2013 x x

Those beanies were on even before they left the shed.

Smiling 'cos he's warm

Hastings Caves a chilly 8 degrees C, no cold ears here.

I sat down to write on of those "2012 was a great year and 2013 is going to be even better, new products blah, blah" posts. A complete waste of time to write or read so......I won't! But I will post some photo's of our just finished, hot from the workshop, Aussie Made Pure Tasmanian Merino Wool Beanies. Road tested over Xmas by the Mongrel socks team and our visiting family. Thanks guys!

Traveling Mongrel

Big year for us, full of stuff we should blog about, but haven't. So rather that try to catch up we'll just start with today.
Our customers are the best!!!!!
Lovely talking to our customer Dana. Socks, kids, Tassie - our favorite things.
Also received an email from a customer with an mongrel sock story, we are genuinely touched that they would bring us in to the loop. The email was from a bloke who was asked to pass on a small photo album of "mongrel socks traveling" to us, by a friend. 

Evidently.......

A man visiting Tassie was given a pr our Pure Wool Mongrel Socks. By email bloke above.
Subsequently every visit later over the years he brought some more, for himself and as gifts.

On one gift pair of socks he wrote a lovely note. Asking that these "Travelling Socks" be photographed on the Eiffel Tower.
They were.  We'll post the photos here and on Facebook later, with permission. Just about to send the an email to the man who gave the "Traveling Mongrels" to make sure it's OK to post them. I'd also like to enter them in our Facebook photo comp. too.
I promise to blog more soon....

Dear Blog, it's been 6 months......

Dear Blog,
It's been 6 months since we last posted. In the cyber world our last 6 months have been a blank, but here in the real world it's all happening. TG. I suppose it's better than being larger than life socially, online and actually not really having one. I won't even try to fill in the last 6 months in any detail but will give you some things that have meant much to us and you can fill in the gaps.
Many socks made and sold.
Fantastic Customers.
Christmas.
Mullumbimby.
Freycinet
Friddy left. Happy for her but still missing her.
Loop Cowls and Neck warmers going off.
Wonderful Customers
Force Majeure - wool processor flooded,  1 tonne of gorgeous Merino lost.  Big delay in production for us but people lost their lives, so of course we "sucked it up".
Visited by Lindsay Fox (happy 75th birthday, by the way), Simon Crean MP, Bill Kelty ( my hero) David O'byrne MHA and assorted suits and chauffeurs on one fine Sunday arvo. Thanks for coming guys!
Salamanca Market turns 40.
Sri Lanka.
Big thanks to our much loved Kelsey who helped make a real holiday possible. When your kids step up and handle responsibility is a proud, proud day. Just like when a child first says "please" with out prompting only much better.
Big thanks to Kerrie too, for showing us we weren't irreplaceable, and looking after our
Lovely Customers.
Mullumbimby and Val's 80th.
Many socks made and sold.

and here's what my inbox has so kindly provided....

Just had to share, we are so lucky.
Will be back again very soon. In the meantime we'll just be socking.

When a sheep is a cowl......

Yay, just about to begin our 2nd run of our range of gorgeous Pure Tasmanian Wool Loop Scarves and Neck Warmers aka Cowls. The first edition has been selling well, so well in-fact that we really need to stock up again soon. We're looking forward to experimenting with some new colour mixes as well as re-doing the current selection.

 

Coming soon.

Having sourced the amazing Tasmanian grown, non-mulesed Pure Merino Wool - knowing there are only so many sock making hours in the day. We have turned our attention to developing a range of scarves. We’ve settled on two sorts the garden variety and a wide joined cowl. We have enlisted the help of a local Disability Enterprise. Prototypes have been knitted, experimenting is underway on the finish, and we’re excited. The scarves are incredibly soft, light weight and warm. We will be breaking our neck to get the first run completed and up for sale, to see what our customers think. Fingers Crossed.
In this age of disposable fashion it is such a good feeling to be producing a quality product that is so very all-round good.

Locally grown top quality Merino wool.
Locally knitted by a supported employment local company.
Certified Non-mulesed fleece
Supply chain tracability
Hand finished at the Mongrel Sock HQ.
Then straight to you.

