Crochet for a living

[SaxDragon]

There's always someone in my family trying to talk me into making my fortune. Here's the latest 'money making idea'

 

My aunt suggests I should open a store, just on saturdays, to sell my stuff. If I make two or three afghans A DAY I'd have enough to sell every week and make 10 or 15 bucks profit on each one.

 

three afghans a day? What does she think I do, wave my magic hook over a ball of yarn and POOF there's an afghan?

[earthwhisper]

She thinks you can crank out 20 afghans a week? Isn't family fun? I am going to assume you have tried to educate her on the time it takes to make an afghan. Not only that, but man I bet you could easily get burned out.

[unicorn37757]

Wow, if you find out how to crank out that many let us all know, we'd be rich!

[pampsmom]

my first thought was when I saw the title of the thread was Don't Do It! You;ll starve! lol! I have a few family members like that. They think you have eight hands and two heads (one for sleeping) lol! :lol

[Hounddog]

If that could be done we would have tons of stuff just sitting around. From what I have heard even selling something on Ebay you can't get what an item is worth in your time and costs of materials. But your aunt must think a lot of your work and that is nice.

[SaxDragon]

My first response to her was to laugh, which made her mad. I know, I shouldn't have laughed, but I just couldn't help it ...

[SaxDragon]

If that could be done we would have tons of stuff just sitting around. From what I have heard even selling something on Ebay you can't get what an item is worth in your time and costs of materials. But your aunt must think a lot of your work and that is nice.

 

actually, she doesn't think much about my stuff. It's not 'from a real store'. A few years back she had made a comment about how handmade wasn't as good as buying it from some catalog she had (like those same items - hankies with crocheted trim - aren't handmade in someplace like india for 10 cents apiece and sold at for what, $30 or $60 each) and handmade is okay for where I live because there are a lot of 'poor people who can afford them'. Mind you, my aunt is among the 'working poor' who buys the overpriced yuppie crap to pretend she's rich enough to know people with real money ...

[terrybb]

I have an idea - tell her you are seriously considering her idea but think you need to beef up your inventory. Could she help you make a couple of quick afghans for opening day. If she doesn't know how, teach her to crochet. If she survives that phase she'll have some appreciation for the time, effort, and pleasure that go into handmade afghans - maybe. Then again, some people will never "get" it.

[MamaHooks]

actually, she doesn't think much about my stuff. It's not 'from a real store'. A few years back she had made a comment about how handmade wasn't as good as buying it from some catalog she had (like those same items - hankies with crocheted trim - aren't handmade in someplace like india for 10 cents apiece and sold at for what, $30 or $60 each) and handmade is okay for where I live because there are a lot of 'poor people who can afford them'. Mind you, my aunt is among the 'working poor' who buys the overpriced yuppie crap to pretend she's rich enough to know people with real money ...

 

 

Oh My Goodness, you found her my long lost aunt. I can't believe it I need to call someone like her sister my evil mother. Dang she sounds like my mother. Keeping up with the Jones. Doesn't have two pennies to rub together, but has all the nice crap in the world to make her look like she has LOTS of money.

 

I am sorry she would act that way toward what you love to do. Besides maybe she in someway is jealous of your ability to make such beautiful things and just to shallow to say it ( then she really could be a long lost aunt of mine.)

 

Smile and be happy and remember to laugh a lot... they get crazier as they get older.

[mwedzi]

3 a day?! Aw, man, that's classic. Well, I've had my laugh for the morning. And $15 profit for each. Hmmm. Even if you could make 3 a day, would $45 for a days' work be how you made your "fortune"? Aw man, too funny.

 

There are a few people who make their living knitting or crocheting, though I don't know how they do it.

 

Oh, but this does remind me, I was reading someone's blog who said their goal for this year was to make 100 afhans. 100 in 1 year! What? And the crazy thing is, this was back in Feb. and she was like "I've already done 12". What?

[Katchkan]

My aunt suggests I should open a store, just on saturdays, to sell my stuff. If I make two or three afghans A DAY I'd have enough to sell every week and make 10 or 15 bucks profit on each one.

 

three afghans a day? What does she think I do, wave my magic hook over a ball of yarn and POOF there's an afghan?

