Ranting, housekeeping, and stitch patterns

Hey there everyone! As always, I seem to post in stops and starts, especially now that the busy semester has once again set in. Was anyone else on here hit by that crazy blizzard? I live in an apartment in Chicago and go to school in Chicago = SNOW DAY!!! Except it wasn't actually that awesome, because it totally screwed with my schedule.

But anyways, moving past my self-pity, I wanted to share something that has really lifted my heart. My blog has already passed 5000 views!!!!

Did you get that?

5000 VIEWS!!!!!!

Thank you so much, dear readers, for validating this stingy stitcher's poor soul with your interest and lovely comments! I hope that I continue to prove interesting, because, come on, who doesn't love knowing that people take an interest in what you do? 

So first, really quick, I took some more pictures of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle hat I crocheted for my friend a while back (there's a mini-tute of how to make it via that link). She's camera-shy, and I've more or less moved past that phase that since photography is so vital in the online crafting community. :) So here we go, with the maker as the model!

See that in the background? That's my boyfriend's bunk bed/futon (yeah, you read that right), which he scored for $25!!! Can you believe that? The frame and the heavy, high-quality mattress! Though he didn't get the mattress for the top bunk. I love me some garage sale-hopping!

I love that the hat's nubby, thick, and warm. And there are earflaps! I want a hat like this, though probably not TMNT. I don't think I've ever watched a complete episode even, haha.

With that taken care of, I wanted to share a little something else with you. Maritza from California requested that I share the stitch pattern to my mother's Christmas shawl, which you all might remember...

Now, since I'm sure that the rest of you are just so riveted by my work that you were unable to summon the willpower to ask yourselves (hardy har har), I'm sharing it here! Read on to see it!

A quick and easy T-shirt recon

First off, a shout-out: Thank you to Heather of Me Making Do for featuring my join-as-you-go crocheted ribbing! Visit her blog for all sorts of great things: beautiful crafts, great tutorials, and of course, our favorite, link parties!






So, on to the topic of the day: you all remember a little while back, when t-shirt reconstruction was all the rage. While it may have toned down somewhat, it's still going strong. Way back then, while browsing the various creative things you can possibly do with a t-shirt, I stumbled on a fabulously easy one:

Sorry, the room looks like a mess, but it actually isn't. Bad angles?

Assuming you want to make it (and I know you want to make this), read on!

A different way to crochet a ribbed brim

Hey there all! So school's started, and of course that's been loads of fun. I've been trying to keep crafting, especially since my friends' Christmas gifts still aren't finished. I'm so close to finishing this next one, just need to add some finishing touches.

Anyways, I decided to post up a little technique I used on this hat I'm making for my friend. So I'm sure a lot of you crocheters have heard of crocheting in the back loop to create a ribbed effect that even has stretch. If not, here's a quick video showing how. I'm sure you'll pick it up quickly. :)

In my experience, I have only seen projects that either start with the ribbing and work their way up (like the fingerless gloves I made a while back), or sew the ribbing on later.  Or consist completely of ribbing, but that's not the target of this tutorial.

So I came up with a simple little method to attach the brim as you make it. Lazy as I am, this was an amazing discovery! And look! It even looks nice!

So you want to learn an easy way to add a little more elasticity to your hats? Click on Read More and let's begin!

Excitement! I've been featured!

Great news! So I should have done this ages ago, but I've been featured twice already! I feel somehow validated, knowing that people have taken notice of my work and thought it original enough to share. Thanks to them, and also to my awesome viewers. As I am writing this, I have already surpassed 3800 pageviews, and it's so exciting! Thank you all for reading, and I hope to keep seeing you coming back around to hang with the Stingy Stitcher!




Moving on: the first person to feature me was the awesome Amanda of Today's Top 20, a blog devoted to showcasing all the amazing crafters who are online these days. Do y'all remember those Teenage Ninja Mutant Turtle hats I posted a while back? She added those to her top 20 about a month ago, and it's taken me 'til now to remember to thank her in turn. ^_^;; Sorry, Amanda!

