Monday 23 September 2013

What We Did Saturday

Those of you who have been reading my blog for a while already know that my Mum is a sock-knitting maniac, and maybe you also know that we just love to have a stall at a book sale or similar.
Therefore, I did not have to think twice when my Mum asked whether I wanted to join her for an afternoon of selling her hand-knitted socks.

The jumble sale was held in the courtyard of this impressive building:


It used to be a mill, one of the biggest ones in my part of Germany; wheat was ground to flour at the same spot from the year 1471 until 1996. Of course, it was a very different building back then; this one dates from 1903 with extensive renovations after a fire in 1930, and then once again when in 1996, the vast complex of buildings was turned into spaces for culture, living and several "green" enterprises such as a supermarket for environmentally friendly produce.

Last Saturday, many stalls were set up, most of them selling used toys, children's clothes, old crockery, and other bits and bobs they wanted to get rid of. Ours was the only socks stall, and the only one selling unused stuff - everything else was (at least!) second-hand.



For two hours, nothing happened. We did not sell one single sock. Several people stopped at our stall for a little chat, admiring the beautiful socks; some even said we were offering them too cheap for all the work that had been put into them (not to mention the high quality wool my Mum always uses). Well, their kind comments were nice, but did not empty our table or fill our little money box.
I went and bought myself a cheese sandwich.
I drank water.
I went and bought myself a mug of coffee.
I drank more water.
I went and bought myself a piece of home-made cake (chocolate and cherry... yummm!).
I drank (you guessed it) even more water.
I went and bought myself another coffee.

Finally, someone bought a pair of socks!
We ended up selling several pairs, plus one of the baby hats, getting at least the fee for the stall covered. We were not entirely sure what the problem was, but we think that most visitors went there looking for cheap, second-hand stuff for their kids, and not brand-new, hand-knitted socks that you could almost call artisan work.
Also, it was a lovely, sunny afternoon, not cold enough to induce people to buy woolly things.

Anyway, we had fun, were outdoors in the sun and fresh air, had plenty of time to talk to each other and the other stall owners and visitors, and do not consider it a total waste of time.

Soon, my Mum will re-open her Etsy shop for those socks; I am going to reactivate the link to her shop here on my blog then. And maybe we'll try again at a sale nearer Christmas time.

17 comments:

  1. WEll I know I love the socks your mom knit; and have gotten compliments on them too, you can see them below my jeans and above my shoes.......
    I think you are right, a craft fair would be better;
    did you model a pair of her socks ? People would love to see them on !

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    1. On that day, I was not wearing any of my Mum's socks, and people would not have seen them anyway, since the rim of my jeans went down to the top of my shoes. But on a colder day, I could wear one of the pretty knitted hats and matching socks.

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  2. I'm not sure that it's kind to call your mum a maniac, Meike!

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    1. It is what she called herself in that post I have linked to, Frances, not a title I would choose for her, Frances!

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    2. That's correct, Frances! ;-)

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  3. One of the definitions of a maniac is "A person who has an excessive enthusiasm or desire for something". Quite appropriate I would have thought!

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    1. True, John, and as mentioned in my reply to Frances' comment, it was her own idea and not mine to call herself a sock-knitting maniac.

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    2. That's really, what I am, John! ;-)

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  4. Do you have 'craft fairs' in your area where crafts people can sell things they make? We used to sell our pottery at those here in Stornoway and they were quite successful. It does seem to me that it would be difficult to sell a quality product at a jumble sale.

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    1. There are some craft fairs being held in our area, but usually, they ask very high fees for a stall, and we haven't looked into any of them yet as for dates and times etc. Maybe we'll do something nearer Christmas.

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  5. Yes, it sounds as if it was the wrong kind of sale. Nearer christmas, in England at least, there are more craft fairs and Christmas fairs. I am still wearing a very nice pair of your mum's hand knitted socks!

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    1. That's nice to hear, Jenny!
      We have now another sale planned, it is at the end of November and will be a sort of "Hobby Market" where things like my Mum's hand knitted socks will fit in better.

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  6. The socks make a colorful display and maybe Christmas crafts fairs will be a better venue.

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    1. That's what we think, too; we'll see how that sale at the end of November goes.

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  7. Oh, how did I miss this post?!!
    For anyone reading this comment, please know that I was lucky enough to WIN a pair of these wonderful socks knitted by Meike's Mum! AND since I was about to visit my in-laws in England, I asked her to mail them to England and the package was waiting for me when I arrived!
    My in-laws OOHED and AWWED over them (hey, not sure how to spell that , but you know what I mean!) and since they liked them so much, I ordered a pair for each of them as Christmas presents! They love them! Also, since there is a baby in the family (cousin's little boy), I ordered a pair of socks for him and sweet thoughtful Meike's Mum included an ornament for this Christmas tree, for his first Christmas! SO special, I can't tell you!
    Anyway, the socks are so soft and unlike any kind of wool that I know ...can't wait for it to get cold enough to wear them again.
    I better stop here, you might think I am one of those creepy people who get paid to gush over products! Honestly, I am just someone who was really tickled with the socks that I won, and then, I loved them so much, I bought more as presents for loved ones!
    Sorry my comment is so long, but you know me! :-)

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    1. Dear Kay, your comment can be as long as you wish - I love reading from you anyway, and of course my Mum will be well chuffed seeing what you posted here about her socks :-)

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    2. Dear Kay,
      I am very glad about your kind and enthousiastic comment about my handknitted socks! Thank you very much. I just reopened my Etsy-shop again, and also one German online-shop called DaWanda. There it is called "gigunelsa", only a bit different than the Etsy-shop.
      Best wishes!

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