How much for that sweater in the window?

(or, why do hand made items cost so much?)

What goes into a sweater?1200 yards of yarn

Which is 1-1.5 pounds of wool

Those 1200 yards cost approximately $120 if buying already made yarn

If spinning it, it takes approximately 20 hours to wash, card, spin and ply that much yarn.

Knitting a sweater takes 60 – 80 hours depending on complexity of the pattern, colorwork, and needle size.

So.• At $8 dollars an hour, just above minimum

wage, if we were paying an hourly wage, our sweater would cost $640.

• Yes, $640.• Now we all realize that’s a crazy price to pay

for a sweater. But if it costs $120 just for the yarn, or 20 hours worth to prep that much wool, shouldn’t the knitter get something for his/her time and skill with knitting also?

And that is why it costs so much for hand made items.