Socks is my life!

Wow, its been two months since I last blogged. I can't imagine why it's slipped my mind. Well.....actually I can! We hit the ground running this year and have been busy in the sock workshop ever since. The weather has been perfect here in Tassie, all the better for drying the socks. We have been taking advantage of the long, warm summer days (knowing that nothing is surer that the short, cold days of winter will arrive before long) and turning out as many socks as we can. We have also added to the Mongrel Tasmanis Sock team. We welcome Emma in to the fold. She's our new go to girl at Salamanca Market. We are so lucky to have her. While the little blossom studies at UTAS full time ( Zoology), she's giving us her Saturday's. Yay!

Who needs fireworks

Hobart saw in the new year in spectacular style. Mother Nature has out done the fireworks us mere humans have offered up, without the outrageous cost both $$$ and on the environment. Here's a photo I grabbed off the local news. Bloody brilliant!

Socks with wings

I can't believe it's been a month since I last posted. Busy not blogging, but flat out with the Xmas rush of orders. Mongrel Socks have been winging their way around the world this Christmas. All the while we have been busy producing, a few new colours and many more repeats of the old favourite mixes. The weather has been great here, many a good drying day. Here are a couple of the new colours available in our pure wool Mongrel socks... One pastel pink/blue multi-coloured mix is very different to our usual strong colours, with the this years brown mix - very organic looking.

Lap Dog

Putting my feet up last night, up on my lap jumped the little mongrel Ardie. Busily navel gazing, I noticed Ardies little feet, mine dressed in our pure wool Mongrel Socks and there were Kate Moss's nude toes too. Yep, right there in my lounge room. Actually Kate's always hangin' out there in the bean bag. My little darling works for a great recycling company Haul and she gave me a bean bag made out of an old jean's advertising billboard. It looks like Kate is curled up in it.

YouTube wow!

I have just seen the latest and last Mongrel Sock Machine Video Wow! We are blessed to know a budding film maker, who has so kindly made 3 short films featuring our Mongrel Socks one way or another. We've been building our new website for (it seems like forever), and that's the royal "we" because I am personally so IT illiterate. I think we go live this week. Yee ha!
As a part of our online line business progression we were advised to have a youtube video put up as our customers would find that sort of thing interesting. Yeah, sure but the cost is phenomenal, way out of realms of our reality. Luckily, we know this talented, big hearted, young guy who has done us and himself proud.

I've written before about the community feeling that comes from our long time participation in Salamanca Market. Our daughter grew up going there, and so did our film maker Leuke. Leuke sharing his film making talents (and a lot of his own time) with us is what the nature of community is all about. Why did he help us out? It sure wasn't the money, it wasn't "close" friendship obligation, he helped us out because while he sincerely loves film, the process etc, He helped us out because he could. Leuke's brought and worn our socks for years, but I think now he's earned "socks for life" because what comes around goes around. Thanks Leuke!

Fearless Mongrels!

I was sent this photo from a customer travelling through Pakistan, on the Karakoram Highway which stretches 700 kilometers from Islamabad, through the Karakoram mountains and into China. The photo was taken in the Gilgit region, although it's a bit hard to tell. It must take a large degree of fearlessness to head in to Northern Pakistan given today's unstable climate. High in the Karakorum Mountian range temperatures drop to well below zero, and I'm told our Pure Wool Mongrel Socks stood us proud.

Sweating in the workshop

Yay, summer is here! We've been enjoying some beautiful weather, all the better for drying our Pure Wool Mongrel Socks. The warmer weather has not only lifted our spirits, it has brought it has got all the wildlife, who call our place home, out and on the move. Nothing is quite so nice as mosying down to the workshop and nodding a good morning to Mr Echidna who's also out for a stroll, and probably looking for a feed. The reptiles are on the move too. We haven't come across any Mr Snakey's but they're definately around too. My personal favorites, Mr and Mrs Blue Tongue Lizard, are certainly making the most of the warmer weather. Yep, it's mating season, and they're making hay while the sun shines. They have no shame, there's nothing private about their private lives. Here's today's love-lizards, getting it all going on just out side the workshop today. Even Ardie, our little mongrel shed dog, couldn't disturb these two.