Handknitted custom piece

I'm not offering, but I think you might get more interest if you give an idea of what your daughter is prepared to pay. Non-knitters often totally underestimate the length of time taken to knit things like jumpers, and forget both that it is skilled work and that decent yarn is expensive. I know people have approached my knitting group to ask for commissions, and seem to assume that people will put the work in free, as it is a hobby . I'm sure your daughter wouldn't want to exploit anyone, but that's like asking an artist for a free portrait because they enjoy painting.

Depending on size and the number of colours used, you'd be looking at an absolute minimum of £70 for wool, and more for something like merino, alpaca etc, with cashmere running to hundreds. Then at £20 an hour (again minimum for skilled work) you'd add another £500 or so, if the jumper could be knitted in 25 hours (which many couldn't).

To make a simple stocking stitch sweater in acrylic would be a lot cheaper, but she could buy a very nice one for less than it would cost to pay someone at a skilled rate. Knitters will often make things for loved ones, or basic things like blankets for charity, but knitting for others is risky. What would happen if she didn't like it? If it didn't fit? Would she still cough up hundreds of pounds, or would the knitter be out of pocket?

I know someone who got so fed up of being asked to knit for others that she started to agree on the understanding that she would pick up the knitting when the client was at her house, and was cleaning for her whilst the knitting was going on, as she wasn't very good at cleaning and didn't enjoy it. She warned that it would take many hours, and that if the client only had a couple of hours a week to devote to working for someone else it could drag on for ages (as does knitting for others). Nobody took her up on it, and the requests stopped coming.

I'd suggest your daughter looks for a pattern and then price up the yarn of her choice so she can work out the cost of materials.

She can then decide how much she is prepared to pay someone to knit it.

Oh bless!
She really needs to knit it herself

Many thanks for your responses! Here’s a little bit more about what we’re looking for:
-Yarn: we’ll pay for it and send it to the person who would like to take this on! We’re thinking Nepal by DROPS (mix between wool and alpaca)
-Size: regular size M (woman)
-Pattern: something similar to this one: www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/step-by-step-sweater
Happy to hear about your price! We very much value your skills and experience so will be happy to pay the fair price, what would be your offers?
Thanks!

Alex03, I just Googled the price of a hand knitted Shetland sweater, just to get an idea of costing, not design. See picture.
Also it takes approx. 40 hours to knit a sweater!
So a luxury indeed for your daughter if she wants to go down the route of finding a knitter willing to take it on.

The chances are that that one is hand knitted on a machine (see here for more explanation) and hand finished, so would take significantly fewer hours than a genuinely hand-knitted one.

hand knitted jumpers cost a great deal of money, cost per hour needs to be calculated as these jumpers do not materialise out of the air.

Say £20 per hour plus the cost of good yarn, I spend around £70 for jumper weight of locally spun yarn. It would be much better if your daughter learnt to knit.

ps my hand made work is precious to me and my family. My time is not for sale

Could she ask in the shop where the wool is sold?
Our local wool shop always had a couple of experienced knitters who would quote.

Our daughter in law asked if I could knit as her mum couldn't so I told her yes I could and she asked me if I would knit our then 4 year old grandson some jumpers. Up to now I have knitted 20 of them, I bought the wool and I could have a jumper finished in two days. She was over the moon and our grandson loved them as they were so soft and warm and cuddly so he said. I also started knitting animal toys, Beanie hats, scarves even her friends asked me to knit things for them and I never charged them as I found it so very therapeutic. Now he is older and wants shop bought items I really miss it. I also lost weight as I could not be eating chocolate bars whilst knitting which suited me fine.

The JW Anderson colour block cardi as worn by Harry Styles cost £1250. The pattern is now available from the company.

Knitting isn't for everyone .
There are people who loved to knit .
Can you advertise ?

Alex03

Many thanks for your responses! Here’s a little bit more about what we’re looking for:
-Yarn: we’ll pay for it and send it to the person who would like to take this on! We’re thinking Nepal by DROPS (mix between wool and alpaca)
-Size: regular size M (woman)
-Pattern: something similar to this one: www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/step-by-step-sweater
Happy to hear about your price! We very much value your skills and experience so will be happy to pay the fair price, what would be your offers?
Thanks!

That style of top down sweater is very easy to knit. A novice knitter could make one. I make lots - not that pattern - but similar and longer for Knit For Peace.

Why does she not try to make it herself?

If she doesn't want to then ukhandknitting have a list of knitters who take commissions:

www.ukhandknitting.com/looking-for-a-knitter

I only knit for my family as handknitted items take a lot of time and good quality wool is not cheap so I echo what others have said.

I hope you find someone to knit for you as the pattern looks really nice.