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| One Bright pair and one In-Between Pair ! |
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| Another Bright Tangerine pair. These look really cool. A perfect Unisex colouway as I can see MrB wanting a pair is these shades! |
MsB from Socks Made On 88
Socks Made On 88
Socks Made On 88
Thursday, 31 January 2013
updates for today Jan 31/13
MsB from Socks Made On 88
Edited
Just wanted to let you know that I did edit my last post before this one to include the two ravelry groups that shows the two awesome Cowichan sweaters created by Granted Designs, being the CBC sweater and the Suzuki Sweater.
MsB From Socks Made On 88
( note: red for CANADA)
MsB From Socks Made On 88
( note: red for CANADA)
Tagged ready to roll, and sneak peaks!
MrB's latest accomplishments for our next market appearance. They are all tagged, ready to roll and some more on the way. Brigadier has not had his picture taken lately, here he has a string of two pair attached and more yet to come today. MrB has been cranking constantly trying to fullfill the list MsB (me) set up for him as a goal for our next market. If we /he gets ahead of the game the cranking will be caught up and MrB will not be so busy after this next market. Today's pictures show, Brights, Conservatives and sneak peaks.
The set of three conservatives are all very nice. The first one is a zebra-like stripe, the second is what I call a brick tweed, and the last one my most favourite reminds me of the old Canadian Cowichan sweaters. I loved those sweaters and they do seem to be making a come back. Have you see the new designed CBC Cowichan sweater and the Suzuki Cowichan sweater they are very impressive? You can see them over on the CBC ravelry group, We Love the CBC, and also at the rav group of Canadian Knitters eh? topic How does one recognise a Cdn sweater, if you are interested in taking a gander at them. And wouldn't these socks the last pair in the conservative group go awesome with them?
MsB from Socks Made On 88
The set of three conservatives are all very nice. The first one is a zebra-like stripe, the second is what I call a brick tweed, and the last one my most favourite reminds me of the old Canadian Cowichan sweaters. I loved those sweaters and they do seem to be making a come back. Have you see the new designed CBC Cowichan sweater and the Suzuki Cowichan sweater they are very impressive? You can see them over on the CBC ravelry group, We Love the CBC, and also at the rav group of Canadian Knitters eh? topic How does one recognise a Cdn sweater, if you are interested in taking a gander at them. And wouldn't these socks the last pair in the conservative group go awesome with them?
MsB from Socks Made On 88
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| Brigadier and two sneak peaks! Photos of these will be up after completed. |
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| 3 more Brights |
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| 3 more Conservatives....don't they look good all here together? |
Sunday, 27 January 2013
Good Golly, Miss Molly!
Good Golly, Miss Molly, the market yesterday again was a great outing and we were very busy! I would have to say this constitutes that we are doing something right! We are getting many return customers, much positive feedback, custom orders for knee socks, and selling socks at a constant pace every two weeks.
We increased our presences, and by no means has our sales decreased, they have increased. So looking back now on our first month with two markets that have taken place that may just be our new norm for the bulk of the year 2013, attending twice monthly. It may even make us reconsider taking our break fully from the end of March to September. Although, we are now wavering on when our break will be, we may throw a few more appearances in especially one for the end of April and maybe even one the end of May.
Do you see what is occurring? We are liking the markets so much we do not want to leave! MrB and I do think though it is necessary to take a break, regroup and have time to focus on some other things and also increase his learning curve too so he has more time to play and practice with techniques. He has all those new books of instruction he got for Christmas and wants to just dig right into them and see what he can accomplish. The new things he learns may not necessarily be used to sell at the market, but our family may get some new and more intricate gifts in the future.
We are both doing what we love to do within this venture. It keeps us busy, and occupied as much as we want to be. We are learning new things, meeting new people, and having fun along the way. Those things will not change in the immediate future. Do we want to make more than two appearances at the market, a month? Nope, we are very satisfied with twice per month. The key to our retirement, new venture and life in general is BALANCE as well as being able to have flexibility we want and need! Today I just say, Good Golly, Miss Molly.... all is good, or Good Gee, MrB, ........all is good!
