I am making a pair of socks. It is my first attempt at actual socks, although I tried a pattern for a pair of slippers a while ago and ended up with a very cute pair of slippers for someone whose foot is what I would estimate to be an adult size three. Not a kid, because no kid's foot is going to be that stocky.

Anywho, I got the first sock done last night and am starting on the second one today and it makes me wonder who in the hell ever thought of these things? I mean, it takes me two days to make one pair, and I'm guessing someone really fast could put them out in, say, two to four hours. Now, if we're counting time as a factor in the cost of the socks, these things cost five bucks for the yarn (if you use the cheap stuff, which I am) and then perhaps minimum wage, since I can do other stuff while working. So if minimum wage is $10/hour (it's not, but I really think it's much too early for any more complicated math), I'd say these socks cost me an estimated $75.

Whoa. These are the priciest socks I'll have ever owned. Since I'm making them with scrap ugly yarn, they're going to be for me, but my next pair may be for someone else. Yeesh. I'm extravagant. I think I may eventually get the cost down to around $45, but I don't know if I can do this in less than four hours. We'll see.

So, the next time you get something homemade and you think, "Wow! What a piece of crap!" in your head, remember that you may very well be holding a $500 sweater in your hands.

And say thank you.