I think this is why we gravitate here. It's the one place we don't have this type of misconception and find people that truly appreiciate the time energy and the love we put into our craft/art. Most folks just don't get it.

I once had a friend tell me I would never starve because I could always make doilies and sell them for a buck or two. She had no clue.......

[Yarn Duck]

A few years back she had made a comment about how handmade wasn't as good as buying it from some catalog she had

 

My mother is like this. Doesn't matter what I make, how nice the pattern or the yarn, she sees it as "handmade" and just doesn't really care for it. But I cut her some slack because I understand where she's coming from. My mom grew up very, very poor and never had anything new or store-bought. She's made up for it as an adult!

 

But other family members and friends are impressed by my crocheting skills. So I just don't show my mother things I've made.

 

I've sold some items in the past, at craft fairs and on eBay. Did pretty good at both, made enough to buy more yarn with a bit left over. But it is a lot of work and I don't really have the time for it anymore.

[yarndiva]

My grandmother (on her own and after attending an aBay seminar) decided she needed high speed internet to start her "eBay business" and she invited me over, fed me and all that and then tried to sucker punch me into making crocheted items...booties and stuf...for her to sell on eBay! Unfortunately she did not do her research or realize the fact that although I am a SAHD (Stay at home DIVA), I do not have the time to make all that she needed to make even a dent in her investments. I believed she assumed that I will "donate" my time and materials and let her do the "business" side of stuff )

 

And everytime I go visit relatives with me or my daughters wearing my creations, they always bug me to go into "business"

 

Don't they know that the reason why I make these things and wear them is to SHOW MYSELF OFF?

 

Besides, it's cheaper to make your own stuff anyways since the crocheted stuff that's so hot right now at the shops are insanely priced!

 

I thought I was the only one who had experiences like this!

 

Your post is too funny...it's hit us all in the bull's eye!

 

Blessings,

Beth

[faedragon]

People who don't make thing themselves relly have no idea at all how much time and effort goes into creating a handcrafted item. I sell my crochet to some of the ladies where I work, and they are "always" telling me how wonderful the items are ard and that I should give up my day job and just crochet for a living....I usually reply" Sure, when I grow 4 more arms with 2 hands apiece and days have 45 hours each!!"I crochet fairly fast and manamge to sell 4 to 6 items a month, but that's not nearly enough to support myself on, let alone feed the cats

[spd rdr]

Thanks for the laugh - Glenda

[PBLKNP]

I can't get over how people think something "store-bought" is better. Ever since I started crocheting my own sweaters to wear at work, I'm no longer freezing to death (they keep the heat at arctic levels here). The "store-bought" ones just never cut it. I think what we do is better, because we put all our loving energy into our work, especially when we give the item as a gift.

[jchllm]

I know how y'all feel.

 

As soon as I started crocheting and getting good at it, hubby got visions of $$$ in his head, all kinds of ideas. Put up a table outside along the street to sell my stuff. Get a booth at the next Christmas Bazaar in town. Set up along the road near our county 'trade days' which happens every month. I told him he was crazy! "Do you know how much stuff I'd have to do to do all of this?" is what I told him. I've decided to go for the Christmas thing cause it's so far away and it will give me time to build up some inventory.

 

On the family thing......When I told my mother about 6 months ago that I had started to crochet again I asked her if she wanted me to make her something to just let me know. Her response? 'What the heck do I need an afghan for? To kick our all the time and pick up off the floor?' ......Nice mom. Note to self: NEVER crochet an afghan, no matter how fancy, for my mother. It will end up on the floor.

 

Isn't family wonderful??? lol

[thecrochetdude]

My neighbor across the street saw one of my purses (the Ferragamo knockoff) and said "You should make up a thousand of those and sell them".....

 

That would:

 

a) need $35,000 in yarn and supplies

b) need 6,000 hours of time (150 weeks of working fulltime just on those purses)

c) put your calculators away, that's like 3 years

 

[SheCrochets]

Hee hee! I had a similar experience last year when I made Dawn's Well Travelled Bag. I made it in pretty trendy colors and received lots of compliments (which was nice, don't get me wrong!), but they were always followed by, "You should sell those on E-bay! You'd make a fortune!" Um no. They never got that:

 

1) the pattern wasn't mine to be making "mass produced" crocheted goods with and selling over the internet

2) even KnitPicks Wool of the Andes adds up quickly

3) each bag took me several days to crochet... plus felt... plus drying time... and I work full time!

