Category Archives: Markets

See you at the fair

29 Friday Nov 2013

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‘Tis the season of christmas crafts and fairs, and I’m on board. I’m selling my fantastic cotton DK yarn at two Christmas fairs in Thames Ditton, less than a week apart!

Christmas fairs

Come on over to the Thames Ditton Crafters stalls at the Thames Ditton High Street Fair, and to our Christmas Fair in the library to ooh and aaah at the beautiful colours of my cotton yarn, to stroke it, to squeeze it, to hold it up to your cheek, imagine what you can create with it, play with the colour combination or just come and say hi.

Might I just add that I have no white yarn to sell since *cough cough* a lady from Texas bought 33 balls of yarn, including all the white! I am officially out of stock of white. It’s not good to be out of stock, but it’s great to say that someone bought so much of what you sell, that you are. Whoo-hoo!!!

The sale happened on Wednesday evening while John, Pieter, Lizelle and I were celebrating the one year anniversary of the kidney transplant, which was of course also the day John handed out the crocheted blankets. Coincidence? I think not! What goes around, comes around.

I’m sure that everyone who took part in our charity project would have noticed something good happening to them around the time of crocheting the squares or  when you were reading about it on the blog and felt happy for those who received the blankets. Did you experience this? Did something good happen to you? I’m sure it did. What you give, is what you get, so if you give good things and good thoughts, you receive good things and blessings. Easy 🙂

Maplevillage W.I. Christmas Fayre

21 Monday Nov 2011

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Saturday hubby and I were at in St. Andrews church, Surbiton for the Maplevillage W.I. Christmas Fayre. It was a beautiful setting!

Despite the hallowed ground sales didn’t go as well as I had hoped. I only sold one blanket, eight birdies and one granny star – no clocks, and no brooches. Only one star! I thought that at £1.50 each, and being the cheapest thing on my table, they would sell really well.  Oh well, the King christmas tree is going to look REALLY good this year 🙂

Here are some pics:

 

The birdies were a huge success. People couldn’t resist picking them up and giving them a squeeze.

I had very craft neighbours. In total I’d say there were about thirty tables selling a variety of handy crafts. MaudiMade, which I met at the Surbiton Festival in September, was there as well. I bought a 2012 diary refill in lovely shades of green for my filofax at her stall, and I’m loving it!

For sale

All the brooches are now in my Etsy shop, and next weekend I’ll be listing the unsold baby blankets there as well.

If any of my readers are doing the Christmas Markets Thing, I wish you loads of success! For me, this was the last market as a seller. I think I’ll stick to selling online and attending craft markets as an avid buyer.

Bye bye birdies

07 Monday Nov 2011

Posted by in Markets, My crochet, Pattern

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Twelve days to go to the W.I. Maple Village Christmas fare and I am done crocheting things to sell. Finito. Kaput. Oppela.

Nine fleece blankets with crochet edges, 48 granny stars (yes, 48!) and 18 of the cutest little birdies. (Of course, there will be clocks as well but I haven’t made any new ones for the market.)

I really really really enjoyed making the birdies! They are so adorable!

They start off as Pac-Man shapes…

grow a pair of eyes, a tail and two wings. Of course their tummies are filled with lots of fluffy stuffing…

and lastly I have to add a triangle of orange felt so they can chirp tweety tweet like any flock of birdies would do.

Adorable aren’t they?

I’m sure you will want to make a flock of birdies for yourself now wouldn’t you? Yeah, I knew you would 🙂 Who can resist these cuties?!

You can find Bitter Sweet’s “Birds of a Feather” pattern here. My birdies are done in Rowan Handknit Cotton, Stylecraft Cotton Classique and Drops Paris with a 3.5mm hook.  The eyes are 6mm safety eyes.

As one of my fans on Facebook said, I hope these birdies “fly off the shelves”.  Then again, they look so freakin cute on the windowsill I might have to keep a couple for myself.

Feel free to comment to this post with links to your blog, or post photos to my crocheTime Facebook page, of birdies you make. I’d love to see them!

Market Maths

05 Wednesday Oct 2011

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I’m hard at work making stock for the WI Christmas Fayre in November. That means every spare minute I’m hook-in-hand, including on the train to and from work. This morning while I was hooking away (entertaining the people standing in the aisle pretending to read the newspaper *if you don’t turn the page I know you’re watching me*), I did some Market Maths.

If I want to make eight sets of six granny stars, I need 48 granny stars. I managed to do four stars this morning on the train. I do two train journeys per day. That means eight stars per day. 48 ÷ 8 = 6. Just six days, or 12 train journeys, and I’ll be done with the christmas decorations for the market!

I couldn’t resist hanging the stars off the gladioli that I bought for my boss who is coming back from maternity leave tomorrow.  Christmas trees are so last year. Gladioli are the way to show off your decorations!

