Knitting

kazkaz

I've been thinking about ways of earning a bit of extra money.
I've advertised a homebased proofreading & typing service but apart from 3 projects in a year nothing much as happended.
So I thought what other skills do I have that could be done in my spare time at home and I thought ...... knitting

Not jumpers, scarfs etc but hand knitted dolls, the Jean Greenhowe ones. I did a couple some years ago and everybody loved them. The initial cost wouldn't be much as I have needles and a few bits and bobs of wool and somewhere the patterns.

Do you think there would be a market for them ? E-bay, market stalls etc
I thought I could make them seasonal - special ones for Christmas, Easter etc.

What do other people think ?

Kaz

elliep_2

Check in your Jean Greenhouse book but I have a feeling that there is a thing in there saying you can't sell them for profit. If that is the case you need to design your own dolls before thinking about continuing with this plan.
I don't know how much profit there would be to have with these, it's all about what people would be willing to pay. If what you want is a hobby that pays for itself then you might be onto a winner, if you want to earn a substantial ammount then I'd be inclined to say you need another idea.

hm902

kazkaz wrote: »

I've been thinking about ways of earning a bit of extra money.
I've advertised a homebased proofreading & typing service but apart from 3 projects in a year nothing much as happended.
So I thought what other skills do I have that could be done in my spare time at home and I thought ...... knitting


Do you think there would be a market for them ? E-bay, market stalls etc
I thought I could make them seasonal - special ones for Christmas, Easter etc.

What do other people think ?

Kaz

Sounds like a good idea, have you considered stalls at Community fayres - like xmas fetes etc?
That may possibly be a good market to tap into.

Barneysmom

Before you go into it too much, test your market - I know someone who thought they'd make money knitting dolls, and now has a wardrobe full of them, so just make a few first and see how you go, if it's worth it?

kazkaz

Thanks for mentioning the copyright, completley forgot about it.
I've e-mail Jean Greenhowe design to see where I stand, have enquired about using the "body" design only and to add my own extras so the designs are not the same.

Think I may do a couple first and we have a "car boot" style market near us where we can sell things so I may test the water there and see how they go and also e-bay and I can just have one or two and see what bids I get.

Kaz

elliep_2

Do you have any craft fairs near you? even if it's only a couple of times per year that's the kind of place that people will be willing to pay a bit of home made items.

kazkaz

I've had a reply and Jean Greenhowe and no designs, however small, can be copied and sold. Thought that would be the case.
Still not put off though. I've thought about throws, pram blankets etc - items that are standard design and also "try" and design somethings myself.

I've found a couple of craft fairs, one which even has reduced rates for new exhibitors so I may get a supply of items knitted then see how that goes. If it doesn't I'm sure there will be a few other options to where I can "set up stall" so to speak

Kaz

Little_Mama

kazkaz wrote: »

I've had a reply and Jean Greenhowe and no designs, however small, can be copied and sold.

But you could still make them to give as gifts at Xmas, albeit not upping your income but saving your outgoings.

I've got her pattern for little xmas stockings (tree decoration size) which I plan to put on special xmas cards.

Good luck with your project.

LM

HappyMummy_4

If you want to sell things that are handmade and not under copywrite, it's worth looking at Etsy.com

kazkaz

Had a bit of a rethink on this.
I went to the Stitch & Creative Craft Show in Manchester. ( I actually won 2 tickets so that saved a bit of money). I bought a couple of different types of wool (both discounted) and decided that I would knit a scarf for myself.
I was so impressed with it that I'm going to start making and selling them.
No copyright to speak of as I'm not following a pattern just casting on and start knitting. The wool I got was the furry type, really soft and fluffy, it makes a great scarf.
I've also found a website that has this wool in the clearence section so production can get well under way.

Another plus--Knitting stops me snacking so I should also lose some weight

moneysaves_2

If you are a really good knitter, have a look at ebay under reborn doll outfits.
The people who have these dolls pay good money for hand knitted cardigans & matinee sets.
They pay quite a lot of money for fancy items with lots of ribbons, bows & flowers.