The true costs of handmade

 

 http://www.gosocial.co/wedding-dress-on-a-bus/

I've seen articles about this before and thought the dress was beautiful and she looked gorgeous on her wedding day as any bride should, and that's as far as my thought process went.  But then today in my Facebook feed I saw this article again and they were making a big deal about how it only cost her $30.   For her this was a labor of love and she was doing it for herself, if you were to hire her to make this dress for you the cost would be much more.

Some people don't really understand the real costs of handmade.  They think that because the supplies and materials cost X amount the finished product should be X amount.  There's much more that goes in handmade than the materials. Lets look at the true cost of this dress.

The article says she worked on this dress during her 1 hour commute.  I'm assuming that's 1 hour each way so that gives her 2 hours a day to work on it 5 days a week.  That's 10 hours a week.  You'd expect to pay her for her time.  Minimum wage  being around $10/hour we'll use that figure.

If she worked 10 hours a week for $10/hour that's $100 a week.  It took her 5 months.  10 hours a week for 5 months is 200 hours.  There would be fittings, which would take at least 1-2 hours each.  With a minimum of 3 fittings, we'll average it out to 1.5 hours for each fitting, so that's another 4.5 hours of work.   200 hours crocheting + 4.5 hours fitting.  We're now up to 204.5 hours at $10/hour; that's $2045 + $30 materials.  Total cost $2075.

That's still not a bad price for a wedding dress, much less a custom handmade wedding dress,  but that's quite a bit more than the $30 they said she spent; and that's a conservative price because I'm not taking in to account how much time she spent planning and designing, and I'm sure she put in more than the 200 hours she spent riding the bus.

When you look at handmade items whether it's at a craft show or a boutique and think to yourself "That's so overpriced, I can get it at Target or Walmart for less than half"; think about the time that was spent working on it, the craftsmanship of the work, the skill level of the artist, and the fact that you're buying something unique, not mass produced, directly from the person who made it.

Sneek peak at what's coming to the shop

This week has been a busy one.  I spend all day Tues taking photos, and working on descriptions for new items coming to the shop.  I'm adding the listings a few at a time so I don't completely flood out the other sellers on Zibbet.

Here's a sneak peak.  Some of these are already in the shop.  Others will be listed soon.  Stop by and take a look and be sure to check out the other great shops at Zibbet while you're there..  zibbet.com/stitch1stitch2 

 

A few new listings

I have 2 new listing in the shop, and I'm working on more.

First one is this Infinity Scarf.  Made from lightweight cotton, it's the perfect accessory for dressing up a t-shirt, and light enough to be worn in warmer temps.

Infinity Scarf by Stitch 1 Stitch 2

The next one is a lightweight, wool scarf.  This scarf is great for staying warm in the winter, but not so bulky that you get overheated.

Wool Scarf by Stitch 1 Stitch 2

You can check out both scarves and my other great handmade items at www.zibbet.com/stitch1stitch2

On the needles

It's been a busy summer, but now I'm finding more time to create.  Usually I only work on one project at a time, but I broke that rule because I had to many ideas floating around in my head.

The first one is finished, so I did actually accomplish something.  Actually I've knit 3 of these hats in the last month.  It started as idea, and the first one came out a little to small so I put it in the shop as a child's hat.  Seeing how cute the first one was my daughter requested one for herself, with steampunk buttons, and after I saw how cute her's was I decided I needed one too but with a cool chunky button I bought from a seller at Zibbet.

Next is a sweater I'm knitting for myself, unfortunately I'm not making much progress.  I'm finding it very boring.  If I ever finish it, it will just be a plain hooded cardigan to wear around the house.

Next is a scarf/cowl that I'm making for the shop.

And last, although I don't have a photo because I haven't actually started it, I'm in the process of designing pants for myself again.  I have a pattern that I need to make a few tweaks to and then I can start cutting the fabric, but I have a good idea where I'm going with it.  I'd show you the sketch, but I'm a really poor artist.

How did I go so long without these?

In exchange for some yarn, I received a couple knitting books that I don't know how I went so long without them. 

Cast on, Bind off is just what it says, a book full of different cast ons and bind offs and when to use them.  Until recently I no idea there was more than 2 ways to cast on and this book came at the perfect time when I was finishing up a project and needed a bind off that would stretch just a little.

I haven't had time to really look at the finishing book yet, but I'm sure it will come in handy when I get closer to finishing the sweater I'm working on.

Pants & Fauxhawks

Boy, it's been a long week, and I feel like I've accomplished nothing.  I had things to do this week that I couldn't ignore, so that left no time to knit or sew, not to mention the house is a disaster and laundry is piled up.  I guess now you know where my priorities are.

Yesterday I was able to sneak in a pants fitting and finally got the thumbs up to go ahead and attempt a wearable muslin.  I'm just a few tweaks from finally having my pants pattern perfected.  I was so excited I decided it was time to buy some new fabric to do them in.  Up until now I've been working with this polyester stuff I picked up on ebay for a bargain.  It looks nice but I wouldn't be caught dead wearing polyester pants.  I bought it specifically for pants muslins.  I picked up some navy twill, and I'm debating if I want to do them as capris or full length pants.

