"Wow, that's really great, make me one!"

[Zahra Ovaci]

So, when did demands of work become a standard conversation starter? I recently got a new staff worker semi-supervisor at work, and I had just finished a lace shawl that took me three months to make, so I was showing it off. Everyone else in the office (who've seen me dragging the yellow beast around since thanksgiving) complimented me, but the new lady started giving telling me how much she'd like a stole, and started giving me the details for it and asking how long it would take! I mean, is it me, or is a staff working asking that of a student wildly innapropriate? I laughed and told her I don't knit for anyone outside my family (LIE!), but since it would take me three months she was more than welcome to give me three months salary ($1200; I'm poor) for one.

Has anyone else ever had people start asking you to make things with no idea of the kind of work that goes into it? What do you do when that happens?  

[taligator]

Generally I will tell them that I would make them one but I have an hourly rate and materials cost.

If you give them an estimate of x time and y dollars most people will not ask you again unless they are really serious about wanting the item.

I'd say, 'thanks for the flattering comments, I don't have time to accept commissions without being compensated for my time. If you are interested, I charge $15/hr plus materials. A stole like you described would take me about 8 hours and materials would be around $20'

If they are willing to pay it .. I would take the deal. wink

ETA: I used to do massage therapy and it's like anything, as soon as people find out what you do they all want freebies and think that you should give it to them because it's what you do. I don't go up to my Doctor friends or Lawyers and demand free care or advice .. I think other people should have the same respect but they don't. wink  

[Catcheen]

I get sweater requests a lot.

"You knit, right?"
"Yeah"
"Can you make me a sweater with emo holes here and here and thumb holes and a picture of something here?"
"If you can find me a pattern for it, give me a year, and pay me around $300-$500, sure."
"Huh? Nevermind."

I think they think I'm just being a b***h, but really... I'm not motivated to knit things I don't wanna, and IF I were to knit something I don't want to, I WILL be compinsated appropriately. And if I'm not motivated to knit something in the first place, why in the world would I want to work super hard to create a pattern just for their unique sweater?

I try to soften the blow by asking if they'd rather have a hat. I like making hats and they're quick. I'll make hats for almost anyone who asks if they'll pay for the materials.

Dunno why people automatically feel entitled for you to make them something. It's a strange attitude, but SO many people do it.  

[Lee Kushrenada]

every one at my coffee shop knows I knit< I sit behind the counter knitting) and there's this one chick who wants me to knit her cat a black and white turtle neck sweater. @.@ is nothing safe?  

[Brunette_Star]

I just honestly tell people that crafting takes time I simply don't have a whole lot of now. If they persist, I simply ask them to stop acting like I'm a "Craft Machine." They usually get the message.  

[DecemberFlower]

I've actually never had someone ask me to knit for them. I suppose a lot of the people I know are crafters themselves or at least have brains enough to know that it takes a lot of time and money to make something by hand.  

[kochi~mochi]

The first christmas crafting season i was making scarves for friends, and this bit.... i mean... chick... in my class was like "Can you make me one?" And i already didn't like her, so i had no intention of doing it even if she paid me. And i was like "No, these take me a while, and i have alot of them to do." politely. and then she was like "I'll pay you $20." and i was like "Dude, the yarn itself, for a scarf like this, is $21." and then she was like "I'll pay $30." and i was like "I still don't have time." and then, get this, "But you obviously have time because you're working on one right now" and i just about lost it. The fact that i was working on a different scarf every two days should have been a duh, i don't have time. The fact that i didn't put it down unless i had to take notes should have given her a clue. The fact that i said "No, sorry, i don't have time" should have been enough. but no.


My friends don't expect me to knitt/crochet them stuff, just make them something for gift giving days. 3nodding  

[fashionista468]

my friend paid me $20 to make a purse  

[fashionista468]

i have a knitting business but i only make small stuff  

[KingToon]

I had a 2 people ask me to make them scarfs, one i did with black and black/red boa for a friend but she got a me a christmas gift so i was making her one too. The other was one to get my mind off of things. So i didnt really mind getting asked. But if someone did come up to me and ask me to make them something, i would say depending on what they wanted "Pay for the materials and X amount of money" if it was something big like a sweater noway.

Though my mom did take me shopping a long time ago (like 2 years) and bought yarn and said could you make me a scarf out of this if i give you a pattern, and pay you 50 bucks. Well 2 years later it got finnished and i gave it to her for a christmass present.  

[Peppermint Elf]

Best thing to do is offer to teach them how to make their own. If that doesn't work, tell them you knit for your own enjoyment and not theirs.

I knit at work, but the good thing was.... almost every girl who worked there ALSO knit/crocheted! So I never got asked at all! mrgreen (We all admired each others work, talked about yarn, asked about patterns and such on break. It was fun to have 3-4 girls sitting in the break room all knitting/crocheting and talking about it. heart )  

[gemini6184]

I knit at work to calm my nerves (i hate being a telefundraiser) and there was a time when the guys at work went through a phaze of asking me to make them hats. I name my price ($10), ask for the money up front (supplies) and if theyre serious I get a free ten bucks and a chance to reduce my stash, or try out awesome new patterns. They usually only know what color they want, and I use cheap red heart cuz well, they dont know any better. I only ended up making two, but I got to try out awesome patterns I woudnt have had time for otherwise. I've basically settled on 10 for hats and 15 for scarfs unless they have specific yarn requests. My roommate got me to design her 'musician mitts', but we're talking about sending the pattern in to knitty (or possibly publishing a book) so I could be making money of a project that took me all of a day and a half to actually make, and she had me use some of her yarn stash for, then traded me some discontinued homespun and a skein of the same wool-ease i want to use for a hat for my boyfriend. She's also already got two other girls in the music school interested at $15 a pop.  

[Zahra Ovaci]

For a small project for a friend, I'd probably do $20 plus materials, if I didn't make it as a gift outright. But right now my knitting time is the only real me-time I get (working 30 hours a week plus full time college, it seems like homework is my life these days!) and it's usually an hour a day on the bus to and from school. Because of that, and the fact that I hate tainting the joy of knitting with the nagginess of obligation (and the fact that I'm pretty damn good, if I do say so myself), I would want to charge at least close to professional rates for commissioned work. My LYS owner charges a base rate of materials plus $0.25 per yard of yarn used, more for cables or lace, so that's usually what I quote. For friends I've quoted $0.10 a yard, and once they hear that at it'd still be a few hundred at that price they have a better idea of how much work goes into it!