Surbiton Festival 2011

24 Saturday Sep 2011

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Post market stall greetings to all! Today was A Good Day. I sold a record breaking six brooches and a blanket!!! I know it doesn’t sound like much to you, but to me, it is. At the last market we didn’t sell anything, so things are definitely improving!

Apart from people buying, a lot of people took business cards. I even had two people taking photos so that they could show it to friends / family. It was really lovely getting such a lot of positive feedback from passers by. Ladies stopped to chat with me about crochet, french knitting (still have to Google that…), the price of yarn, one even said she was going to email me a pattern for a shawl that she has made more than a hundred of! So so so lovely!

But you know what I enjoyed the most? Seeing the smiles on people’s faces as soon as they see my table! I just love that! Even if they don’t buy, I cheered them up. Result!

Just like last time, I learned a few things which I am going to put to use for the WI Christmas Fayre in November:

  1. Baby blankets sell better than clocks;
  2. Brooches sell better than clocks;
  3. Leading on from point no. 1, I should have more blankets, including unisex colour options;
  4. Leading on from point no. 2, I should make more single colour brooches, especially ones that can be word on red coats;
  5. You can never have enough business cards;
  6. Me crocheting at the table draws more people;
  7. Children really like the clocks;
  8. The over-60’s really like the clocks;
  9. You can meet lovely fellow crafters at a market. I met Maudi of MaudiMade, who is also going to be at the WI Christmas Fayre. Maudi is a trainee book conservator and book binder. So interesting and such a lovely person! Do yourself a favour and visit her website and her shop – especially if you have filofax or prefer the dying art of writing things on paper (as opposed to clicking, typing or swiping on a smart phone or iPad).

All in all it was a very good day. The Festival was well organised and drew A LOT of people! I posted a video to the crocheTime Facebook Page if you want to see the Morris Dancers and a couple of old cars.

I also have to say a big big thank you to my lovely husband who sat patiently next to me entertaining himself watching the rugby on his iPhone, and later playing Angry Birds on his iPad. He also did the coffee & pies run for us and was just generally being a loving and supportive husband.  Love you like Rowan ♥

Another market stall

21 Wednesday Sep 2011

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Saturday it’s the big one. The Surbiton Festival 2011 market stall. The one day event in Surbiton when roads are closed, the Mayor of Kingston does the opening ceremony, marching bands march and street entertainers entertain. It’s a biggy. Apparently there are “over 100 stalls” – I’m number 58 so at least 58 stalls. Wowzer.  

Last year the Surrey Comet quoted David Randal as saying there were about 25,000 people!!!!!

(Image from Surrey Comet)
 
Hubby and I are really looking forward to Saturday. Even if I don’t sell anything it’s going to be a very fun day. The Grand Parade will be marching by in front our stall at 12 noon, and the entertainment is taking place a couple of meters from us from 10 am to 4pm.  As stall holders we have free parking for the day as well. Bonus!
 
Luckily I still have all my stall things ready from the Merton Abbey Mills market so preparation won’t take long. All I have to do is remake a couple of price tags, iron the table cloth and glue broochpins onto a few brooches. Easy.  

Something else I’m really forward to is meeting Kelly from Maple Village WI who invited me to have a stall at their Christmas Fayre on 19 November, way back in June. This year will also be the WI’s first year at Surbiton Festival. Their stall is on the other side of the entertainment area so I’m hoping to pop round and say hi (and maybe buy a cake or two – supporting the local community and all that ;-))

Keep an eye on the crocheTime Facebook page for updates and photos during the day – that’s if I’m not too busy selling all my clocks!

 

Merton Abbey Mills market

07 Sunday Aug 2011

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For the first time in my life, I attended a market not as a buyer, but as a seller. I was a casual trader at South London’s Merton Abbey Mills. Hubby and I were really excited and looked forward to meeting people and making loads of sales. Unfortunately the weather was yucky and we realised that the market crowd was not the kind of crowd that appreciates hand made goods. Toddlers and children were drawn to the bright colours of my clocks like moths to a flame, but unfortunately their parents were not.


I’m taking today as a learning experience. I learned that:

  • Children love the bright colours so I’m right in aiming at least some of the clocks, to children’s playrooms and nurseries;
  • I should add the word “brooch” on the price tags for the brooches;
  • Business cards should be placed prominently on the table so that people can take one without having to ask for one;
  • The location and type of market is very important; and
  • The weather has to be good.

I really love what I do, and I know the clocks are liked (if I look at the Favourites and responses I get from Etsy), so I’m not disheartened. In fact, I feel really motivated to create even more “mad” (as one women described the clocks) designs and colours. I basically just need to find the right market where the right kind of person wanders around.

In the words of Tupac

You can spend minutes hours days weeks or even months over analyzing a situation trying to fit the pieces together, justifying what would’ve or should’ve happend. Or you could leave the pieces on the floor and move the **** on.

Have you had a similar experience with market stalls? Wrong market, wrong time? If so, leave me a comment.