While I was at the fabric store, I picked up some fun fur to use in an upcoming baby shower gift.  I'm making matching father/son fauxhawk hats.  How cute is this?  I knitted the baby one up in just 2 hours.  It was a fun little project and a nice break from my hectic week and all the weeks I've spend on my pants.   

Bad Romance

Knitting this sweater was like a relationship gone bad from the very beginning. At first it was new and exciting. I couldn’t wait to spend my evenings curled up on the couch, running my fingers though its yarn, but soon it became tedious and boring. I’ll admit to having a wandering eye; and soon I was just going through the motions.

About a month into it, I decided I needed a break. I went on to pursue other interests, while the sweater just sat in a lump behind the couch.

Eventually, I went back to it and tried to make it work, but the sweater just wasn’t cooperating. I first had a feeling that it was over when I realized it wasn’t going to fit, but I wasn’t ready to give up. I thought if I just kept working on it everything would turn out ok.

After talking to some knitting friends, who reassured me it would be ok to call it quits since I really wasn’t happy, I pulled the yarn winder out and started the break up process. Sadly I watched as row by row my sweater disappeared, but my friends were right, I do feel better. I’m able to pursue other interests without the guilt, and my sweater has gone back into several balls of yarn to be used in another project.

Oh, Sweater, I loved the idea of you, but it just wasn’t meant to be.

Sweater update

I started this sweater in November.  I'm getting closer to finishing and it's beautiful, but now I'm getting worried.  I forgot to take into account how much the cables in the back would pull in; and now I'm worried it won't fit.  As you can see from this pic that it's very form fitting, which isn't what I was going for, but I'm to far into it to frog and start over.  I'm hoping that it will stretch sideways once I get it done otherwise I may not be able to button it.  I think I might have to put a wide button band on it and that might not even help.  If I stretch it I can get it closed over my chest, but my hips are another matter.  Oh what to do?

Entrelac cowl

Remember when I asked what to do with with 250 yards of alpaca yarn?  Knit myself a entrelac cowl was the answer.  This was a great project because I not only learned a new technique I also got to knit with some luxury yarn and now I have a beautiful scarf to wear this winter.

If you're looking to learn entrelac here's a free tutorial and pattern to get you started
Entrelac tutorial

Basic Entrelac Scarf

I knew there was a reason why I was hesitant to start my next sweater.  I couldn't put my finger on it for weeks, but finally figured it out last night.  My pattern was way off.  I entered the wrong bust size in my pattern software, and when I entered my hip measurement I had something that flared out at a very unusual angle and would of look something like a skin tight maternity sweater.  It would fit my hips, but I'd be damned if I could get it buttoned over my chest.  I'm so glad I finally figured it out, because I would hate to put in all that work and not have it fit.  I re-figured the pattern last night with the correct measurements, and I'm going with the slightly angled version.

What to do with 250 yrds of Alpaca yarn?

I'm still dealing with health issues.  I woke up Saturday morning covered in hives.  It was an allergic reaction to the antibiotic I was taking for the cellulitis, so back to the doctor I went.  I'm now on a different antibiotic, an allergy pill and steroid.  The hives are getting better and my leg is getting better so hopefully I'm coming to the end of this.  This has been a very long 2 weeks of what seems like constant doctor appointments.

Anyway, Sunday as I was running my daughter to a girl scout meeting, I ran across a local alpaca ranch that was having an open house.  I stopped in just to see what is was all about and picked up this beautiful skein of hand painted alpaca yarn.  I'm thinking of using it for a cowl, but haven't found a pattern yet.  I'd really love to do something entrelac, but I don't think I have enough.  Any suggestions?

Learning Entrelac

For a long time I've drooled over entrelac patterns, but thought they were beyond me.  Basically you knit a series of triangles and squares and they all fit together to form your project.  When I first saw this, I thought each square was knit individually and then seamed together.  I loved the look but it wasn't something I wanted to take on because I hate seaming.  When I found out it was just picking up stitches I thought I can do that, but it still took me years to even try it.

I'm knitting dish clothes for a girl scout fundraiser and using this as an opportunity to learn new skills and try out the patterns I've been wanting to try for a long time.  Turns out entrelac isn't as hard as I thought it was, just takes some getting used to.

Garter stitch entrelac dishcloth

Going green in more ways than one...

And I'm not talking about the color.

It wasn't my intention to go green with this sweater, but it just kind of happened that way.  The yarn is from Corney Goodness, a Minnesota company, specializing in hand dyed corn fiber yarn.  If you're not familiar with corn fiber yarns, it has the look and feel of cotton, but it's lighter weight, making it a perfect choice for summer knits.  The button, although it looks like wood is made from recycled plastic.

