Disqus - Latest Comments for Vashtirama

Re: Lego for Boys, Lego for Girls: A Lego Friends Thing

Vashtirama — Wed, 09 Sep 2015 08:31:57 -0000

Love this.

Re: Bullet Journal Update, One Year In

Vashtirama — Fri, 16 Jan 2015 20:11:25 -0000

Well, *Piper*, you changed my life with this one. I found out about bullet journal from you, tried it, and have filled three so far. Thank you thank you! Like you and jess, I didn't think I'd like starting random topics in the midst of daily pages and am surprised to find that it's freeing.

Have been using those Post It brand plastic tabs but have been looking for something else to use. Maybe washi tape.

A good friend turned me on to Getting Things Done, and bullet journal is flexible enough that I can integrate them.

MK: I'm going to do that! Back up some parts of filled journals to Evernote. Thanks!

Re: A Little Late to the Etsy Game

Vashtirama — Tue, 09 Dec 2014 21:04:31 -0000

You make it sound quick and fun, kind of like setting up a blog. Sooo tempting...

I started with a flat rate, which was great until I added other products for which that made less sense. Right now I have sitewide free shipping to all domestic addresses. It's the simplest of all (!) but I still need a good solution for shipping outside the US. I see a lot of talk about international shipping in Etsy forums.

I love the international customer base for digital products I've built over the years, thanks to Ravelry. Abby G recently mentioned how much she appreciates her digital products after getting a big batch of shipments out the door!

Found a cheaper source for packaging & shipping supplies than Uline, but then I had to return an order that *reeked* of crude oil or something. Sigh. I had no idea how much shipments of shipping supplies can cost!

None of this is meant to sound like a complaint, if it does. It's that I didn't know it would be like starting a new business altogether!

Re: A Little Late to the Etsy Game

Vashtirama — Tue, 09 Dec 2014 19:52:49 -0000

Yes, at my site with shopping cart software. 2014 has been the year of learning about shipping methods, supplies, and policies. About creating product pages configured correctly for shipping, mixed with digital downloads in the same cart. About product photos that represent yarn colors, textures, dimensions well.

I've had Etsy in the back of my mind since its launch. Ravelry has been perfect for 99% of my downloadables, so I've been in no hurry all this time to add Etsy as a 3rd site.

I know exactly what you mean "A Little Late to the Etsy Game." I'd feel the same way if I created an Etsy shop now. I can relate to everything you've been saying.

Re: A Little Late to the Etsy Game

Vashtirama — Tue, 09 Dec 2014 18:49:08 -0000

I'm super-enjoying reading about your Etsy experience!

Re: Just call me Rita. (Maybe just Piper.)

Vashtirama — Thu, 30 Oct 2014 20:38:16 -0000

I felt the same way about my perfectly nice pre-Vashti name, so I went with a name I could groove to. I'd love to call you Piper.

Re: Artist Spins a Yarn With Parisian Street Art

Vashtirama — Tue, 30 Jul 2013 01:53:29 -0000

Ah, the ol' "someone has too much time on their hands" write-off.

Re: I had an internet nemesis.

Vashtirama — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 23:25:41 -0000

Hi Kim. Well, first of all, your experience with your nemesis taught me to keep my distance from her. So you helped others (me at least) in a way that you might not be aware.
But lucky me, I still get to have an internet nemesis to call my own.
I've learned how to coexist in online spaces so that we don't bump up against each other directly; I know her triggers. (I could so bait her if I wished.)

It's better than high school crap because online, I don't have to face her in school hallways daily. No one forces me to sit in the desk next to a nemesis.
I've learned the weird flattery of having someone reserve crazy vitriol just for me.

Long ago I felt humiliated and so alone when she attacked. Over the years (omg years?!), I've seen enough caring from others that now I feel others' compassion even though it's usually invisible.

When I see her attack another, my heart aches for the person. I email her/him something like: "I'm sorry this happened to you. You're not alone. I've been on the receiving end of that too and I know how awful it feels. It's not you, she just does that to people."

Until recently my biggest challenge had been to "choose my battles" in arenas where we intersected. Not because I'm tempted to engage, but the opposite: tempted to avoid any risk of a battle; but being silenced by a bully is unacceptable.
Nowadays we almost never cross paths.

Re: Eyeballs as Portals to the Soul, not Sellable Objects

Vashtirama — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 10:35:26 -0000

LOVE this quote. Thank you for this.

Re: Evolution of the Original Crochet Me Logo (in Hard Copy!)

Vashtirama — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 20:35:44 -0000

I feel like I'm looking at baby pictures of a relative!

Re: Farewell, Crochet Me

Vashtirama — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 09:53:23 -0000

Bittersweet for me too!

Re: Crochet on Celebrities and Runways – Late August Edition

Vashtirama — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 14:56:50 -0000

I never get tired of looking at how crochet is styled and worn by celebrities and fashion industry folks!

Re: 270 Crochet / Yarn / Fiber Blogs to Read

Vashtirama — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 17:02:23 -0000

This is such a cool idea! Thanks for all that you do for our crochet community.

Re: Emma Watson Looks Sexy in Crochet Shorts

Vashtirama — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 13:31:16 -0000

I'm also liking the juxtaposing of traditional lingerie colors and traditional menswear looks. Add crochet to that and I love it!

