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Hands Occupied

Colorful knitting, crochet, latch hook and macrame from craft book author & designer Heidi Gustad.

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Hands Occupied, 11 years on 😳

September 16, 2021 6 Comments

Heidi Gustad from Hands Occupied holds up a pair of wooden knitting needles. She's wearing a t-shirt that reads "Midwest Crafter."
If we haven’t met yet, hi, I’m Heidi. 😊

September 16 marks 11 years since I bit the bullet and bought handsoccupied.com before signing up for @handsoccupied on every social network I could think of. I built my website myself, sort of knowing what I was doing, but motivated by the idea of spending more time with a growing number of crafty internet friends. It might not mean much to some, but this was all the way back in 2010, about a year before Pinterest was a thing anyone had heard of, and a couple years before Instagram blew up. 11 years later, and I increasingly encounter crafters who aren’t even aware of what a big deal crafting blogs were to the community 5-10 years ago. Knitters and crocheters had Ravelry, but if you were in to other crafts, blogs (and to a lesser extent message boards) were your best bet for finding maker friends online.Ā 

One thing that makes me sad about the shift away from independently-operated blogs is that sharing instructional information on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter… well it sucks, particularly if you’re a crafter interested in pursuing information related to technique. A saved insta post is pretty annoying to find two years later when you just wanted to remember the name of a stitch or technique, let alone looking for a Reel- or story-based tutorial to learn from. (And be able to pause without having to hold your thumb down, like on Insta. Our hands are already occupied with crafts! šŸ˜† ) There’s also a huge accessibility issue for this sort of content as well, but as I’m no longer a Librarian I will refrain from stepping onto this particular soap box and encourage the curious to google the subject for yourselves.Ā 

As you might have guessed from my absence and this wee rant about social media platforms, burnout has been a struggle since finishing my book last year. It got to the point where I took the summer entirely off, and didn’t even send a newsletter or post anywhere about it at all. As someone who used to barely be able to take a weekend off from this project, the sudden need for a complete break was a shocker to me. I spent a lot of this summer considering whether I was entirely done with crafting as a career. It got and stayed pretty close, but to be honest, it had been close for a long time. Sometimes you just need a break, and sometimes that sh*t needs to be a third of a year while you focus on something that (gasp!) is not work.Ā 

What’s next for Hands Occupied post-book and post-break

Now that I’ve gotten this break, I’m back, but I want to be back with intention. If I catch myself considering a design gig or project that doesn’t feel like a good fit, I just won’t do it, and I’m dropping things that no longer serve the direction I want to take my creative career. I’m focusing my Hands Occupied-related efforts in this eleventh year on things that don’t burn me out. For me, that means leaning in to what did NOT burn me out in the past couple years. 

Here’s a run-down of what to expect on social:

Only posting to the blog when it’s useful, particularly for aggregating multiple useful of pieces of inspiration or tutorials in one place. 

Posting to Instagram regularly, but remembering that follower counts are a poor measure of whether I’m successful as a Craft Designer.Ā 

The Hands Occupied email newsletter (you can sign up here) will now be monthly, focusing on rounding up what’s new that month, sharing recent inspiration, and teasing what’s to come from Hands Occupied. It used to be weekly, but monthly feels less overwhelming for both your inbox and me.

Pinterest will continue to be where I save and organize my favorite internet finds, especially craft ideas.Ā 

I will continue to have a Facebook and Twitter account, but don’t intend on posting much.

One platform that is going to have a lot of my attention this year is YouTube. I enjoyed dipping my toe into YouTube last year, but I need to learn more about how the platform works. It’s the platform I have the most interest for from readers based on requests, but it’s also the one that I find the most intimidating to pursue due to the workload (video production is hard šŸ˜†). I have a few videos shot and ready to edit now that I’m back at work, so in addition to publishing those soon, I’ll be taking advantage of the YouTube Creator Academy to learn more & make better and better video tutorials for you.Ā 

Maybe fellow creators/long-time bloggers will have some kind of stress attack just reading this, but I’m taking summers off from now on. June-August is often a cruddy time to get traffic and build anything, so instead of trying to produce summery yarn content or desperately try to make people care about Christmas in July yarn crafts, I’m just not participating. That will give me time to focus on a larger design project every year, which at the end of the day, is significantly more creatively satisfying and doesn’t leave me feeling like I’m reinventing the wheel all the time. Whether it’s the next book, a significant design project for another publication, or developing a more in-depth video series for YouTube that takes time to produce, I think that time will be so much better spent being intentional and striving for growth as a Craft Designer (heck yeah this is a real job worthy of a capitalized job title!), rather than feeling like I’m living on a content production carousel I can’t get off of to reflect on what’s working and what isn’t.