It's here, it's here, it's here!!!

Imagine - wool from certified happy sheep!

Our new supply of certified Tasmanian Grown, Non-mulesed Pure Merino Wool has finally arrived. We are so very happy, and within minutes of it arriving, we had started knitting and haven't stopped! We need to really fill in all the colour gaps we accumulated as we ran down our last supply. Once thats done, the fun starts, as we play with new colour blends.

We also started to replenish our stocks  of our gorgeous Space Dye Mercerized Cotton Socks - We have two new colours Tomato and Charcoal. I guess we really should re-name them to more attractive or interesting sounding names like, I don't know, Watermelon or Pink Sky and Silver Ash or Grey Nomad. The knee high mercerised space dye will be re-stocked in the next couple of weeks.

Non-mulesed Tasmanian Merino so close...........

 

Our new supply of gorgeous certified Tasmanian grown non-mulesed merino will soon hit the Mongrel Sock knitting machines, and we can hardly wait. The artwork for the new swing tags has been done, and will shortly head off to the printer for production. We have worked hard to secure this new trackable sheep to shelf wool source. Not only have we been able to meet the highest animal welfare standards, & on farm ethical/sustainable practises, even our printer uses on soy based dyes with our card made of 65% recycled paper products. We are so excited! Our pure wool Mongrel Socks and Mongrel Tasmanis products have never looked so good.

Keeping up............

Cold Comfort-Tasmania manufacturers the Pure Wool “Mongrel Tasmanis” brand range wholly in Tasmania, from certified non-mulesed Tasmanian grown wool (April ’11), as well as presenting a range of Australian and imported product.

With wool prices rising by up to 12% right now and we think they’ll easily hit 20% or more, we’re more than a little bit worried.

With PETA actively campaigning against Aussie Wool, we more than a little bit worried.

As small business drowning under convoluted paper work and tax collecting, we are more than a little bit worried.

We are, however, confident in the product and the people in this industry. Not that either can’t be improved on. We need to lift our game. We will........and then will stop worrying. 

The following 2 articles are sourced from www.fashionsource.com.au  a TCF industry resource I love. It great to keep up with business specific news.

Wool prices hit A&B Knitwear
Fred Seligmann says that he can't recall a more difficult time for his knitwear business, A&B Knitwear in Brunswick.
On top of a very difficult retail market, Seligmann said A&B was being asked to absorb a 10-12 per cent increase in woollen yarn.
And although the 10-12 per cent increase is considerably less than the 25 per cent lift in greasy wool prices in the last three months, he knows the full price rises would eventually have to be absorbed.
A & B Knitwear manufactures the Merino Gold Brand wholly in Australia as well as manufacturing fashion and corporate knitwear in China.
Seligmann said most knitwear manufacturers would buy yarn on forward contract.
He said any sharp rise was generally buffeted by spinners selling out of their stocks.
"But eventually we are going to have to pay the full price," Seligmann said.
While it may be tough for processors, wool growers continue to rejoice in the market rises.
Nick Weeding said he runs about 5000 Merino ewes based on the Wallaloo Park, Petali and Glenlea Park bloodlines.
But after struggling through drought and several years of poor prices, Nick declared that "now was a good time to be back in wool".

