Sock It To Me

I was in a store the other day, and they were selling 'handmade' socks in a bin.

I know it sounds pissy, but they weren't even made WELL. It was like someone's first crack at a new pattern and they got lost, and it was like 70% utter fubar. I mean, I think it NEEDED its label of 'socks'.

Also, they were a hideous...sort of...muddy shade of grey AND super crazy coarse yarn. It was like they ripped the wool off the poor sheep themselves. And the sheep had been caught in burr bushes. And fallen in a muddy dirt pile. I hope they got the poor thing medical attention.

But the worst was yet to come.

I hand knit socks all the time. People love them. They ADORE them, but they won't pay for them. Forget time, skills, and labour, they won't pay enough to cover your yarn costs. And I don't buy expensive yarn. It's full of allergens and irritants. You might as well scrub off your flesh with a Brillo pad as you soak yourself in concentrated acid all day. Good luck with that.

Being an artist, I use LOTS of materials. While I always get the highest quality I can, that's almost never actually 'the expensive stuff', and, of course, high volume and careful detailed planning--this is my career, remember--means I can usually score some discounts, even on really great supplies.

So this is high demand item, with each pair taking at least a week of hand stitching to make, and I can't even sell it at cost. People want it, YES, but they actually expect it for free. Seriously.

(And I've checked with other artists: it's not a me problem. People DEEPLY value handmade things, but not enough to trade money for them. Not even a token amount of money. Not even for a charity drive.)

So...

I've tried to sell socks for $15; I might as well have asked for 15k.

It's insane.

And those disgusting ratty socks in the bin? Their tag said, and I swear I quote:

"$65"

I snorted / choked so hard, I might have lost some spleen.

Whoa.

Uh...good luck with that?