I can point you in the direction of some great resources on learning to knit if you’re interested!”

[@kniticaltherapy4928]

I think that is a fair price, as you mentioned your time is valuable, and certainly more valuable than LA's minimum wage 👀 no matter what you're doing... But I won't get on that soap box. Maybe think of it in a way of: if knitting commissions were your only income, could you live happily/comfortably charging what you've decided? I think you will find you would need to charge at least $100 if you factor in that and aren't thinking of it as "extra income."

[@rachelisknitting]

Oh yes, the minimum wage set in LA is abhorrent no matter what labor it's compensating for! I agree with you that it's important to think about it as "real" income vs "extra" income. If taking commissions were to grow to full time work, then it would need to be at and above the $100 threshold.

[@TryssemTavern]

You failed to factor in clean up! (Seems like a joke, but that is part of the process.) [first edit] More seriously, is there a reason you measured the skeins, then added the weight of the scraps on top of the difference in weight of the skeins before/after finishing the product? The scraps would have already been factored into the weight when you measured the skeins after the fact. Would they not? [last edit!] When I sew my dolls, I look at how many dolls I can make out of a yard. Instead of factoring in the value of the entire yard, I divide the cost per yard by the amount of a particular doll I can make out of it. I can make about 10 mini human/elf style dolls out of a yard of minky, for example. (So a doll made from minky at $18 a yard would break down to $1.80 per doll in fabric.) Being able to make 2 schoodies out of a yard of the same $18/yard minky would set my fabric cost at $9 per. Since I do my sewing by hand, I tend to skimp on paying myself above $10. I have access to a sewing/embroidery machine. I just enjoy doing it all by hand more. (And me charging extra for that is like a lawyer charging by the hour and intentionally speaking/moving slowly to jack up the bill.) My nephew is an artist, so I have had many discussions with them on the idea of undervaluing their work. (I've had to threaten to give the difference to their spouse in order to make sure they were paid appropriately for the work.) My nephew adores rats. (The stereotype of women being afraid of rats is odd, considering it was women who introduced rats into the pet scene. Saving rats from being used in brutal dog sports.)

[@rachelisknitting]

I weighed the scraps to determine how much of the rat weight was due to yarn vs. due to the polyfill inside. It’s great to look at cost of materials through the lens of the quantity of an item (rat or doll) you can get out of one piece of material, but what if you bought a yard of fabric for a commission with no guarantee you will ever be able to use the remainder for future commissions? Then, in the case of your fabric example, you are out $16.20 in fabric cost that you may not recoup. As for charging for machine sewing when you’re hand sewing, I would never do that for my own commissions. There’s always a quicker alternative. Just because a quicker alternative exists doesn’t mean that the value of my time has lessened! You do what works for you and what you’re comfortable with; I would choose differently.

[@mooglebaby]

I have people tell me all the time I should sell my makes or take commissions. I always say no, because I would price exactly like you are. And every time they hear the equivalent of "a $100 rat", they balk. That $100 feels reasonable for time and materials for a bespoke handmade item, but is unfortunately something that the market may not support. But that doesn't mean we should start undervaluing ourselves to meet pricing expectations of consumers who are used to mass produced products. I also have a possibly skewed view on how much my time is worth; $20/hr feels super low compared to by high paying IT job. I know my time is worth more than $20, because some else is in fact giving me way more than that.

[@rachelisknitting]

Yes, I agree! I also think that $20/hr is low when I think about my skills and years of building expertise in this field. It’s a good point you make; just because someone may balk, doesn’t mean the price is wrong!

[@gloriaahhh]

I think we’re so accustomed to mass produced cheaply made products that it’s hard to think about paying a “lot” or charging a “lot”, but I think the more we get accustomed to appropriate wages, it makes it easier to understand that things don’t happen by magic and that time, expertise, and materials have a cost. I’m grateful that I have the skills to make a rat so I wouldn’t have to pay someone $100, but I don’t think you should shortchange yourself for people who request a commission.

[@rachelisknitting]

Yes, I agree!!!!