Knitting For Profit

Posts Tagged ‘knitting job’

World Record Knitting Jobs

Sunday, August 29th, 2010

Next time you think your knitting pattern is too complicated or you just want to set a new knitting goal for yourself, this list of world record knitting jobs should give you something to think about. If nothing else, they are fun and interesting knitting facts. Are you going to be the next knitter to break or set a new world knitting record? After you have looked at these, you may want to think twice about it!

BIG KNITTING JOBS

She’s no Pirate but even in Penzance in Cornwall, nobody is going to be able to fight their way past the super sized set of knitting needles belonging to Julia Hopson. Her knitting needles were three and one-half meters long (or over eleven feet) and six and one half centimeters (or two and one half inches) in diameter. With these monstrous knitting needles, she managed to knit a ten stitch, ten row tension square using stockingette stitches.

Talk about working your fingers to the bone!…

According to Wikipedia, in 2004 a German man managed to finger knit an amazing strand using the finger method often used to teach small children and to help other people who may have difficulty with knitting needles. He ended up fingering enough yarn to knit a strand that was 4,321 meters (14,043 feet) long. I was unable to verify this world record anywhere else but it is still pretty amazing.

Faster than a speeding … knitting job?

Miriam Tegels of the Netherlands appears to have the fastest knitting needles in the West … or anywhere else for that matter. For this world record knitting job, the idea was to stitch as many stitches as possible in a three-minute time period. Her closest competitor came in with a very impressive 183 stitches. Still, that was an amazing seventy-four stitches too slow. Her three minute world record knitting job resulted in an incredible 257 stitches knitted within that three minute period.

A Run in her Stockings … Scarf maybe?

Suzie Hewer managed to tackle a knitting job that saw her create a scarf that was one meter and 20 centimeters (almost forty-seven inches) long. Now that in itself is not such an amazing thing but add to that the fact that she was making the scarf for charity … and it is still really not such an incredible feat. However, when you realize that she managed to tackle this knitting job while running a marathon … at the same time … then it becomes a bit more amazing. There is no word on how long it took her to run the marathon though … and no word whether or not she suffered any runs in her scarf along the way.

After having read about some of these world record knitting jobs, maybe your next task will not look so bleak no matter how difficult the knitting pattern may make it seem. If you would like to attempt to break any of these or any other world record knitting jobs, you are going to have to contact the Guinness book of records because that is one knitting job that we cannot help you with here.

Tags: knitting facts, knitting goal, knitting job, knitting jobs, knitting needles, knitting pattern, world knitting record, world record knitting
Posted in Knitting Bits and Bobs, Knitting Jobs | No Comments »

Different Knitting Needles for Different Knitting Jobs

Saturday, April 10th, 2010

Different knitting needles are needed for different knitting jobs. It is not like some needlecrafts where you can cheat and use the same needles for different threads or knitting yarns. When it comes to knitting jobs, about the only time you want to change the needle size from the recommended size is when you are felting something but that is an altogether different knitting job in and of itself. The knitting needles you need for your knitting jobs vary depending on the job but so do the measurements and sometimes that can be confusing.

Knitting needles are generally based on their gauge or metric measurements. The size needle you need for a knitting job will depend on the size and type of yarn that the knitting pattern calls for. Most knitting yarns are marked with what size needles work best but sometimes, the pattern for a particular knitting job may call for something slightly different … especially if there are complexities of any kind in the knitting pattern that have to be incorporated into the finished product.

The knitting jobs and patterns are pretty much the same wherever you go in the world but the knitting needle measurements will be different in different markets. For that reason, we have included a list of knitting needles, measurements and uses so that no matter what type of knitting jobs you want to do, you can get the correct knitting needles no matter where you are.

Now knitting needles also come made out of many different materials. Plastic, Bamboo and metal knitting needles are the most common but unlike the size, your knitting jobs will not require a certain type of knitting needle so much as your personal preference will. Some people are more comfortable with the natural feel of the bamboo knitting needles. I remember my Grandmother was especially fond of the metal knitting needles though. I think she just liked it because we could all hear her when she was working on her knitting jobs there at the house. Whatever the reasons you have for selecting any particular make of knitting needles, that will not matter nearly as much as the size.

Tags: knitting job, knitting jobs, knitting needle measurements, knitting needle sizes, knitting needles, knitting yarns, needlecrafts
Posted in Knitting Bits and Bobs, Knitting Jobs, Knitting Resources | 2 Comments »

$140,000 A Year From Knitting??

