I had a post in my LJ the other day... which probably should have been in this journal. I apologize if you've read this content before, feel free to move along!

Gaia had an pretty interesting comment for me the other night. Someone at her gym saw her kitty hat and wanted to see more of the things I make. I was concerned because the kitty hats are probably my quickest and cheapest project to make, and therefore the most sell-able. But this woman could be interested in the non-quick and cheap. Hmm. So it's got me thinking about cottage industry, and what I could reasonably make to sell.

The time issue is the most difficult- I knit on the metro at least half the time, and that's time that I don't mind devoting to knitting (I read the newspaper when it's too full to sit and knit, or read my Palm... but if I had a simple pattern I can stand and knit). And I spend a lot of time online, so that's quite a bit of non-knitting time. I could go back to watching more movies and TV at night, instead of gaming so damn much, and that would give me quite a bit more time to devote to this. So here's some ideas of what I could do, for Christmas-gifts, etc.

1- kitty hats

This is a decent idea for holiday gifts and for Otakon. I have quite a bit of the yarn already, the pattern is self-created (therefore I don't have to worry about copyright infringement). They take 2-3 evenings of fairly solid knitting and sewing up the ends. I enjoy making them, but I won't make many more in black- it's just too damn fuzzy when trying to attach the ears. I could realistically sell these to people, and have done so in the past... I aim to make up a bunch for Otakon this summer, and see how they sell then. If I try to make one a week, that will be enough to have a decent stack at the con- and if I try and make more than that, well then all the better.

2- socks

This project is a little trickier. If I stick with self-striping yarns or do simple stripes of my own, I don't have to worry about copyright (the basic sock pattern I use is generic, not written by anyone in particular). If I were to do funky designs, I'd need to create those myself- something I could surely do, but it would mean some trial and error because I haven't done a pattern yet. Socks are relatively fast, but if I work with fingering weight or sock yarn, working with the size 1-3 needles can be rough on my fingers. I've never done a pair of socks in a very short period of time, because I like to switch between them and bigger needles, to protect myself from injury. I could, however, knit a couple pairs in a month while knitting other projects, if I spent more time knitting at night. I'm ambivalent- mostly because the amount of time required would push the price a bit high. I don't know how much people are willing to pay for socks. The yarn also figures into the cost factor- I can get yarn for a pair of socks anywhere from 3 bucks to 20 or 30. I usually average 9-10. On the other hand, anyone who ordered hand-knit socks would be getting exactly that- hand knit, sturdy, wool-blend, washable socks. And mine have lasted beautifully. ((Note: I'm thinking that the size issues are the most troublesome... I won't offer to make socks unless it's for people whose feet I know. Mom? Yes. Random stranger? No.))

3- scarves

Ok, I do tend to forget this stuff. It's a broad category, but I can make fuzzy scarves, long skinny scarves, striped scarves, Harry Potter scarves, lace scarves... anything really. I could sell them cheaper, because they're faster to knit. The yarn costs are all over the place. Lace would cost a great deal more than a simple fun fur-type deal, since it takes about 4 times as long to make.

4- other hats

Could do bears hats... striped hats... toques... fair isle... skies the limit. I need to make up some models. Hats are cheap to make (or free, from stash yarn), and quick.

Sweaters take too long. Baby sweaters.... maybe. Baby blankets.... maybe. No afghans for adults, unless they're crocheted. I could definitely do crocheted baby afghans, they don't take more than a few days.