Its not LOL but TOL!

TOL~ Thinking out Loud!  It must be the weather, it is snowing here beat the band!  Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!  Nova Scotia seems to be getting dumped on this morning.  For those you who live beyond and do not get to experience snow....I should really attach a picture for you, shouldn't I?  Let me see what I can do about that!

We hardly had any snow at all it had all disappeared so this is what appeared over night and this morning.  Right now big fluffy flakes are coming down quite hard.  And this is why in Canada we need nice warm wool socks to keep our feet nice and warm both indoors and outdoors too.

Ok so back to TOL, my mind is racing like a race horse.  I printed off some more sock tags today.  I think I have those perfected with many tweaks along the way.  I got MrB crankin away doing up our new projected goals for each sizing group.  I got my new printed-off tracking sheet ready in my bag to go to market for Saturday.    I got my new 2013 calendar to put in my sales box.   I am feeling good about the decisions we made last night forging forward.  Now today I am thinking, we did start the little venture a year ago Jan 3 but we have NOT reached our one year mark yet for selling at any market.  This time last year in February of 2012 we had yet to be to any market.  So thinking, we are doing very very well for what we have accomplished so far.  I just had to come here and tell the world that I am patting ourselves on the back with a big ole smile.  The very first market we did attend was on March 10, 2012.  We still have a month and half to reach that milestone.  We surely have come a long ways, but good ways.  I love learning!  And I just said to MrB this morning, how for the first time in my working career, how much I LOVE all aspects of my job :-)  It is very cool being partners in life and partners in this SOCK venture.  We are co-bosses!  I love to be boss sometimes ( sshhh)  or as MrB might say, being bossy!  hahaha  So this is what snow does to me, it makes me think.  You are enclosed in this little box, your home, you can watch the big fluffy flakes come down, do your own thing, and eventually you will go outdoors to shovel but it is an awesome feeling that you don't have to go out and you can sit indoors fire going in the wood stove, all cozy warm, and sit and knit or for me today it will be to work on another felt stocking. OK that was a very sentence, but that is fine, just take a deep breath now! Another passion of mine!  I think I have shared them here before.  

Hope you enjoyed the snow pictures!  Now I must get to felt embroidering.  That's because I got all my work caught up in Socks Made On 88, and all my little household chores done too and I got hugs on my feet, and I am ready to play!  Play, is my own free time!  Have a great day folks, LOL or TOL yourself!

MsB from Socks Made On 88 
  

Ponders are Plentiful!

Ponders are plentiful late afternoon and evening today after venturing out to the market.  Yes we went to the market as a customer this afternoon instead of being a vendor.  We wanted to take some time not in the rush of set-up, show and sell, and take down.  When we are at the market, show and sell is the main goal.  We zip off to the washroom now and again but never take time to go to the other vendors that are not on the same level as we are located.

Today we made a conscience effort to scope out all the other vendors. We bought some items one from vendor to take home and use in the kitchen, another vendor we got a pastry snack  and oh another vendor too, we picked up food for supper!  Then alas,after the market closed to the public,  we attended the market meeting also.

Sitting amongst other vendors and hearing them give their opinions etc on certain topics, certainly made things in our minds surface, to ponder for us.  While driving home, after getting home, reassessing some things, talking through supper, and after supper again talking all made us both ponder new ideas.  We came up with some new goals, and immediate projections that we could achieve and strive for further down the road.  Then many more ponders too became plentiful!  I sorted out all or most of the ponders in my head. I have to work things out on paper and see if it can all come together in front of me.  I printed off a 2013 one page calendar and planned more market dates to attend.  Remember I was talking a few days ago about taking a break!  Well now we are thinking that we don't really need to or want to a break.

We are feeling so connected to the market community as a vendor and to our customers that we want our presence known at the market each month.  After more pondering and re-evaluating we are thinking we can still manage the other things in our lives that we want to do in the spring and summer and  be active with the market also.  We just have to be a little bit more ( not a lot) organized and dedicated right now to meet our new goals.  We want the flow of things to go with ease for the spring and summer months at the market. If we get more work done now it will benefit us so that MrB does not have a lot of cranking to do in the months that he also likes to do others things outdoors.

We learn so much by observing, developing, and practicing new marketing and tracking ideas that will work for our sock venture.  MrB is not only a good cranker/knitter but he is very techie-wise also.  This is very helpful to track various aspects of our sales on computer generated charts and graphs.  We developed a few new charts this evening and will put them into practice next weekend at the market and at the completion of our market days.  With our combination of ideas and efforts from both MrB and myself.... we are forging ahead making wonderful progress within Socks Made On 88!  We will be able to maintain flexibility too.  Wow, this little venture is so invigoratinging  and satisfying with it's constant learning curve!

MsB from Socks Made On 88

updates for today Jan 31/13

One Bright pair and one In-Between Pair !

Another Bright Tangerine pair.  These look really cool.  A perfect Unisex colouway as  I can see MrB wanting a pair is these shades!

The updates for today are that the sneak peaks got finished and another pair joined them also. 

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) 

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

Brigadier and two sneak peaks! Photos of these will be up after completed.

3 more Brights

3 more Conservatives....don't they look good all here together?

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

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