Do Y'all sell your knitwork? How to figure out pricing

#1

A few of my bf’s coworkers and a few of our friends have asked me to knit them hats, expressing that they would gladly pay for a handknit hat. I got a few patterns from the Stitch N Bitch collections, knit a few up for myself and my bf, and they’ve been hits!

So now I’m trying to figure out how much I should be asking for them and how to go about it. Should I let them pick out the design (ribbed with a fold, watchcap with a brim, newsboy or beanie style, etc) the color and all that jazz? Should I knit up a few in each design and in a variety of colors and let them choose which they like best? If I go with the first idea, let them choose the color and material and design, then they’d sort of be committed to that particular hat, I’d expect them to pay for materials (cost of yarn, plus I’m keeping the leftovers) and a little bit for the effort. But if the hat doesn’t turn out exactly as they thought, or is a little too big or a little too small… well, that’d sort of be awkward. If I go with the second option, just knitting a whole bunch and letting them choose, then I’d be making good use of a lot of yarns, they would get to try it on and look in the mirror and choose from a whole bunch before paying up.

In either case, how much to charge? I asked a few of my bf’s coworkers approximately how much they would pay for one of these in a store, they said anywhere from 20-35 depending on the actual hat and where they’re getting it (a baseball cap from a ballgame, vs a beanie from a department store, etc etc), but that if it was handmade they might pay a little bit more than that. :oo: Really??? I was thinking of asking for like 10 or 15 per hat!! Maybe I’m lowballing, but I figure a hat is less than a ball of yarn, which at the LYS could be anywhere from 7-25 dollars. If I could get 3 hats from one of those, well, I could still lowball and make a little money from my efforts.

So what do you think? 15 a hat? 25? 10? Oyy, it’s going to be the Year of the Hats for me!

#2

Hey. I’ve heard some people say that a fair price is the cost of materials x 3, give or take.
But you’re not supposed to be selling stuff from people’s patterns without their written consent or something like that. Make sure you check with and honor the copyright laws.
However, basic patterns for garments (like a basic hat or basic sock, etc.) cannot be copyrighted, is my understanding. So if you do basic stuff, or jazz it up in your own way, you’re more than welcome to sell it, I believe. But things from like Sn’B, I don’t think you can. But there have been lots of KH discussions on this that you can look up and read if you need more details, and I’m sure you didn’t intend for this to become yet another copyright discussion.

So basically, a lot of people think a fair price is three times the cost of materials. But if they pretty much volunteered the information that they’d be willing to shell out a good 30 bucks, I’m sure you’d be glad to take it. And since they suggested that amount, you don’t have to feel like you’re making them obligated to pay more than they’re willing… You should be well rewarded for your efforts, anyhow! Good luck with your knitting! :muah:

#3

Ditto that, you can’t sell things made from another designer’s pattern.

#4

I usually figure it at about a million dollars per hour and price accordingly.

Haven’t sold anything yet though.

#5

What if it’s inspired by the pattern? Like, I’m more using it to see how many to cast on in what weight on what needles to get a good fit around the head and then jazzing up the hats from there. Is that game?

#6

Most of the "what-if"s have been discussed on the forums, so you can check that out and see all kinds of interesting responses :wink:

#7

cool thanks. just spent an hour or so reading previous forums and the links posted about copyright issues. From my understanding, what I’m doing falls under “utilitarian items” and also doesn’t have distinctive enough feature like a specific graphical or design element. “Hat with brim or hat with no brim” I don’t think anyone can hold a patent on “hat with 2x2 ribbing” right? That’s my understanding anyway.

So, with that out of the way, my original question still stands. Should I let them choose their own design (and by design I don’t mean a specific printed/published pattern stitch for stitch, but to choose if it will have a brim or no, if it will be solid or striped, how long if the bottom will cover their ears etc) and then make exactly what they ask for, or make a whole bunch in a variety and then let them choose from them.

Does 20 bucks a hat seem too much?

I know there aren’t really steadfast rules for this stuff, items are worth what people will pay, but I’d just like to get other people’s opinions for what they think is a fair or average price. I’m having a hard time deciding.

#8

Though, I just reread redheadrachel’s response, and if they prettymuch volunteered how much they’d pay I guess I should go with that. But that seems so expensive to me! I really could use the money but I don’t want to be greedy. I guess I’ll just play it by ear…

#9

When you’re feeling “greedy” stop and time how long it takes you to make one hat, from start to finish. I just did a super simple winter bonnet for my dd, it still, on big needles w/3 strands of yarn held together, took me over 2 hours. Back in my working days (I’m home now) I made approx $20 an hour. A 2 hour hat is worth 40 dollars of my TIME, let alone cost of the yarn. Selling for $35 would be offering a discount.

#10

I sold a toddler hat made of Debbie Bliss Merino for $25. I say the woman (who bought it for her 2 year old granddaughter) got a really good deal. She did not flinch at the price.

candice