How much to charge for a scarf?

[AAngels]

It is usally double or triple plus some of your time. U will really never make a lot because of the time.
But whatever your yarn cost you triple the price and you made some profit.

There is nothing wrong with charging friends, you could tell them the orginal price then give them a discount.

I am in the nail biz also and candles and my friends pay me. It's not always great giving away freebees. Unless its for a present.
Sometimes friends can take advantage of freebees.


Thanks
Kathy

[YarnKitten]

I think a group knitting/crocheting night at five bucks a pop would be a good idea. Especially if you turned around and ordered pizza for everyone or something. :3 The money doesn't necessarily need to be kept. I'd pay five bucks for a knitting lesson, easy. Especially if I found out there would be catering. ;D

[LBECK]

So you do not have to be certified to teach in a group or give private lessons for cash?

[breakfastattiffanys09]

If you're among friends I think that's totally different than strangers.
I'm getting a license to sell at Dickens On the Strand. But as for among friends I don't think a license is required.

[Lisa R.]

So you do not have to be certified to teach in a group or give private lessons for cash?

It never would have occurred to me that you'd need a license to teach knitting! Of course, if you put yourself out as something your not (for instance, saying you're some sort of certified teacher if you're not), then that would be deceptive...but it's not like practicing medicine without a license or anything.

[j4sstrom]

I had this problem also. I showed a few ladies at work a scarf I made a few months ago when I first learned to knit (scarf). They loved it, wanted me to make more, and one wanted to buy the one I brought in right then and there. She asked how much, I said I had no idea, she offered $20, I said "Sold!".

Yeah, because of the fact that I am by no means a fast knitter, $20 by no means covers "labor" cost (even at minimum wage! ), but since I sit around watching movies while I knit, getting paid something for an activity I like to do for free anyway, is better than trying to get "fairly" compensated and selling nothing.

That said, charge what the market allows. If a detailed scarf can only sell for $40, but a much simpler one can sell for $20. Focus on the simpler one. Of course, if you can get $100 for a scarf, more power to you!

[of troy]

This idea, that its OK to get less than fair (minimum wage) for knitting bothers me no end!

people say "but you can buy (a machine made, in china, by workers who are virtually slaves, with synthetic yarn purchased in bulk (wholesale!) scarf for $X.. how can i charge $100?

it's apples and hamburgers! (its so far beyond apples and oranges they are not even both fruits!))

a hat knit scarf (or any hand knit item) is a one of kind, custom (artisan) piece of work.

and people can and will pay for it.

How many of us went with custom kitchen cabinets, (at 3 to 10 times the price of "ready made"?)--because we wanted:
a certain look,
top quality
(other reasons)
Or "find" the money for a special sound system for a junker of car? or what ever else they value?

Knit it and sell it for $20, and you'll find its treated as a "disposable" accessory..
It just won't be valued--(after all YOU don't value the time or effort you put in, so why should they?)

next year, they will want a new scarf, because the previous one has be lost (carelessly!)
or isn't the "right color" (cause they think of scarves as cheap wardrobe updaters)
or has shrunk/felted when it was thrown into the washing machine..

Charge them $100 and they treat it better.

And they should!

Everyone says, You can't make money knitting..
but somehow, custom carpenters make money,and car detailers make money, and stereo stores make money

but then, they don't say, oh, i can just do this in my spare time, (so i don't need to be comp'd fairly)

and then by year 2 or 3, when they see that others don't treat hand knitting with any respect, they stop knitting for "friends" --except the one or two who value the effort.

If you don't value your knitting, no one will --and knitting will remain a quaint hobby..(and cheap work)

[j4sstrom]

If you don't value your knitting, no one will --and knitting will remain a quaint hobby..(and cheap work)

See, that's the point. I am not a skilled knitter. I don't particularly "value" my knitting. I got back enough to cover the yarn and make a few bucks on the side. Now, if I wanted to make this hobby a career, I would commit a lot more time/effort to it. But I don't, so I won't. I'm not judging you, I think if you can get $100 for a scarf you should go for it!

Remember, the scarf pattern I linked previously is very low-end skill wise. If I made a more intricate pattern with smaller needles, hence requiring far more time/effort, I would obviously raise my "rate". But saying a scarf that is simple (X stitches K acr, repeat), yet takes a beginning knitter Y hours to finish is worth same as an expert level design knit over the same time period by an experienced knitter (just because it took Y hours to finish) is silly.

[teachermom]

Who would have thought this could have been such a touchy subject....

Everyone should remember that the choice to sell, gift, or teach is the creator/teachers personal choice.

If you feel that you would not benefit from selling your hardwork or you worry about how others will treat your work - then don't sell it or gift it, keep it for yourself or those who you know will really take care of the items you knitted... you do need to remember that when you gift something - it is now their property to do with what they choose to do with it. Don't take it personally and if you don't like how they treat the item you knitted - don't knit for them again. Personal choice.

I knit because I enjoy it - I don't think about how someone is going to treat the item that I put time, money, and effort in to. My goal is that I hope that they will enjoy it - if it wears out, it says to me they really loved it. I think of it as a compliment. I also only gift items to people that I know will appreciate my hard work - mostly family and a few very close friends. I also know that if it is a fashion item - it will eventually go out of fashion... I can't let that hurt me or keep me from knitting items for them. I haven't sold anything and really don't plan to at this time. If I do, then I take it from a business standpoint - set up a business, set my prices (what I think is a good price), and handle it as a business transaction. I believe that one of the earlier posts mentioned not to mix friends and money - good advice. There is nothing wrong with showing a friend how you do something if they are interested... make it a thing to do with a friend and enjoy it.

You have to take it for what it is... and make out of it what you will...

[breakfastattiffanys09]

Thank you for all your comments. I don't think I'm going to charge them or even allow them to pay me for it.
I never knew this topic would be so controversial
Again thank you for answering my question and I have taken all of your advice to heart

~Sara