released: Monday, 21 February 2011

PETA takes mulesing campaign to the paddock
International animal welfare activists PETA are moving their anti-mulesing campaign from the board rooms to the paddocks.
They've sent the first 500 of 1,500 letters to registered sheep breeders, asking them to breed sheep that don't need mulesing.
Jason Baker, from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) says his group has lost faith in national grower body Australian Wool Innovation to deliver change, and denies PETA has failed with its international campaign against mulesing.
"I think getting the message directly to farmers is the key, because for too long we relied on the AWI and talking to them, and they really didn't have the whole industry's interest in mind," he said.
"There is too much infighting, so we have really given up and gone directly to the farmers."
Australian Wool Innovation director Chick Olsson says PETA has lost credibility globally. He says the letters to growers are an insult, as the national industry is spending $27 million on mulesing alternatives.
"I take it as a sign that we are doing a good job as we have no confidence with them, never have," he said.
"The issue is not so much with PETA, the issue is that this industry is doing all it can to provide solutions to this problem.
"We have spent over $27 million in the last five years looking for alternatives and we are going to continue looking at alternatives."
People for the Ethical Treatments of Animals has campaigned for years against mulesing, where skin is surgically removed from the rear of a sheep.
Sheep producer and breeder Robert Belcher says the letters have a threatening tone, as they promise PETA's endorsement for producers who comply with their wishes.
"I would describe it as a very subtle threat. They are saying that we have no choice in the matter, and that as I breed Merino sheep and can breed the odd Merino ram, it is my responsibility to do as I am told and that is follow the PETA line," he says.
Supporters of mulesing might be tempted to ask what all the fuss was about with wool now fetching high prices, particularly with the expiry of the so-called mulesing deadline two months ago. But those dealing with downstream processors and retailers in North America and Europe are adamant it's a problem that can't be ignored.
Australian Wool Exporter and Processor Council consultant Dr Peter Morgan said the issue was highlighted by the British retailer Marks and Spencer - one of the world's staunchest supporters of Australian wool for many decades.
But like many of the big northern-hemisphere retailers, the last thing M&S wants is to have People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals on its doorstep.
M&S has been very public about its specifications for non-mulesed wool, including declarations and documentation to confirm the status of the wool used in its apparel. Until December, M&S was prepared to accept Merino wool from mulesed sheep that had been treated with pain relief. Now it will only accept Australian Merino wool where there has been a declaration for un-mulesed or that the grower has ceased mulesing.
US retailers are also touchy about the subject, which is why their representative body, the National Retail Federation, has seeked support from Australia to placate or fend off PETA.
Peter Vandeleur, managing director of direct supply marketer NewMerino, said it would be foolish of Australia to ignore those major retailers sensitive to the mulesing issue.
"At some stage, when wool prices are under pressure, Australia is going to need all the help it can get," Vandeleur said.
AWI is also fully aware of the issue, which is why "Australia" is not or rarely mentioned in any of the Prince Charles-endorsed Campaign for Wool or No Finer Feeling promotions which target the non-Asian markets.
"We include Australia in our promotions in Japan, Korea and China, but for obvious reasons Australia is not mentioned in North American and European promotions," AWI director Chick Olsson said.
WoolProducers executive officer Greg Weller is confident Australia can win back the support of the major retailers - provided it can demonstrate it is genuine in its attempt to end mulesing.

released: Monday, 28 February 2011

Good wool and happy sheep

 The news item below is reported by the Textile Source  released: Monday, 7 February 2011

You will be excused for thinking that every Aussie Sheep Farmer muleses thier flock after reading this story. I've just got to say they don't! Especially in here in Tasmania. From April this year all our gorgeous wool will be certified non-mulesed Tasmanian grown. All our pure wool products will carry recognised certification so our customers can be confident and even better our farmers have had to jump through environmental, animal and agricultural hoops to ensure the wool production is ethical & sustainable. From the sheep to the shelf we demand (and get) the worlds best offering. 

Our farms in the pure south of Australia, enjoy a mild climate and lush rain fed pastures = happy sheep!  

Americans lash out at AWI

Australian Wool Innovation is facing harsh criticism for abandoning talks on mulesing alternatives with US retailers.

