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