Juneteenth 2023 at Leimert Park - The Finale

Just like I called it, the last day of the annual Juneteenth festival at Leimert Park had a massive turnout, so much so that it took me 20 minutes to walk from the K Line station to a bench so I could relax.  As some of you can tell, this is probably the biggest event in all of South Central Los Angeles, maybe even bigger than the Taste Of Soul.

LA Metro K Line, Leimert Park Station

I couldn't even get any decent photos because the whole area was packed, from Vernon Avenue to MLK Boulevard.  Even the local buses (Lines 40, 105, 210, and DASH) had to detour because there were thousands of folks everywhere.  So far, this was the only other picture I was able to snap up.

DJ playing some old-school classics on the 1s & 2s

I got to communicate with some longtime buddies again and score some free Pocky sticks (I love that snack) while at the park, but that huge crowd had me feeling uneasy.  So I jumped right back on the K Line and got outta Dodge.  Big crowds leave me mentally overwhelmed.

So that ends this little miniseries on our yearly Juneteenth event here in Los Angeles, CA.  At least I don't have to worry for another year about the streets blocked off to where it's standing room only.

Y'all be good now!

Juneteenth 2023 at Leimert Park - Day 2

I thought Sunday was going to be the most lively of the Juneteenth weekend, considering that we have our weekly African drum circle in the area, but it was the same turnout as Saturday.  I can't lie and say that I didn't enjoy myself, because I certainly did.

Our weekly drum circle on Degnan Blvd

Local vendor selling Beautiful African garments

I did have a great conversation with another local crocheter who had her booth set up.  She had some of the dopest handmade pieces that I've ever seen in knowing a lot of Sistas who can throw down with a hook and yarn.  This is something one would hardly see in places such as South Central Los Angeles; coincidentally, the woman and I touched base on that topic as well.  Too much talent is often overlooked in the hood, especially when it comes to crochet, so we as the crafters of the hood need to bring it to the forefront.

Today is the final day of our Juneteenth festival in Leimert Park, so there's a good chance that we may have a spectacular jubilee of sorts.  That also means I gotta slap that infamous 3-word phrase on this post since this celebration of our enslaved ancestors isn't over yet.  So yeah, to be continued and all that rah-rah.

Many thanks to TMH and the Ancestors for guiding our people out of the darkness.  May Your glorious Light shine upon those who have not yet been reached.  Àse 🙏🏾👑❤️🖤💚

Juneteenth 2023 at Leimert Park - Day 1

Yesterday was the kickoff to our yearly Juneteenth festival in Leimert Park.  As you can see from the photos, everything was rather mellow; there was a decent-sized crowd, but Saturday was more of a warm-up.

Degnan Boulevard, a Leimert Park staple

The only sucky part about yesterday was that I didn't have the cash to buy lunch from the Shabazz tent.  At the same time, it's probably a good thing because I don't need to be eating a bunch of fried food anyway; I had a nasty 3-week bout with gastritis from Kwanzaa 2021 to mid-January 2022, so I'm trying to lay low on anything fried.  But one day I'll have some Shabazz after all these years, maybe during the Taste Of Soul festival.

Shabazz Good Foods

I mostly spent my time in the park working on a custom order and chatting it up with some longtime friends, then left to go buy groceries for dinner on a tiny budget.  When you can't always eat what you want, then a struggle meal will make for some of the best comfort food.

A Beautiful Sista taking the stage

Well, this is the part where I throw in that infamous "to be continued" line, because today's the second day of the Juneteenth festival.  And because it's Sunday, considering that it's in Leimert Park, the event is going to be much livelier than yesterday.  While I'm at it, let me praise TMH for allowing me to wake up this fine morning to experience something as wonderful as celebrating my ancestors.

Àse 🙏🏾👑❤️🖤💚

Dipping My Toes in the Payhip Pool

A little over a week ago, I came across a website called Payhip after reading about it.  Took a look-see and I thought I'd give it a try.

I currently offer my crochet pattern book (both US & UK editions) on the platform, but I should have some new stuff on there down the line.  I'm still a newbie to Payhip, so I need to gain a little traction first.

In the meantime, let me give you guys the link to my barely visible store:

Stitches & Similes on Payhip

I call it "Stitches & Similes" for a reason; it's because of my exploits in the world of crochet, and also something I haven't touched on in this blog, which is writing.  I have a couple of books out at the moment (two novels and one nonfiction).

I shall return with some more goodies, so take it easy!

A New (Regal) Listing on Etsy

The Empress's Majesty Drawstring Tam

I had made a visit to the local library some time ago and saw this pattern book that I thought would have some designs I'd like.  It's called Crocheted Beanies & Slouchy Hats by Julie King, and I absolutely love it!

First, let me give credit to Ms. King as the hat you see in the top photo originally came from this book.  The actual pattern and design come from the Festival Slouchy Hat (see below); I just used different colors and added a drawstring to it.

Image of the Festival Slouchy Hat

I listed my rendition of this cute little hat on Etsy, so go on ahead and check it out.  While you're at it, visit my Soulful Stitchery channel on YouTube.  I'll see you guys on the next one!

I've Published My First Pattern Book

For the first time ever (and after years of writer's block), I've just published a crochet pattern book.  A lot of trial, error and chicken scratches went into putting this compilation together, but I finally did it!  Now the next step is to get some of these patterns into other publications.

Here's a couple of places where you can buy the eBook; the reason it's in eBook form is because I don't have enough pages to have it printed up.  But hey, in due time...

You can purchase these patterns on Amazon

And it's available on Gumroad too

Besides all this, I've still got a ways to go if I'm going to make my mark in the world of crochet.  Just one step at a time is all it takes.

Farewell, Sell On Etsy

Late last month, Etsy decided to deprecate their Sell On Etsy app in favor of their oft-tweaked and updated Etsy Seller app.  Though I've gotten used to the latter fairly quick, I do miss the former for its ease of use.  The only sucky part about it is that I couldn't throw in any calculated shipping prices on my listings, depending on the weight, height and length of the package; I had to do all that on the actual website.

As a result of the app deprecation, I freed up some space on my phone by (sadly) uninstalling it.  I can't be too sad about losing Sell On Etsy; it helped me take care of my orders with no problems.  I just hope that Etsy Seller will do a bang-up job as well as the previous app, because I love hearing that "Ka-Ching" sound go off.  😊