RoMa's Heirlooms Now Open!

I opened an online store!  I'm trying out Payvment on Facebook, and apparently what I created was a store on Lish that is accessible through Facebook.  It's nothing fancy because I'm not a photographer or an artist, but it will have to do for now.  I'll see if my brother has time to fiddle with cover art for my FB page and also some good photo ideas.  If you want to see what it looks like, visit RoMa's Heirlooms.  "Ro" is for my mom, Rosa, and "Ma" is for me.  After all, she was my crochet teacher.  I feel it's her legacy and so it must have her name in it too.  I miss her.

I'm having difficulty getting good pictures of my crochet.  What do you personally do?  Were you ever a newbie like me?  How did you learn?  What do you recommend?  Tips are really needed and are greatly appreciated.

There's not much going on this weekend except some more crochet.  I'm not going outside.  It's too hot!  Ah, I love A/C.

Happy crafting!

Rosa Luz Vazquez, 06/30/53-03/05/04

Ingenious!

Firstly I would like to dedicate a moment of silence to all the victims of the 9/11 attacks.  The horror of that day will forever be in our minds, and their sacrifices will forever be in our hearts.

May they rest in peace.

~o~o~o~o~

Sometimes we find something that just gets us really excited.  Yeah, I was happy when I read about this on another blog that I follow and placed an order.  It arrived, and I was wondering where the promised pattern booklet had gone.  So I was ready to contact this place and let them know that they'd dropped the ball somewhere.  A-hem.  I actually had only ordered the hook, not the combo.  Oops!  I'm glad I went to the site first and revisited the ordering page.  Okay.  Nobody dropped the ball.  I made a mistake.  Happy mistake, though!  So what's this mystery tool?  It's aptly and simply called the Sharp Crochet Hook.

In revisiting the site, I checked out their patterns.  Now I'm excited!  Have you ever crocheted a purse and then needed a liner and zipper but, not being a seamstress, you were intimidated?  That's me.  I've only ever used a zipper on my only purse that I tested.  I avoid zippers and linings like the plague!  I purchased a sewing machine just for that liner and zipper for that one time.  lol.  I finally took my first sewing class yesterday.  I learned that using a sewing machine for anything made out of yarn is not fun.  The feed dogs would catch the yarn.  I'm sure there's something I could do to change that.

In the meantime, the Sharp Crochet Hook has come to the rescue.  I don't have to sew zippers onto purses anymore!  Check this pattern out to crochet a purse that has lining and a zipper.  In fact, they also have a pattern with just a zipper and no lining.  The hook does it all!  I have a few purses that I have been wanting to make.  I'll start with the purse first and lastly add a base layer to the zipper in a yarn color that matches the purse and whip stitch it all together.  I hope you love it as much as I do.  I have my hook.  Now I get to make a purse :)

L.A. County Fair

I'm back!  My room is nice and cool, it's so quiet everywhere, and my sister got a new car.  Yay!  It's a 2012 Nissan Versa.  I remembered to take a picture after she left.  Of course.  lol

I've never submitted anything to a fair.  Have you?  I'm too nervous no one will like anything.  I'll try to force myself to do it next year.  I'll go out of my comfort zone and see what I come up with.  There are so many talented people.

It was very, very hot in Pomona yesterday:  105 degrees F.  I have no idea what the humidity was, but it was a lot because it is supposed to rain there today.  I even took a picture of the clouds.  We didn't see much more than the submissions and a parade because it was unbearable!  The asphalt made our feet hot, and then it was just getting crowded.  So we ate at a nice place with air conditioning, chatted for quite a while, and were on our way -- but not before buying fried stuff!  Patricia, from our crafting group, got frog legs.  I got a fried Twinkie and fried PB&J.  Patricia liked hers.  I tasted a bit of each of mine when I was home and then passed it on to my niece.  I really liked them.  I won't make a habit of them, though.

All in all, only one item submitted by Debb and Pat didn't get a ribbon.  The Raggedy Ann and Andy were separated from their matching afghan due to some unknown fair rules.  The dolls got ribbons but the afghan did not.  Does that make sense?  Pat's beautiful bunny got a ribbon as well, and so did Debb's pillow and purses.  Even a friend of theirs that they talked into submitting one item received a ribbon.  Way to go!  There were so many wonderful things to admire.  I wanted to take pictures of everything.  I wanted to buy everything!  I'm now addicted to crafting fairs.  I plan to get details of fairs nearby.  It's a great place for ideas too.

Once I got home, I got a big chunk done of a cocoon I'm testing.  I'll post a picture as soon as the pattern is officially on sale.  It is not my pattern, though.  I'm just the tester.  I'm accumulating quite a few items.  I have been told online selling sites aren't good for selling.  Apparently not many buyers appreciate the time, effort, and money that go into materials.  I hope that the consignment stores I've been recommended work out better.  Now I have to figure out how to prepare for that.  Do I need specialty labels?  What about packaging?  I can't begin to imagine what goes into that.  I feel a trip to those shops is in order to see what it's all about.

How has your weekend turned out?  What's on your hooks?  Any FO's?

TTFN :)

Labor Day -- A Day Off?

It's been a long time since I posted.  Don't be surprised.  I think I've started three diaries over the years and never gotten past the first week.  I really don't have much to say when it's a one-sided conversation, but I'll do my best to add something interesting or fun that I've learned.  Firstly something not fun.  My Aunt Irma passed away May 24th after a long battle with cancer.  She leaves behind a loving husband and two sons.  My older cousin is in his early years of college.  The youngest is in elementary school.  We miss you, Tia...

I've been crocheting up a storm, mostly baby items I've tested for Shifio.  That pile of stuff is just accumulating!  I've made a few other things for friends and family, and I'm knitting a sweater for myself.  That is taking waaaaay too long.  That's because it keeps being put aside, poor thing.  It's meant to be for the warm weather.  I'll finish it when it's too cold to wear.  A technique I've fallen in love with is the Russian Join.  Less ends to weave in!  Just a few finished projects...

I guess you can say I've been busy.  There are also two swaps I'm in on at Crochetville.  One is for a shawl, and one is for a tea cozy.  I'll post them after they've been received.  I am really having lots of fun!  I do work, by the way ;)

For those in the U.S., Happy Labor Day!  Someone once asked me why we would take a day off on Labor Day.  Isn't it the day TO work?  I don't know.  I take Mondays off anyway.  I think I've been robbed.  lol