It is great to have two weeks to focus on what needs to be done, and knitted before the next market. I am sure MrB gets overwhelmed sometimes with the lists I present to him. Nevertheless, he is a trooper, and he does what he wants, or can in the end, and pretty much everyone is happy! One thing is that Brigadier 88 seems to not complain too much, give him a bath now and again and keep him lubricated and he is bound to take on the tasks that MrB presents to him. And so we start another week....... planning and knitting shall commence. Planning is my forte and of course we all know knitting/cranking is MrB's game. Have a great week, MrB :-)
MsB from Socks Made On 88
We increased our presences, and by no means has our sales decreased, they have increased. So looking back now on our first month with two markets that have taken place that may just be our new norm for the bulk of the year 2013, attending twice monthly. It may even make us reconsider taking our break fully from the end of March to September. Although, we are now wavering on when our break will be, we may throw a few more appearances in especially one for the end of April and maybe even one the end of May.
Do you see what is occurring? We are liking the markets so much we do not want to leave! MrB and I do think though it is necessary to take a break, regroup and have time to focus on some other things and also increase his learning curve too so he has more time to play and practice with techniques. He has all those new books of instruction he got for Christmas and wants to just dig right into them and see what he can accomplish. The new things he learns may not necessarily be used to sell at the market, but our family may get some new and more intricate gifts in the future.
We are both doing what we love to do within this venture. It keeps us busy, and occupied as much as we want to be. We are learning new things, meeting new people, and having fun along the way. Those things will not change in the immediate future. Do we want to make more than two appearances at the market, a month? Nope, we are very satisfied with twice per month. The key to our retirement, new venture and life in general is BALANCE as well as being able to have flexibility we want and need! Today I just say, Good Golly, Miss Molly.... all is good, or Good Gee, MrB, ........all is good!
It is great to have two weeks to focus on what needs to be done, and knitted before the next market. I am sure MrB gets overwhelmed sometimes with the lists I present to him. Nevertheless, he is a trooper, and he does what he wants, or can in the end, and pretty much everyone is happy! One thing is that Brigadier 88 seems to not complain too much, give him a bath now and again and keep him lubricated and he is bound to take on the tasks that MrB presents to him. And so we start another week....... planning and knitting shall commence. Planning is my forte and of course we all know knitting/cranking is MrB's game. Have a great week, MrB :-)
MsB from Socks Made On 88
Geesh that sucks!
I just wrote a nice long blog entry and now it is gone.
What can I say but.... geesh that sucks!
Now I will have to decide if I take the time to retype it.
GRRRRRRRRRRRRR!
(Edited to say: I found it, the blog entry, so alas the lost is found. It is called, Good Golly Miss Molly!)... and now that even seems to be, the more perfect title.
MsB from Socks Made On 88
What can I say but.... geesh that sucks!
Now I will have to decide if I take the time to retype it.
GRRRRRRRRRRRRR!
(Edited to say: I found it, the blog entry, so alas the lost is found. It is called, Good Golly Miss Molly!)... and now that even seems to be, the more perfect title.
MsB from Socks Made On 88
Friday, 25 January 2013
Sock Display Rack will be ready for tomorrow's market!
The sock display rack will be replenished for tomorrow's market.
Amongst some of the pairs shown here, they are colourway requests from returning customers. A little bit of this, a little bit of that, a little bit bright, a little bit in-between, a little bit of conservative, all being a big lot of:
"Our Socks are Hugs for your Feet!"
Amongst some of the pairs shown here, they are colourway requests from returning customers. A little bit of this, a little bit of that, a little bit bright, a little bit in-between, a little bit of conservative, all being a big lot of:
"Our Socks are Hugs for your Feet!"
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| Conservative, Bright, Bright! |
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| Conservative, Bright, In-betweeen, and In-between examples! | Posted by MsB from Socks Made On 88 |
Reflections!