4) I would have to charge about $50 each to make it worth my while!

 

I finally gave up explaining the logisitics of why that wasn't possible... and just contented myself with a "but then it wouldn't have been a Jen original, now would it?"

 

 

People who don't make thing themselves relly have no idea at all how much time and effort goes into creating a handcrafted item. I sell my crochet to some of the ladies where I work, and they are "always" telling me how wonderful the items are ard and that I should give up my day job and just crochet for a living....I usually reply" Sure, when I grow 4 more arms with 2 hands apiece and days have 45 hours each!!"I crochet fairly fast and manamge to sell 4 to 6 items a month, but that's not nearly enough to support myself on, let alone feed the cats

[Fiber Deviant]

it's sad that some people don't appreciate the value & the beauty of handmade items!

 

But that is why I am glad that there is a community like this that does appreciate it!

stay strong!

[craftybutterfly]

actually, she doesn't think much about my stuff. It's not 'from a real store'. A few years back she had made a comment about how handmade wasn't as good as buying it from some catalog she had (like those same items - hankies with crocheted trim - aren't handmade in someplace like india for 10 cents apiece and sold at for what, $30 or $60 each) and handmade is okay for where I live because there are a lot of 'poor people who can afford them'. Mind you, my aunt is among the 'working poor' who buys the overpriced yuppie crap to pretend she's rich enough to know people with real money ...

 

OH I SOOOO have people like that in my family. Champaign life on a Colt 45 budget.

[craftybutterfly]

On the family thing......When I told my mother about 6 months ago that I had started to crochet again I asked her if she wanted me to make her something to just let me know. Her response? 'What the heck do I need an afghan for? To kick our all the time and pick up off the floor?' ......Nice mom. Note to self: NEVER crochet an afghan, no matter how fancy, for my mother. It will end up on the floor.

 

Isn't family wonderful??? lol

 

One more thing. I have this problem with my mother when it comes to my health. I have RA (Rheumatiod arthritis), and have been taking Remicade infusions for about a year now. I have learned NOT to say to my mom, "I'm hurting today"....because if I do, the very first words out of her mouth will be, "Oh suck it up, you're just getting old." (!!??!! how then does she explain children with this???!!! and i'm only 38, goodness sake) So I have learned that I can not discuss my afliction in any way with her. When I go for my treatment about every 7 weeks, she never asks "how'd it go...how are you feeling?" its almost like it doesnt even happen. i dont know if she just can't deal with the fact that i have an incurable disease or what. but it sure would be nice to be able to talk with her about it, especially on those days when i'm in pain. knowing my mom the way i do, its probably because she cant stand being "upstaged". if she acknowledges my illness, then that takes the limelight off her. isn't it awful?

[Guest Catlizg]

Oh Melissa - I feel for you. I have psoriatic arthritis (same as you but without the rheumatoid factor and some psoriasis added in) and have learned the hard way to just laugh it off with some people. What they don't get is that it is systemic and not just a joint hurting. They don't understand the fatigue, the fevers, the mouth sores, the whole shebang, nevermind the hours spent sitting for an infusion treatment. I have a SIL (in the family for 13 years) who STILL asks me periodically why I'm limping. I just had a friend end a friendship because she thinks I'm too evasive when I say I don't know if I'll be up for something after working a ten hour day. Oh well, their loss. Gotta see the humor in the ridiculous!

[chickpea67]

3 a day?! Aw, man, that's classic. Well, I've had my laugh for the morning. And $15 profit for each. Hmmm. Even if you could make 3 a day, would $45 for a days' work be how you made your "fortune"? Aw man, too funny.

 

 

Not to mention how much it would cost to rent a shop that you only have open one day a week--you'd still occupy the space the whole time... At the very least it would take all of your 45$/day profit from working your fingers to the bone creating 3 blankets a day!

[fruggs]

I have an idea - tell her you are seriously considering her idea but think you need to beef up your inventory. Could she help you make a couple of quick afghans for opening day. If she doesn't know how, teach her to crochet. If she survives that phase she'll have some appreciation for the time, effort, and pleasure that go into handmade afghans - maybe. Then again, some people will never "get" it.

 

LOLi like this idea:)