Please do check out her blog! Not only is it awesome in itself to see so many creative people spotlighted, but it is also an extension of my gratitude to her. Enjoy the craftiness!



Next up is the wondrous Wendy, Lord and Master of Copycat Crafts. Seriously guys, this blog is the best idea ever. No one who has been out and about in the crafting community could possibly miss how popular and prevalent knock-offs have become, and I can't believe no one else has thought to devote an entire website to these wonderful pretties.

Wendy was nice enough to showcase my Forever 21-inspired infinity scarf, which has rapidly become my favorite scarf. I mean, duh: if you wear lots of a particular color, make a scarf in that color. Only took two years to figure out. Anyways, thank you again to Wendy!

I absolutely must restate this as many times as possible. Visit. Their. Sites. Seriously, you will not regret it. Sites like Today's Top 20 and Copycat Crafts are just amazing for sharing knowledge and building up your electronic network. Don't miss out!

Christmas 2010: Present 1

Hello, hello, how are we all? I hope the new year is off to a good start for everyone!

I'm kicking off the year with my Christmas present posts. Given all the crazy stuff that is happening in my life, none of my handmade presents were finished on time this year. ^_^;; In fact, some are still not finished, but that's okay, since those are the ones for my friends from school, and we aren't even doing the present exchange until we all get back. Here's to hoping that I finish before then!

Moving on: Handmade present number 1 of Christmas 2010 is.....

Ta-dah! My very first shawl! I decided to make this for my mom because the one she used before had a fringe on it, and the dryer...sort of ate it. Plus, it's black with very colorful designs on it, and while that's nice, it doesn't match her decor at all. Her room is very, very white. So I decided to add a little color to that theme and went with a nice baby blue.

Click to see more!

Edit: And click here to see the stitch pattern!

Blue infinity scarf: A Forever 21 knock-off, shhh!

Edit: This pattern's popularity has proven greater than I ever dreamed. I have posted a pattern and video in this MASTER POST! :D All questions will also be answered in that post, so please check there before asking!

Hi there everyone! I hope you've had a happy holiday and are looking forward to a fun New Year's celebration! Given my circumstances, I won't be posting Christmas gift photos for a while yet, but today I will be showing you the infinity scarf I made during final to de-stress during study breaks.

Voila!

Floofy hair!

So the inspiration behind this one came from this Forever 21 scarf. I saw the scarf in the store and loved it, but being the stingy stitcher that I am, the first thought that jumped into my head was, "I could make that!" And I did! If you look closely at the pattern, you can probably figure it out for yourself as well...it was quite simple. And is anyone else secretly amused that F21 called it a knit scarf?

Here's a shot of the scarf in its entirety. It's probably the most true to color. I have start remembering to take pictures in natural light!

For those who are curious, I used a little less than a skein of Caron Simply Soft Berry Blue and (I think) a J hook. Here is a shot of the stitch pattern, since I think it's upside down in the product shot.

If you'd rather not do the work of figuring it out, here's the pattern.

A different kind of turtle

Hello again! Life has been SO crazy! I just had my first interview for med school, and I hope I did well! Anyways, I am reeeeaaaaally proud of one of my latest creations: a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle hat!

I made my first version of this about a year ago for my boyfriend. The two of us and two other friends had wanted TMNT hats and his was the first one I made. Then, all sorts of work set in again so the set was never completed. Here are the pics.

I didn't like this as much because I did a pretty shoddy job attaching the eyes and still haven't had time to fix it. So currently they are both lopsided and falling off. But he still wears it, because it's the only hat he has. ^_^;;;  I should fix that, haha.

Anyways, my friend saw it and really wanted her own. So I refined the process a little, took a few creative suggestions from her, and here we are!

Ta-dah! Unfortunately my camera ate the rest of the pictures, so I'll see if I can get more later. But I am super-proud of this! :D Click Read More for info and the tute.

Edit: I finally got some more pictures taken of the blue hat! Click here to see them!