Knitting For Cash

Hermia

nikongirl wrote: »

I feel like crying every time I look on sites like etsy and see people underpricing their work.

I know what you mean. I used to make cards, but now I only do the odd commission. Card making has become so trendy that you can only compete with other sellers by selling them at cost price. I went to a craft fair recently and this girl was selling these beautiful handmade cards for 99p each. Even if she had got the materials at really good wholesale prices she can't have been making more than a few pence per card. Plus she had the cost of the stall, petrol etc.

I think you just really need to do a lot of research and perhaps try some different things out. I know with myself that sometimes I have just hit on things that have been big money-makers. My friend's mum has a little business making Asian clothes. When hair scrunchies were all the trend she made an absolute fortune making them from the offcuts of the beautiful Indian fabrics she had. She sold them for £1 each and it was fabric that would have just been chucked otherwise! If you can't find a company that hires knitters have a look at the many craft forums on the internets and make sure you are up to speed with what the current knitting trends are.

stardrops42

I have an Etsy shop:D I love it but you do have to advertise a lot outside of Etsy if you want to make a living out of it. If it's just for a hobby then you will enjoy running your shop and making a bit of pocket money;) I actually made more from my "hobby" a couple of weeks ago than I do from my "proper" job, I was thrilled:j

rosepink1984 wrote: »

Thanks! Great to know! I've opened an etsy shop now which is exciting and scary!

rosepink1984

stardrops42 wrote: »

I have an Etsy shop:D I love it but you do have to advertise a lot outside of Etsy if you want to make a living out of it. If it's just for a hobby then you will enjoy running your shop and making a bit of pocket money;) I actually made more from my "hobby" a couple of weeks ago than I do from my "proper" job, I was thrilled:j

Your shop is so sweet! I love the sock monkeys, and well done on making more from it than from your proper job! Where do you advertise? It is really my hobby but my DH works so hard and I'm unable to do any work due to long term health conditions, so if I can make some decent money from it, it would really help my DH. I figure that even if I make £5 a week, that's £5 more than we get now!

stardrops42

Hi, sorry I've just seen this:o
I don't pay for any advertising, I tend to just list or re list items on Etsy which puts your item on the first page. This just means that people will notice you when they are searching for items. I also get featured on blogs occasionally which gets me noticed. I also get a lot (and I mean a lot!) of orders by word of mouth which is the best sort of advertising and it's free:D I have just sold another monkey today and a tote bag which will help towards the cost of christmas! Plus I got another 4 orders for my sock snowmen kits! I also have more orders for monkeys and bags for xmas. So as you can see it is possible to earn a little (or a lot) extra money each month from your craft(mine also started as a hobby;)) Good Luck:D

rosepink1984 wrote: »

Your shop is so sweet! I love the sock monkeys, and well done on making more from it than from your proper job! Where do you advertise? It is really my hobby but my DH works so hard and I'm unable to do any work due to long term health conditions, so if I can make some decent money from it, it would really help my DH. I figure that even if I make £5 a week, that's £5 more than we get now!

hadenmaiden

I did quite a bit of commissions, and there's plenty of demand, though not well paid. I found the biggest drawback that you really do have to register as self-employed, and fill out a seperate tax return for your knitting/crochet business, at least for the first couple of years till they realise that you don't earn shed-loads!

rosepink1984

stardrops42 wrote: »

So as you can see it is possible to earn a little (or a lot) extra money each month from your craft(mine also started as a hobby;)) Good Luck:D

Yep, more than £30 this week so far! Have been frantically sequinning all day!

Handenmaiden that's a good point about registering as self-employed and tax and everything. I doubt I will earn enough to pay tax but will look into the legal side of it all to make sure I'm doing things right

Rita_be2

I used to knit for a local store as well, but made terriable money so quit after a few weeks.

l4ne2008

Have you tried this place www.granniesinc.co.uk they look quite good.

thriftymomma

wigglebeena wrote: »

Could you design clothes and sweaters for dolls? A lot of grown women are obsessed with dollies! (If you sell on Etsy be careful about actually naming the doll a garment is made for, e.g. Barbie, some manufacturers are touchy about it.) Should be quicker than knitting for people!

Great idea!

craftlady

Stardrops - was it easy to set up etsy I'm thinking about doing it. Why did you decide on etsy rather than misi or folksy? I was a bit put off by the dollars etc... How did you decide on you prices - how much are you charging (can't see your prices once you've sold) Well done on being sold out:T