Reflections! Do you remember the tv show a way back called China Beach?
It was one of my favourite shows and the theme song was one of my all time fav songs too. The song was called, Reflections, and it was backed up by the The Supremes.
I decided to call this post reflections, and then I recalled the show and the song so that is why I mentioned them.
Yes, reflections, reflecting on shows and markets gone by that we did the past year. Reflecting on the sizes of pairs of socks we sold, the colourways we used and the colourways we sold. I decided that we needed to come with a standard amount of sock pairs for display in various sizes. Before we were thinking we needed so many of each size, and now I am ready to say we need a certain number of a certain size as it is obvious that some sizes are more common and we sell more of them than some of the other sizes. I have prioritized all the sizes we make, into 3 groups. The sizes we sell the most of, to have 6 available pairs ready for display each new market. The 2nd most sold size pairs to have 4 pairs available, and the not so common size pairs to have 2 pairs available which will consist of a bright pair and a conservative pair, as I choose not to say dull. In the mix of having 4-6 pairs there will brights, and at least one in between which I call them and they are conservative with a bit of splash of colour, and also one conservative coloured pair too!
We can not please every single customer but trying hard to have selections of the three colour groups we knit to be present and on display on our rack. We have learned too, from returning customers that they will suggest what they are looking for and if we have the yarn colourways to meet their desires we knit them up for our next market presence. These are like custom requests, and we seemed to get quite a few at the last market.
Now to be helpful for anyone who is also wondering what sizes to have on hand when you are doing a market, and how many to make, this is what we are going to go with to try out. We will make sure we have 2 women's size 5, and 2 women's size 10, and 2 men's size 11, and 2 men's size 12. We will have 4 pairs of size women's size 6 and 4 pairs of women's size 9 and then have 6 pairs of women's size 7 and 8, and also 6 pairs of men's size 9 and 10. This is what we have observed in our selling patterns. I wonder too if someone else sees these same size trends at their markets? There are many variables to take into consideration and I wonder if any particular geopgraphical regions see different sizes than we do? Brights are always the best seller but not always everyones favourite. We have one customer who has a pair of each of our colourway selections, a bright pair, an in-between pair and a conservative pair too. So how cool is that?
Keeping notes, and keeping track of the socks you make in what colourway, what kind of yarn, what size, and what sizes you sell is all data that can help you determine what you need for your own display racks or market table.
As we sell a pair in a certain size we will replace it, and always have the numbers on hand that we want to have, and it will be an ongoing process. Once we decide to take a break for the spring and or summer, we will know what we want to have cranked out for the markets again come the fall. Well we are not going to be done just yet, few more to go..... But, oh so looking forward to sock school in June in Maine.
For now, tonight we just look forward to going to the market bright and early tomorrow. The only thing I don't look forward to is that we are having a cold snap and it will be harder to get up get going out, and I hope it does not affect the numbers passing through the market to buy.
MsB from Socks Made On 88
It was one of my favourite shows and the theme song was one of my all time fav songs too. The song was called, Reflections, and it was backed up by the The Supremes.
I decided to call this post reflections, and then I recalled the show and the song so that is why I mentioned them.
Yes, reflections, reflecting on shows and markets gone by that we did the past year. Reflecting on the sizes of pairs of socks we sold, the colourways we used and the colourways we sold. I decided that we needed to come with a standard amount of sock pairs for display in various sizes. Before we were thinking we needed so many of each size, and now I am ready to say we need a certain number of a certain size as it is obvious that some sizes are more common and we sell more of them than some of the other sizes. I have prioritized all the sizes we make, into 3 groups. The sizes we sell the most of, to have 6 available pairs ready for display each new market. The 2nd most sold size pairs to have 4 pairs available, and the not so common size pairs to have 2 pairs available which will consist of a bright pair and a conservative pair, as I choose not to say dull. In the mix of having 4-6 pairs there will brights, and at least one in between which I call them and they are conservative with a bit of splash of colour, and also one conservative coloured pair too!
