Ok, this is how far I have gotten. I'm loving this pattern, it is so calming to knit, even with the about 5 mess ups I've had so far. After about 2 repeats of the main chart, I was sure it would look like dog sick, but it's starting to look really pretty again, thank God. I made a major mistake though, I started calculating how long it would take me to knit this. This is based on how much of an episode of Cast-On I had listened to at the end of the repeat. Approx time for one repeat is 40 mins. This pattern calls for 32 repeats, and the edging on both sides.. So a total estimate is about 24 hours of non stop knitting. This is a really scary concept considering how many hours of knitting I have each day. Hopefully I'll finish it before my aunts 51st. birthday, but you never know.
This is my holiday knitting project, I have decided. I'm going away to England for a week in about 3 weeks, and I have decided to knit a pair of socks to remind me of seeing all my friend, and probably getting absolutely hammered in Birmingham. My mum knitted a pair of socks with her Socks that Rock, and I might have to ask her to write down the pattern for me, as it was so cool. Ofc we don't like the same heels and toes, but the main pattern is so pretty.
I had a little google moment earlier, as I was talking to a friend about knitting socks for others, and was slightly scared when I discovered that there are an average of 34.ooo stitches in each pair of socks. No wonder I don't knit many socks.
Then I started thinking about my mother telling me that people at her work wanted to pay her to knit things for them, but that she never accepted. Considering how many hours it takes, it just isn't worth it. Knitting something as a present is fine, then you can put it down if you decide you hate it, and pick it up again if you want, but if someone has paid you to make something, you have to finish the damn thing. Imagine what I'd have to charge for the scarf I'm currently knitting. To make decent money, I'd have to charge £400 for it, at least. And noone would ever pay that much for a simple lacey scarf.
And yet when I make birthday or Christmas presents for family and friends, I feel like I have to give them something in addition, as the yarn is so cheap. Maybe I should sit down every time I knit a present and work out how much I'd have to charge for that item, and then I'd appreciate the hard work, and not feel like I need to spend more to have a decent present.
Brenda Dayne from Cast-On has been talking about fiber artist having to appreciate their own work more, and charging more for it, as people will be willing to spend a little more for something hand made. But then will people appreciate the time knitted items take? Most non knitters might not realise how much time and effort a simple scarf takes, and think it's a cheap and easy present. It's not that I need them to know exactly how much effort it is, but I don't want anyone to think that I'm just giving them something home made because it's cheaper and easier than to buy them something. And what if they don't like it? Then it is totally worthless to them. How do you know who to knit for? And what to knit?