Six American bodies representing big-name brands, clothes retailers and importers have upbraided Australia's top wool body for failing to heal industry splits over ending mulesing, a practice that has led to retailer boycotts by animal activists in the past.
The group includes the American Apparel and Footwear Association, the National Retail Federation, the Outdoor Industry Assocaition, the Retail Industry Leaders Association, the US Associtation of Importers of Textiles and Apparel and the Wool Working Group.
Gap, Macy's and Liz Claiborne Inc are among the companies that have expressed ''great disappointment'' over Australian Wool Innovation's decision to walk away from an industry group writing a response to the Americans detailing how the practice will be phased out by 2013.
''As the face of Australian wool around the world … AWI's withdrawal now calls into question whether the industry is capable of providing any kind of response and represents, in our view, a considerable setback to any potential progress …'' the companies said in a letter.
Mulesing, surgically removing part of a sheep's rear to prevent potentially fatal flystrike, led People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) to start a boycott in the US seven years ago.
American textile companies have since set deadlines for Australian woolgrowers to find alternatives, leading to deep rifts that have rocked AWI.
It withdrew from the latest attempt to write a response for the Americans after Victorian and Queensland farmers' representatives refused to endorse a draft that deleted all mentions of the word ''mulesing.''
The vice-president of the US National Retail Federation, Erik Autor, who has been a negotiator with Australian woolgrowers, said that the letter to AWI was intended to send a message to the entire wool industry. He has warned that many American retailers and brands were taking ''the path of least resistance,'' directing suppliers to use only New Zealand or South African wool.
He said the industries in those countries, ''whether accurately or not, have [been] successfully promoted as a non-mulesed alternative to Australian wool''.
AWI's chief executive, Stuart McCullough said woolgrowers were experiencing one of the worst flystrike outbreaks in memory.

Sock Days off, not off sock days!

The House of Mongrel Socks is now in to our long awaited "go slow" Xmas/New Year. Yay! We've stopped our manic production, Frithy has 2 weeks off, and we will just be doing the minimum to keep business ticking over. Amazing to still have online orders coming in ( even on Xmas day) we'll get them out quick smart, but that will be the only thing we'll hurry with until the 10th of Jan, when Frith is back on deck - wielding the whip. Apart from our usual appearance at Salamanca Market. Kind of like the tail wagging the dog, eh? Bless her, the wonderful motivational tool she is. Market day was on Boxing Day this year and we turned up mightily tired but greeted hordes of relaxed and happy customers, made for a lovely day. 2 cruise ships hit Hobart as well, and we met some lovely tourists too. Particularly the US family who kept coming back to our Mongrel Socks stall again and again. They all were delightful, from the youngest to the oldest. I always am thankful for the lovely customers we have, and the people "business" allows us to meet. Here's a few photo's we took on Boxing Day.

A trio of our Space Dyed mercerised cotton Mongrel Tasmanis socks tippy toeing @ Salamanca Market.

Pure Wool Mongrel Socks spotted out and about in Hobart on Boxing Day

These good sports left us wearing our arm/leg warmers. The two cuties will break a few hearts in years to come, they are simply gorgeous and kind enough to let me take their photo.

Socks......black and white this time

I did my fair share of stalking at Salamanca Market this week. I spotted this Mongrel Sock wearer out for a walk. We also had the filmong of an upcoming episode of the ABC show"The Collectors". Of course sock collecting is only big at the house of Mongrel Socks, it may catch on, we live in hope. They filmed mostly bric-a-brac stalls and one happened to be right by our Mongrel Sock shop.

I think it airs on 26th November, I must remember to watch.

Same socks, different day.

After finishing up in the Mongrel Sock workshop today, the last job is always the sweep through to clean up ready for next week. Even the sweeping's are a delight.....

The colours in this sock run are beautiful.

We are truely blessed to be surrounded by things of such beauty. The colours we are able to use in our pure wool Mongrel Socks and Mongrel Tasmanis head, arm and leg warmers are gorgeous. The wool's feel is naturally soft and luxurious. But just look at the beautiful spectical Mother Nature threw my my way this after noon.

A double rainbow no less, in colours like the socks we've been knitting today! 

 

 

Then, and I can't believe I actually caught this image. The New Holland Honey Eaters - that are just some of the amazing bird life we have living with us, came for a visit.

In flight!!!

 

Viewed from the sweatshop.

 

Who ever said making socks was a boring business, has absolutely no idea of our reality.

Delicious Socks

I have always thought some of our pure wool Mongrel Sock colours are good enough to eat but this lass took it a bit too far.

Back to the drawing board...

The pure wool socks gauntlet/cuffs liner needs tweaking. Oh well, Rome wasn't built in a day. After doing the 5 washes just to see what it does or would do for a potential customer - BIG FAIL. I'm glad I bothered, as impatient as I am. Not that I am worried, best it fails on me, eh? Now looking for a stretch binding to tidy the edging, that won't shrink. A few more trials ahead but we really want to get this product happening. It would be a great to turn our waste socks in to some thing useful. Not only in the dollar sense, in the ethical sense too. Less landfill, completely recycled, showing corporate responsibility for reducing "end of useful life" waste. I thinking we could even offer this as a service to our customers as a way to further the life of their old socks.