We can not please every single customer but trying hard to have selections of the three colour groups we knit to be present and on display on our rack. We have learned too, from returning customers that they will suggest what they are looking for and if we have the yarn colourways to meet their desires we knit them up for our next market presence. These are like custom requests, and we seemed to get quite a few at the last market.
Now to be helpful for anyone who is also wondering what sizes to have on hand when you are doing a market, and how many to make, this is what we are going to go with to try out. We will make sure we have 2 women's size 5, and 2 women's size 10, and 2 men's size 11, and 2 men's size 12. We will have 4 pairs of size women's size 6 and 4 pairs of women's size 9 and then have 6 pairs of women's size 7 and 8, and also 6 pairs of men's size 9 and 10. This is what we have observed in our selling patterns. I wonder too if someone else sees these same size trends at their markets? There are many variables to take into consideration and I wonder if any particular geopgraphical regions see different sizes than we do? Brights are always the best seller but not always everyones favourite. We have one customer who has a pair of each of our colourway selections, a bright pair, an in-between pair and a conservative pair too. So how cool is that?
Keeping notes, and keeping track of the socks you make in what colourway, what kind of yarn, what size, and what sizes you sell is all data that can help you determine what you need for your own display racks or market table.
As we sell a pair in a certain size we will replace it, and always have the numbers on hand that we want to have, and it will be an ongoing process. Once we decide to take a break for the spring and or summer, we will know what we want to have cranked out for the markets again come the fall. Well we are not going to be done just yet, few more to go..... But, oh so looking forward to sock school in June in Maine.
For now, tonight we just look forward to going to the market bright and early tomorrow. The only thing I don't look forward to is that we are having a cold snap and it will be harder to get up get going out, and I hope it does not affect the numbers passing through the market to buy.
MsB from Socks Made On 88
Wednesday, 23 January 2013
Something New, Pink and Blue!
Something new! Something Pink and Blue!
Or shall I say, Something Pink or Blue?
MrB had been trying out some patterns for baby booties.
They are just so darn cute! You can't take a picture of booties unless there is a pair. This pair does not happen to be a matched pair but good enough for a photo. I did not want to rid the practice ones as I thought they could be used for something else. The one on the right is a prototype we have come up with using a pattern and our own ideas also. It will have its mate cranked out at a future date now that we know what our vision is. We were thinking it would be nice to have a couple pairs of these for sale at our market periodically. Hey when you think of spring you think of newborn baby lambs and other animals and birds so why not think of other babies coming along also. We will not have any booties ready for our this Saturday's market as MrB has other irons in the fire, but perhaps for our first February market, booties there will be! Don't you think they are so adorable? Oh and I must mention they were made on the 60 cylinder of the CSM. I will have more to report on booties later, but for now you can see the preview picture. I just LOVE them :-)
MsB from Socks Made On 88
Or shall I say, Something Pink or Blue?
MrB had been trying out some patterns for baby booties.
MsB from Socks Made On 88
Monday, 21 January 2013
Socks for Supper!
The story reminded me of a conversation I had with a gentleman who wanted to barter chocolates for socks at the market!
And speaking of the market, we will be back there Saturday. This week we will be gearing up for our appearance and getting all our SOCKS (not ducks) in a row!
MsB from Socks Made On 88
Saturday, 12 January 2013
A grand ole day at the.....
Well what a grand ole day we had at our market appearance today!