There is no one way to be a professional creative. Thanks to the aforementioned burnout, it’s been probably two years that I’ve been aware I needed to adjust my career approach if I’m going to have one at all. I’m not the best at listening to my gut, but part of taking the time off in the summer was learning how to let go and accept that there’s no way to be totally in control of a creative career. As long as I keep working intentionally and keep growing creatively, I know I’ll be okay.

Plus, it doesn’t take a brain genius to know that I’m known for my work as a yarn crafter. I can show you 11 years of Hands Occupied site analytics that confirm I shouldn’t be working so hard to produce new content in summer – a lot of folks shift to sewing or just don’t do wooly crafting in summer. I kind of want to see what that’s like some time. Of course, I’ll be doing plenty of making during the summer, but just not putting out tons of new content.

Evolving aside, I want to end this update by saying I love you all. I’m so grateful you’re here (especially if you’re a long time follower!), but I’ve learned, kind of the hard way šŸ˜…, that my wellbeing comes first. In my opinion, the best way to run, not sprint, the marathon that is a creative career, is to pace yourself and make sure you’re only saying yes to what you want to be working on. Right now, I’m really prioritizing the pacing myself part, and I hope my fellow anxious makers out there can understand. <3 

Yours in yarn,
Heidi 

Filed Under: Inspiration, Life Tagged With: blog anniversary, blogging, craft design, design, hands occupied, housekeeping

About Heidi

Heidi Gustad is a craft book author, designer & creator specializing in yarn crafts like knitting, crochet, latch hook & macramƩ. Her first book, Latch Hook: 12 Projects for the Modern Maker, is out now.

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Comments

  1. Pamela

    September 17, 2021 at 11:50 am

    And congrats on 11 years! I was not aware of your blog, but I’ve really enjoyed your YouTube videos and IG posts. My husband watched the one where you made your wrestling belt. He loved it!

    Reply
    • Heidi

      October 13, 2021 at 11:35 am

      I loved making that one too, even if it was a little different than some of my other work tends to be! I haven’t made that large of a just for fun project in awhile, and it was nice to indulge in that way creatively. :) If you’re new to the Hands Occupied Blog, this is home base, so to speak. I think I’ve got more than 1300 posts or something insane on this site, including tutorials and free patterns. Welcome!

      Reply
  2. Maria

    September 17, 2021 at 3:25 pm

    Your sock tutorial was life changing for me. Learning to knit in your late 50’s and being left handed was a challenge. I am proud to say I just started my 21st pair of socks. I still wear my first very simple pair as a reminder of how far I’ve come. Now, striping, contrast heels, patterns..no problem! Thank you for your easy to understand method!

    Reply
  3. Amber

    September 18, 2021 at 10:02 am

    I saw no mention in VSC…. Please go back, it’s not the same without you!!

    Reply
  4. Allison

    September 19, 2021 at 11:30 am

    Love you too Heidi! As someone who has pushed herself to burnout in *all* her endeavors, the idea of looking at your workload across an entire year is very useful (and certainly not at all how I have been using my time). Perhaps time for a reevaluation over here too!
    Here’s to another 11 (burnout free) years ā¤ļø

    Reply
    • Heidi

      October 13, 2021 at 11:30 am

      Thanks, Allison! The burnout struggle with anxiety can be a pretty constant challenge, and I appreciate how many folks in the craft community understand. <3

      Reply

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Heidi Gustad from Hands Occupied / Craft Book Author and Knitting, Crochet, Latch Hook and Macrame Designer

Hi! I’m Heidi (she/her/hers), a craft book author & pattern designer specializing in knitting, crochet, latch hook & macrame. Really anything with yarn! ā¤ļøĀ  My work combines vintage and modern design elements, featuring bold colors and graphic motifs.