It's been ages since I last blogged. Lots happening. Busy sorting a new supplier and product, I can't talk about it just yet in case it puts the mockers on it like the gauntlet/cuffs. New fabulous natural fibre socks is as much as I can divulge. What I can talk about is( yay!) the Fine Possum/Merino socks are finally replenished. The socks are once again available online.
Here's a few pictures of our wonderful customers out and about wintery Hobart.

The odd Mongrel.

It's a hard life at the home of Mongrel Socks. After a big day in the sweat shop, Ardie the shed dog, isn't the only mongrel taking time out. He's found a great spot to catch 40 winks. Here at the house of the sock, odd socks are the go. One little chore at our house that doesn't get done - pairing socks. The only socks we wear are pure wool Mongrel Socks (no surprise there), so whatever the colour they match. Same, same but different.

Treading the Boards!

I spotted this shot on The Sydney Theatre Company website - Yup! Those there are our Pure Wool Mongrel Socks keeping the actors warm. We're feeling almost famous.

Feeling the Love!

We've had a crazy week, bumps and troughs, ups and downs - the lot. Not boring that's for sure. I won't go in to the downs now - no need to re-live it. But the UPS! Yee Ha! We've been really pushing for international sales over the last year - a hard sell in the post GFC market place. There has been progress in this area now - not sown up yet - but looking good.
We have also been blessed with the most fantastic customers (like in the last post), money couldn't buy the exposure and good will we've enjoyed lately. I found out last week an Aussie (international) actress love's our humble Mongrel socks (I won't mention her name 'cos that's not cool). Lucky she's not afraid to mention our name! Then on Saturday we got a "poetic" mention in the local paper, written by a high profile arts/culture identity, completely unsolicited and much appreciated.
Today, we are delighted!

To our surprise, an audience of over 340,000 people listened to Denis Walter interview world renown gay icon, comedien, and very naughty Julian Clary. Incredibly Julian was more interested in talking about our socks ( Denis was wearing a pair of blue/green pure wool mongrel socks at the time) than talking about himself and his current Australian tour (only joking). Unbelievable! We are feeling the love. It's all good. While it's wonderful that these well known folk like what we do, it puts a spring in our step and is very motivating, the same can be said for any feedback we get from our customers. A highlight moment came when I was busy checking our web site stats, looking at where our traffic was coming from etc and noticed some visitors coming in via an unknown (to us) blog. So I tracked it back and again was thrilled to read someones post about our socks - again all good. But when I read one of the comments left, it brought tears to my eyes.  The comment was that their mother loved her Mongrel Socks so much that she was buried in them. It chokes me up even now. mmm. What lucky people we are.

#4 made!

Yee ha! #4 in 101 uses for old socks is wrist warmers. I haven't had my act together enough to photograph them but will do asap. It wasn't hard to find #4 I've been making and wearing them for many years. Already one of my favorite things, together with the longer pure wool arm/leg warmers we make.

Any day we'll have our new supplies of pure cotton space dyed knee high and crew length socks. We're so happy. We love them, and it seems our customers do to. Both Ladies and Mens sizes knee high or crew with all 6 original multi-colour with the addition of 2 new colour mixes and plain black completed any day (or say 2 weeks) now. Bring it on.

Corporate flowers or #2 of "101 things to do with old socks."

Obviously far too much time on my hands! I played for a bit. Using some old Mongrel Socks we make to pretty up some boring old jars, and bottles. I was a flower lady in my pre-sock lady life, old habits die hard. I just love some of the colours we make our pure wool Mongrel Socks in. Always looking for ways to recycle them, once they're done their sock dash,  and their mate's long gone, or it's one of the faulty few, who's destined never to be a fully fledged sock.
My mission is to "re-life" this passed over waste.
I aim to get to 101 things to do with old socks.
Sock lovers and fellow recyclers unite!
Any hint's or photo's (dare I ask) would be gratefully received

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.