They just get better, and better... We have new customers, old customers, returning customers with friends, people dropping by just to chat, an elderly man pulling up his pant leg to show me his socks that he is so proud of, customers who bought socks for Christmas telling me their stories of how they tried them out sledding, and on and on and on all in a very good and positive manner. This all makes our day so pleasurable as it is like one little community or village with personality and character galore. Our product, our socks, fit in so great, and are very nicely being received. This makes us very happy and MrB a happy cranker! We got wonderful comments on our signs too, they worked our very well and the colours could be seen a mile away doing a great job advertising for us and pulling the potential buyers in closer. Almost had the barter system going too...I had to chuckle as I had never been approached before with this option, have to see if he returns and I will make MrB make that final call if it arises again! I just can not rave enough about the people to who attend this market. It makes me excited to get up at 5am, get ready and head off the to the market to set up for a 7am start. We get there, and it seems that both MrB and I are very much in a our happy place! So this was our appearance we added to make two this month, and it was a success. Oh and I forgot, we also got a custom order for knee/thigh highs and I sent pictures to the client and she picked our her own yarn colourway. I am just a smiling inside and out, and now it's soon time to stop market mode and get into relax mode! A good evening to all out there, and have a very pleasant weekend.
MsB from Socks Made On 88
They just get better, and better... We have new customers, old customers, returning customers with friends, people dropping by just to chat, an elderly man pulling up his pant leg to show me his socks that he is so proud of, customers who bought socks for Christmas telling me their stories of how they tried them out sledding, and on and on and on all in a very good and positive manner. This all makes our day so pleasurable as it is like one little community or village with personality and character galore. Our product, our socks, fit in so great, and are very nicely being received. This makes us very happy and MrB a happy cranker! We got wonderful comments on our signs too, they worked our very well and the colours could be seen a mile away doing a great job advertising for us and pulling the potential buyers in closer. Almost had the barter system going too...I had to chuckle as I had never been approached before with this option, have to see if he returns and I will make MrB make that final call if it arises again! I just can not rave enough about the people to who attend this market. It makes me excited to get up at 5am, get ready and head off the to the market to set up for a 7am start. We get there, and it seems that both MrB and I are very much in a our happy place! So this was our appearance we added to make two this month, and it was a success. Oh and I forgot, we also got a custom order for knee/thigh highs and I sent pictures to the client and she picked our her own yarn colourway. I am just a smiling inside and out, and now it's soon time to stop market mode and get into relax mode! A good evening to all out there, and have a very pleasant weekend.
MsB from Socks Made On 88
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| One of our new signs in action today! It is BRIGHT and you can not miss it! |
Friday, 11 January 2013
Pippy's Holiday Specials
Well I call this pair of socks my Pippy's Holiday Specials. I knew when MrB got the yarn that I would be having a pair of them for myself. These will be perfect for me to wear around Christmas time, Valentine's and of course CANADA Day too ( the colours of our flag). I think that these will be the pair of socks that I take to Cuba in the spring also, as they will represent me from Canada and the Cubans just love Canadians. I can sport them hiking, walking, biking or if I just need a pair of socks momentarily in my running shoes being a tourist, as I do wear my Socks Made On 88 socks all year round, hot or not here, there or anywhere! They will make their debut to the market in February, the weekend before Valentine's Day!
MsB from Socks Made On 88
MsB from Socks Made On 88
Wednesday, 9 January 2013
2013 cranking/knitting for market
Well MrB's cranking/knitting has begun for the market for this Saturday!
We needed a bright coloured pair in all the women's sizes to put on our rack.
Here is a women's size 6, 7, 8, and 9. I LOVE this yarn, it is bright and colourful yet it has nice solid earth tones in it as well. My guess is that they are not going to stay on the rack long! Our presence at the market this Saturday is also an increase so we can appear twice in the month of January. We are looking forward to getting back into the swing of things again. Here we come, first market of 2013, and we will be ready and raring with our new signs also!
MsB from Socks Made On 88
We needed a bright coloured pair in all the women's sizes to put on our rack.
MsB from Socks Made On 88
Thursday, 3 January 2013
Happy Birthday!
Happy 1st Birthday to Socks Made On 88 today!
May year two be just as much as an adventure, with more things to learn, more people to meet and converse with, and more good times upon our horizon.
MsB from Socks Made On 88
May year two be just as much as an adventure, with more things to learn, more people to meet and converse with, and more good times upon our horizon.
MsB from Socks Made On 88
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