Tuesday, December 22nd, 2009

Yes! You CAN make money knitting, and I am very excited to show you this article from the New York Times…

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/17/fashion/17etsy.html?_r=1

It's an etsy success story of a woman who threw in her job to knit full-time and is now earning more that $140,000 a year working from home.

Now admittedly, this is no walk in the park – it's hard work doing that much knitting! But it shows what's possible, and it's really inspiring. Imagine if you were making only half or even a quarter of that amount from working at home and knitting…

So I hope this inspires you, and gives you a good boost in motivation to stay on your knitting for profit journey!

Tags: crochet for profit, knitting business, knitting for profit, knitting income, knitting job, make money crocheting, make money from knitting, Make Money Knitting
Posted in Knitting Jobs, Make Money Knitting | 3 Comments »

A Real Knitting Income Story!

Friday, September 11th, 2009

Following on from my previous posts about how to start making money online from your knitting or crochet, yesterday I had the very good fortune to speak to JJ Vazquez, from www.begintoknit.com.

JJ’s story is really motivational, and her excitement and passion are very infectious! With the economic times being pretty tough in the US, her husband found himself out of a job and JJ realised that she and her family couldn’t always rely on employment to bring in the money. So she made the decision to take control of her own destiny and get into business – a knitting business!

After the sales of their knitting replaced her husbands income for the time he was not working, they decided to broaden their vision and market, and get online. It’s great to hear her experiences, and she gave some fantastic advice for anyone who wants to start making some extra income using the internet.

I’m really looking forward to sharing her story – you’ll be able to hear the full recording right here on the blog so make sure you check back next week!

We’ll also be having another "Knitting For Profit Teleseminar" on Friday about how to promote and sell your knitting or crochet online, and other creative ways you can make an income from your passion.

So whether you are just starting out, or you would like some great new ways to get sales and traffic to your site, join us on Friday for some inspiration, ideas and more!

Tags: knitting for profit, knitting income story, knitting job, knitting teleseminar, knitting website, make money from crochet, Make Money Knitting
Posted in Knitting Websites, Success Stories & Interviews | 1 Comment »

How Much Do I Charge For A Knitting Job?

Thursday, June 25th, 2009

In this post I wanted to share a question that was sent to me by Trina, who is about to do her very first knitting for profit contract work. Here is her original email and my reply:

"Hi,

I just wanted to ask your advice – my aunty wants me to knit a cardigan for her baby daughter – she's already got the pattern and the yarn – and wants to pay me for my time.  Where do I start thinking about how much to charge her? Would it work on a per-hour basis, or just a 'finger in the air' full amount?"

This is a great great question – and one of the trickiest to answer because every situation is different. In my Knitting For Profit book I go through the essentials for people who want to "contract knit" professionally, and many of these apply to you even though it is a family member you are knitting for. In my answer I am assuming you haven't been paid for your knitting before.

The main thing to remember is that you want to still be friends when the project is finished and paid for! This means the less surprises the better. Here are some questions to ask yourself:

Do you know how long the project will take? can you estimate reasonable accurately? Have you ever knitted that pattern before? And are you sure that your aunt has bought enough yarn? Is the yarn appropriate for the pattern, and is it all of the same dye lot? What sort of time frame does she have and can you get it done fairly easily in that time frame?

Ideally, you'll know the answer to these and be able to recognise if there are any issues on the horizon. Deciding what to charge depends on the answer to these questions, and also remember that many people underestimate the time and effort that goes into knitting a garment (especially family if they aren't knitters themselves!)

It will probably come down to you giving a price that you feel is fair for your time and effort, and seeing whether your aunt is happy to pay that price. Being something for a family member means you're probably not in it for a huge profit. Contract knitters tend to charge between $5-10 an hour depending on the project, but that's assuming professional speed (so what may take you 10 hours to knit may take them significantly less time and thus have a lower total dollar cost).

If you decide to contract knit for a living, there are many different types of project you may do. Yarn stores and manufacturers need knitters to use their yarns to knit up patterns and swatches, and many designers need knitters to test their patterns. There are also high-end designers who need the skills of top knitters to help them create uniques and original works.

Whichever path you choose, the main message here is that if you knit something for someone and are being paid for it, you should ideally have a written agreement with the answers to the questions I mentioned above. This saves having unpleasant surprises and means that you will enjoy your work, and your customers will keep coming back for more.

Many thanks to Trina for letting me share her question with you all, you can visit her blog and say hello at www.ballatrina.blogspot.com.

If you have a question you would like answered, just write a reply below or message me on the contact page – I'd love to hear from you!

Tags: contract knitting, knitted swatch, knitting designer, knitting hourly rate, knitting job, make money from knitting
Posted in Home Business Tips, Make Money Knitting | 7 Comments »