Happy Friday! I know I mentioned this last week, but I am so excited that fall is right around the corner! Did you have a chance to see the first part of my Fabulous Fall Fashions roundup? Were you hoping to see some sweaters or hats and gloves? Don’t worry- parts 2 and 3 are coming up in the next 2 weeks, and I have many many more great patterns to share with you!
(ad disclosure: I am a blogger. I allow ads on my site as well as affiliate links. If you click an ad, I may receive some small compensation. If you make a purchase through one of my affiliate links, I may also receive some small compensation at no additional cost to you. Supporting ad revenue helps me to be able to offer more FREE patterns to you. You can find more details in my Privacy Policy if you’d like.)
This week though, I am so excited to introduce you to my friend Angela from SASS! We met through the Crochetpreneur Business Academy and have been encouraging one another for over a year as we grow our businesses. I was totally shocked when she mentioned her grandbaby one day, because she so does not look old enough for grandkids! (I honestly thought she was younger than me for months into our friendship)
Angie is one of the sweetest, talented and funny hookers I know, and I am sure you will love getting to know her as much as I have!
Welcome to the Straight Hooked blog! I am so excited to learn more about you.
What is the name of your business, and where can we find you?
My business name is SASSy A’s Specialty Shoppe but we use SASS for short. My blog is www.SASSySpecialtyShoppe.com. I’m on Facebook @SASSCrochetDesigns and Instagram @AngieD_SASS
How long have you been in business?
November will be 2 years that I officially registered my business name but, I didn’t actually start my business until about 6 months after that.
What made you decide to take the leap and start hooking for money?
My best friend, Jamie, forced me to, at least that is what I tell everyone. She really insisted that I get serious and start a business a couple of years ago. I’ve crocheted for a very long time and Jamie always had me make things for her when she needed extra special gifts for baby showers or birthdays. She asked me to make her a few things back in 2018 and when she took the items to work her coworkers started ordering and that really encouraged me to start SASS. Jamie along with my mom, husband and my son and daughter are the backbone to the business. Nothing gets made or designed without ALL of their input. They never let me down and are my true supporters.
How long have you been a crocheter?
I learned to crochet when I was in about the 2nd grade, so around age 7. My aunt taught me and I’m so grateful for that and the time we spent together crocheting. All I knew how to do was chain and double crochet. We didn’t have much money so I would make a “blanket” with my one skein of yarn. Once I got to the end of that one skein, I would unravel the blanket and start all over with that same skein of yarn. So needless to say, I’m basically a double crochet expert since that was over 40 years ago!!
What inspires you?
A challenge! I get inspired when customers contact me and say, “Do you think that you can make a ___ for me?” Most of my customer’s want custom items so often times I don’t have a pattern and make it up as I go. Talk about a challenge but in a good way!
What is your biggest struggle with your crochet business?
My biggest struggle is to find enough TIME to create new designs and also make physical products. It’s super hard to do both but as much as I love designing new patterns, I still love to make product too.
What is unique about your business?
I believe my custom order blankets make my business unique, along with the craftmanship and customer service. Customers simply message me and tell me a theme, what name they would like added to the blanket and send a couple of photos for inspiration then let me go!! I love that they trust me to be a part of their special occasions with them.
Tell me about a crochet nightmare:
While I was market prepping last year, I crocheted several pair of earrings with silk yarn, sterling silver beads and Venetian glass beads. I left them laying out on the blocking boards while I went to run an errand and when I returned home, I realized that my grand dog got them off the table and ate them!! I didn’t have enough time or supplies to make more, so those customers missed out on some really beautiful earrings, but my backyard was decorated sporadically with those sparkly beads.
What is your signature design?
I think my signature design would be my SASSy Baby Blankets. Although I’ve only released one so far, the SASSy Hearts Baby Blanket, they are part of an interchangeable series where the blocks from each pattern will fit any of the blankets within the series. My next release in the series is coming very soon. It’s the SASSy “Sky’s the limit” Baby Blanket. Then, after that I’m looking to release the SASSy MOOOOOO Baby Blanket.
What is your favorite yarn to work with?
I usually work with worsted weight I Love This Yarn since I make tons of blankets but, I love to work with smaller yarns too. Fingering weight yarn is one of my favorites for sure. I also love to work with sterling silver wire and leather cord when making earrings.
What kind of hooks do you prefer?
My absolute favorite hooks are the Laurel Hill Wooden hooks. I just love them but, I do switch out quite a bit as I always have multiple projects going on. I also use the Crochic Style hooks and Furls. I’ve found that by switching from different style hooks often that I use different pressure points in my hands and wrists and can crochet much longer than when I only use one style of hook.
If you could do anything without the constraints of time and money, what would it be? Travel. I would definitely travel. I went to Spain in January of this year and it was a remarkable trip. I love learning about new cultures and seeing how other parts of the world live.
What is your favorite crocheting snack and beverage?
Favorite beverage is definitely coffee. Always love my coffee since it helps to keep me awake and I can crochet longer. I love wine too but that doesn’t always work out too well when I’m crocheting.
What are your hobbies? (Other than crocheting, of course!)
Oh my hobbies…first would be my grandson. He gets most of my spare time but I do love fast cars. My husband and I have always had a Mustang or two so we can be found tinkering around with our Mustang Cobra when we have the time.
Where do you love to crochet?
I love to crochet in my SASS room! We turned the upstairs loft into a work room for my business. It’s got cute barrel chairs, a TV and most importantly a large worktable with lots of shelves. It’s my special space to work and design all things SASS.
What do you like to watch (aka have on in the background) while you are crocheting? I’m always watching crime shows on the ID channel or Dr. Phil. That’s pretty much it except when Yellowstone is on.
Tell me about the exciting things you have coming up in your business:
I’m excited to share that I have several patterns in the works ranging from scarves/hats, wine glass sweaters to blankets. I have at least 10 more SASSy Baby Blanket patterns that are part of the interchangeable series but more design ideas are still coming to me so there will probably be more than that.
What else do you want people to know about you and your business?
SASS is a small business that strongly focuses on customer service and quality craftsmanship. Custom orders are our specialty and it is always important to us that we create and design products that fit the customer’s specific needs.
Thank you so much for taking the time to introduce yourself and show off some of your fabulous designs, Angie! I am so proud of your accomplishments and super excited for your new pattern releases!
Want to get to know Angela a bit more? You can find here in all of these places on the internet:
Make sure you subscribe to the Straight Awesome newsletter so you don’t miss out on any of the exciting things coming up at Straight Hooked, and be sure to bookmark this site and come back next week for Part 2 of the Fabulous Fall Fashions pattern roundup. I’ve been working on a big project, and I will be showing it off next week. I know you won’t want to miss it!
Until next time,
Happy Hooking!
~Malena