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handsoccupied

Helping yarn crafters untangle various techniques on the internet since 2010
🧶 Really into intarsia
Stay up-to-date šŸ’Œ & shop the latest patterns ā¤µļø

Heidi Gustad 🧶 knitting & yarn crafts
Wow! I am floored by the awesome response to the S Wow! I am floored by the awesome response to the Spiral Hill Sweater Vest. Thank you. šŸ™šŸ»ā¤ļø If you love this pattern & didn’t know already, we are going to be doing a knit along (KAL) from October 1-29 featuring this spooky sweater vest & lots of tutorials, especially for the intarsia part. 
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Later today my newsletter will be coming out with additional Knit Along details, so if you’re not already signed up, now is a great time - the šŸ”— is in my b1o. 
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Pictured: My Spiral Hill Sweater Vest pattern from the new Nightmare Before Christmas knitting book by @tanisknits. Model is wearing size 1 with 2ā€ of positive ease, knit in @brooklyntweed Imbue Worsted. Vest images via @insighteditions 
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#spiralhillsweatervest #handsoccupied #nightmarebeforechristmasknittingbook
At long last! I can share the Spiral Hill Sweater At long last! I can share the Spiral Hill Sweater Vest, my contribution to the new book Disney Tim Burton’s Nightmare Before Christmas: The Official Knitting Guide to Halloween Town and Christmas Town, out now! šŸŽƒšŸ’€ 
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I’m hosting a knit along (KAL) October 1-29 for anyone who’d like to knit this vest along with a group & learn a little about intarsia while we’re at it. I’ve got weekly tutorials planned to help you knit this worsted weight sweater vest, and there’s a prize package giveaway at the end for KAL participants too. Details are on my site - you know where to find the šŸ”— I think. šŸ˜‰
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Book by @tanisknits 
Publisher @insighteditions 
Yarn @brooklyntweed Imbue 
Find it wherever fine books are sold. 
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#handsoccupied #nightmarebeforechristmas #intarsia #sweatervest #knittingpattern #knittingbook #spiralhill #knitting_inspiration #knitting
Since there was some interest in stills of my WIPs Since there was some interest in stills of my WIPs closet after this weekend’s quick tutorial, here are few. āœ‚ļø The tutorial is one post back in my feed as a video.
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As you can see, I didn’t worry about the wire hangers all being perfectly uniform, but it doesn’t matter to me. Also, this closet holds a lot! Despite that, it is already at capacity. Since the hanging bags don’t appear to be recyclable, I want to reuse them as long as possible. Who knows, maybe this will be a way to limit my WIPs? šŸ˜…
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P.s. In the third photo you can see how I use this system to store the original swatches, scraps, yarn ball bands, & notes from a design project all together. 
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#handsoccupied #wips #craftstorage #yarnstorage #yarncrafts #knitting_inspiration #craftstudio #craftroom #craftcloset
How to convert a closet into WIPs storage with jus How to convert a closet into WIPs storage with just a few supplies āœ‚ļø
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When I was a librarian, we would use these hanging bags to circulate books with audiobook CDs. They came to mind when I wanted to develop a filing cabinet-like system for my differently-sized WIPs. To fit in my studio closet, a standard bedroom closet, they just needed custom hangers. šŸ¤™šŸ» 
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HOW TO MAKE THE HANGERS
1. Carefully cut approx. a 9ā€ (23 cm) length of flexible 3 mm aluminum wire.
2. Near the end of a large knitting needle or dowel, wrap the wire around it as you would a twist tie. 
3. Bend the other end into a hook shape, perpendicular to the circle shape you just created. 
4. Hang like a hanger in a closet, as shown. 
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#handsoccupied #handmadelife #knitting_inspiration #craftcloset #craftroom #craftroomorganization #craftroomstorage #craftroomdecor #crocheter #latchhook #knittersofinstagram #wip #wips #hangingstorage
It’s time for the monthly review and giveaway! T It’s time for the monthly review and giveaway! This go around, get to know two new sister yarns from @manosyarnsusa, Marla and Sami, and enter to win a skein of each to try for yourself. 
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What makes these yarns sisters is that, while dyed differently, they’re the same weight and come in intentionally coordinating color palettes. For my review, I opted for a sky-inspired combo of Sami in Natural and Marla in Nube. šŸŒ§ļø 
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Check out the full review & enter the giveaway at the link in my bio. 
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#handsoccupied #yarnreview #manosdeluruguay #knitting_inspire #crochet #yarngiveaway #knitters #yarn #crochetersofinstagram
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