Shop Talk – Odd Sox

Could you describe your shop?

OddSox is full of quirky, cute and crazy creatures. Lots of them are made from brand new brightly coloured socks, with a good helping of Amigurumi and fabric cuties thrown in. I love trying to translate my ideas into tangible creatures and the best bit for me is adding the faces – it’s what turns each one into an individual little character. I know it’s not necessary but I can’t help choosing names for them!

Is this your day job?

My day job is project management at a design agency so I’m surrounded by creativity – my bit involves lots of busy deadline-driven time and resource scheduling. Making creatures is all fun for me – it’s totally relaxing and lets me switch off from the 9-5 buzz.

Have you been into craft and the handmade lifestyle for long?

I’ve always been a dabbler in crafty stuff. My Mum & Gran did lots of knitting, crochet and dressmaking so there were always crafty activities going on when we were little. I remember being very impressed with the French Knitting woolly tails that appeared from our homemade wooden 4-nailed bobbins!

My Sock creatures started a few years ago after getting a fabulous book from my sister called ‘Sock Monkeys’. It’s crammed full of nutty monkey mugshots and gave me the sock creature bug. Since then I’ve discovered the Japanese Amigurumi style of crochet which also appeals to my love of all things cute.

Where do you promote your stock?

I’m always dreaming of OddSox becoming my day job but I think I might notice the difference financially. I still want my creature making to be fun rather than a chore. I’d love to find a part-time day job so I can give extra time to OddSox. I really enjoy doing craft fairs and would love to do a few more and it would be great to be able to say yes more often to offers of supplying stock to ‘real’ shops – but I need to change the day job/OddSox balance first. I think this can be top of my ‘New Year’s Resolutions’!

What advice would you give to someone thinking about opening up a shop here on Folksy?

Visit the Folksy blog & FAQ first – it’s jam-packed with every piece of advice you can imagine to make your shop as good as it can be. Self-promotion is very important too and the same links are an excellent place to start learning how to do this.
Get involved – join in the Folksy forum – everyone is really friendly & helpful – once you get into the swing of it you’ll find it difficult to tear yourself away!

We’d love to hear your comments!