Re: Crochet Blog Roundup: January 2011

Vashtirama — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 11:40:53 -0000

This is a great idea for a blog post! I'm off to bookmark your blog now :-)

Re: 2010: A Year of Apps

Vashtirama — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 00:32:18 -0000

I'm so happy you've discovered Pages for document creating! I had to try it out because I was up a creek for a dependable, straightforward-yet-elegant way to turn pattern documents into nice PDF's. I got hooked on Pages instantly and yet don't know anyone else who uses it!?
I'm dismayed about Facebook--the annoyances remain and new ones develop. AND NOW there's this breathlessness about how FB has become a worthy competitor for Google and I'm thinking, really? Everyone but me is typing search terms in FB *instead of* Google? If so, more dismay.
YES on the email newsletter Kim!
Yes I stopped reading your mammoth post, but only to label it "PRINT THIS" in my Gmail.

Re: bit.ly Bundles

Vashtirama — Sun, 21 Nov 2010 14:26:52 -0000

Trying this out: Bit.ly's new link bundling capability.

Re: Where the Magic Happens

Vashtirama — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 09:31:18 -0000

Loved this post, I could totally relate. One time I pulled out everything and swatched so madly for a proposal deadline over 3 days that I was shocked when I finally stepped back for a moment and saw the deluxe mess. I actually had to photograph it LOL.

Re: From Make & Meaning: My Crafty Digital Toolkit

Vashtirama — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 09:10:15 -0000

Agree cubed: photos are major and I avoid flash unless it comes out interesting; Flickr's awesome and has more features than people tend to recognize and use; can't imagine anything better than Ravelry for project pages. Ditto about iPhoto, I can do so much with it. Now with the new Picnik features (free), occasionally I supplement iPhoto with a few of those.
Started out with Blogger lo, so many internet years ago, and youz Wordpress fanz always make me wonder about switching. Your helpful list of plug-ins gives me the specifics I need to know how a switch would be worth it.
I'm getting there with You Tube--have made horrible first videos that no one will see but I love You Tube's capabilities combined with iMovie's!

Re: Flame Scallop Cardi

Vashtirama — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 10:36:52 -0000

Congratulations Kristen! Fabulous design!

Re: Remembering When I Felt Differently

Vashtirama — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 20:44:41 -0000

YESSS. I feel ike I should flesh that out but, just YES.

Re: Kicking the Collective Ass of an Industry

Vashtirama — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 13:04:13 -0000

I seem to have an extreme opinion that "social media" (which I mean in the biggest sense of being a new mindset, social lifestyle, and vision of relationships) is THE SINGLE MOST POWERFUL saving grace of the yarn industry. So when I've read some commenters here who see limited value of social media for TNNA businesses, such as when Kristi said, "What I wonder is will more savvy electronic squeeing going to make more people knit? Or the people that do knit, knit more? Unless we are reaching some untouched demographic, it's a lot of bellowing for nothing" I have to really chew on that--I'm certain that it does! (Not necessarily the "squeeing", but I wouldn't boil down social media to the squeeing anyway.)

Luckily I have LYS's in my area but some people don't. They have no choice but to learn about notable yarns, stitches, patterns etc. from others on the internet. But I go to my LYS *more often* because the internet constantly puts all things fiber in my face, and I want it that way.

I'm thinking that my deep conviction about social media comes from a crochet and CGOA point of view for 2 basic reasons: 1) Knitters are more social locally than crocheters. For many crocheters, finding other crocheters online is a revelation, like stumbling upon a wonderland. Since crocheters are such big yarn consumers (I don't have to go into the hard figures here, right?), everyone in the industry should want them linking up, coming out of the woodwork, cross-fertilizing, and yeah, squeeing. If someone wants to jump in to say, "yeah but crocheters don't buy the good stuff", please think this through in light of social media....

2) Crochet is only alive as long as people's hands keep doing it, because there are no machines to generate new crochet looks and to keep them before the public eye decade after decade. (Imagine if there were no knitting machines! Far fewer knitted looks in the mass market year after year. No t-shirts, no sweatsuits, body shaping garments, etc.) What makes more people crochet is a constant stream of fresh info and inspiration flowing to crochet communities. I can't think of a better medium for this than social media.

OK I'm done. I've gone on too long as it is. I'm very passionate about this :-D

Re: Twitter Fail (or How NOT to Lead an Industry Online)

Vashtirama — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 16:17:14 -0000

(Now I understand the context of related later tweets!)
You wrote: "I'm wondering while my tea steeps this morning if a dramatic shift in
education is needed in the industry wrt online technologies."
At first I thought ABSOLUTELY. Then I tried picturing it and am not so sure, for reasons like SisterDiane's. Everybody (in biz) wants greater profits, and they're all hearing that "using" social media will increase their profits, almost magically. It feeds greed. But I'm not so sure they can understand that it's about creating and nurturing a kind of relationship. So it would have to be a way of teaching that causes a consciousness shift!

Re: Awesomely Tough Knitter, Part 2.

Vashtirama — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 16:30:15 -0000

This is a wonderful post all around! A gift. Thank you.

Re: Give Us Links Or We Won't Sell Your Books: Really? - mediabistro.com: GalleyCat

Vashtirama — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 14:09:17 -0000

I went through a rapid succession of reactions to this and the comments. What hooked me initially was B&N's alleged bullying because of my fierce conviction that no one should mess with a website/blog owner's prerogative to freely choose the links and other content on his/her own site. Period.
So for me, there's a huge difference between B&N or anyone else including Indiebound, *requiring*, or merely *requesting* or *suggesting* a link placement. I also expect a link request to be reciprocal in kind--that B&N would add a link to my site, not just sell my book (unless I choose to make an exception).
I'm link-friendly, though, so I probably wouldn't need to be asked by B&N, except that for some reason, I only think of Amazon for that kind of linking and why should Amazon have a monopoly?
If Amazon makes it much easier for webmasters to add links than B&N, as a commenter described, then B&N should do the right thing and improve their process, not bully (if they are actually doing so).