When I was planing this sweater I really had no idea what I wanted other than a circurlar yoke with one button and a wide neckline.  Using a very basic pattern I cast on and started knitting while I browsed though other patterns looking for inspiration.  I was about half way done with the body of the sweater when I finally found my pattern.  I decided to do Women's Eloise Eyelet Cardi with some mods. I had already started knitting in the round, so I didn't have to sew the seams, and needing a slightly larger size and I figured the eyelet yoke would be very easy to modify to my size.

There's only a few things I would change if I were to knit this again.  I thought I wanted 3/4 sleeves because I'm constantly pushing my sleeve up to my elbows, but I think they look a little odd, and I think I could of made the sleeves a little wider,  they're not uncomfortable they're just a little closer fitting than what I'm used to. For the most part I'd say this was a success, and I can't wait to wear it to an upcoming art festival and Hubby's class reunion, both coming up the end of September.

Up next: Fundraiser Knitting

The redesigned Alison Tank Top

After months of saying I was going to redesign this tank top so my daughter would wear it, I finally got around to doing it.  Originally, it had a low back and long skinny straps.  She refused to wear it because,  the long straps made the front neckline fall lower than she was comfortable with.  I tore it apart, added a few inches onto the back and gave it kind of racer back shaping.  She's much more comfortable wearing it now, although she'll always wear it layered over something.

In other projects.  My sweater is moving along.  I have one sleeve finished and started the other one last night.  My hope is to have the second sleeve done and both attached by the weekend, so I can start working on the yoke, which I'm sure will go fast.  I'm going to an art fair the end of September and I want to wear it then.

Current projects

Even though I've been busy working this summer, I've found some time to sneak in some knitting.  I'm working on a lightweight cardigan for myself, but it will probably be next spring before I get to wear it.  It's been very slow going. It's a bottom up, in the round sweater, that I started in May.  I'm a few inches from being able to divide the front and back for the sleeves.  I wasn't exactly sure where I was going with it when I started, but I've decided now that I'm going to do a plus size version of Women's Eloise Eyelet Cardi

 

I'm also reworking a tank top I made for my daughter.  She didn't like the straps or the back.  I ripped it out yesterday and reworked the back so it has more of racer back shape.  I need to finish the front and straps in the next couple days so she will actually wear it.

Finished Sweater!

Took a little longer than expected, but I finished my sweater  I started this project with some trepidation.  Although I've knitted several sweaters before, this was only my second attempt at making one for myself. I was worried it wouldn't fit, that I'd run out of yarn, that I wouldn't like it, or that I'd really mess something up.  But I have to say although there are a few elements in the sweater that I should of done different, I'm very pleased with the end result.

Knitting this sweater was definitely a learning experience, and I learned a lot.  I learned how to take measurements properly, how to knit set-in sleeve from the top down.  I learned that my perception of my size is larger than it should be (I could of gone done a size) and that I could probably benefit from some shaping for a better fit.  But most importantly I've learned how to re-size a pattern to fit my needs.  No more pattern lust!

No happy medium

Well I was hoping to get this sweater done before the weather got to warm, but spring came early and I'm still working.  We had record temps the last couple days; almost 80 degrees.  That's unusual for March in Minnesota.  Being that it's so warn, it's getting really hard to concentrate on knitting a winter sweater.  But I'm doing the best I can.  If I could just get the darn sleeves right.  I've knit one sleeve so far and ripped it out twice.  The first time the cuff was to wide, the second time the whole sleeve was to tight.  I've redone the math and hopefully the 3rd times the charm.  Keeping fingers crossed.  Once I get the sleeves perfected, then I have to rip out the hood, but I think I know what the problem is there.  At this rate, maybe I'll have it done before next fall.

Summer knits

I'm still working on my sweater, but summer will be here before we know it and I hope to have my current project done before then.  In the meantime, I'm planning my summer knits.  I have the Alison tank that I've realized the upper torso needs to be ripped out and reworked.  The armhole shaping and the back aren't quite right, it should be a simple fix.

 I've also been eyeing up this asymmetric vest from Drops.  I haven't decided what yarn I'll use yet, but I'm planning on going to the Shepherd's Harvest Festival this spring so maybe I'll find some yarn there

No Knitting Day

I've been on spring break this week and I've been obsessionally knitting; hoping I'd get my sweater done by the time break is over.  I really wanted to wear it to work next week.  But all this knitting is straining my eyes, my arms hurt, and I'm getting so tired I'm making stupid mistakes.  Last night I had to frog about 7 inches on the hood because I was decreasing, making it slant inwards rather than increasing and make it slant out.  So today I'm declaring a no knitting day.  I need the break and I also need to get some other things done that I've been ignoring all week.

Drum roll please

IT FITS!  All my modifications worked.  I still have to do the hood and sleeves yet.  I'm going today to pick out buttons.  I'm thinking either something with a celtic knot or maybe some oblong wood buttons.  The cabling is gorgeous, despite the mistakes, and I think unless you really look close nobody will notice.  I can't wait to finish and show it off.