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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. 

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! 😆 ) 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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

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 😆). 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. 

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 😅, 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 (she/her) is a craft book author & designer specializing in yarn crafts. Her work combines vintage and modern design elements, prioritizing color and graphic motifs. 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 ❤️

    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), and I’ve been helping yarn crafters untangle various techniques on the internet since 2010. I got my start here, as a blogger, and since then I’ve shared more than a few tutorials here and on YouTube as I’ve grown as a pattern designer. 🧶 

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Heidi Gustad 🧶 knitting & yarn crafts

handsoccupied

Knitting & yarn crafts designer 🧶
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Stay up-to-date 💌 & shop new patterns ⤵️

POV: Showing you how my new Bevelled Tank pattern POV: Showing you how my new Bevelled Tank pattern fits with no ease vs. 4” of positive ease. There’s a bit more length to the cotton (brighter color) sample, but both are cropped and feature shoulder seams designed to sit an inch back onto the shoulder instead of on top, giving it a little swing. Length is easily adjustable for folks looking for less of a crop. 
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Pattern: Bevelled Tank by @handsoccupied for @pompommag x @hobbii_yarn summer 2024. Available for free from Hobbii at the 🔗 in my profile.
Yarn pictured: @kelbournewoolens Skipper and Camper. 
Dress form is adjusted to a 36” chest and ~5’3”ish in height. 
Human has a 40” chest and is 5’5”.
Both skirts are vintage.
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#pompomxhobbiisummer2024 #handsoccupied #intarsia #handmade #knitting #colorwork
Let’s talk about fit and ease! . During the Beve Let’s talk about fit and ease!
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During the Bevelled Tank design process for @pompommag, I knit 2 samples using 2 different @KelbourneWoolens yarns. One was in Skipper (100% cotton, second photo) and the other was in Camper (100% 2 ply wool). The Skipper sample was knit for a 36” bust, which measures in at 40” with 4” of positive ease. And I knit the Camper Sample for my 40” bust with a 44” finished measurement. (BTW, I’m 5’5” for folks that find that measurement helpful in visualizing fit.)
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Based on the size chart for the Bevelled Tank, that means I knit one size 3 sample and one size 4. As designed, I conveniently fit a size 4 as intended with 4” of positive ease. When I wear the 3, there is no ease at all because the garment and my body are both 40” in size. Comparing the 2 garments, you can see how the fiber content (cotton vs. wool) and fit (no ease vs. 4” of positive ease) makes a difference in the look and feel of the finished garment. 
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These samples are a great way to compare what ease looks like on different bodies. While I can fit both a size 3 and 4, the garment with no ease feels more like pajamas or a bralette when I wear it. On the other hand, when I wear the one with 4” of positive ease, I feel comfortable enough to wear it to work, even as a crop top. Plus, it leaves me with enough room to layer it with a nice button down if I’m not feeling the cropped look one day. 
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I’m curious - how would you style this tank? Would you modify it with a few stockinette rows for added length? I’m so curious now that this pattern is finally out in the world. :) 
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#pompomxhobbiisummer2024 #bevelledtank #handsoccupied #knitting #intarisa #handmade #kelbournewoolens #croppedsweater #summerknits
After a 6 month hiatus, I am happy to say I’m ba After a 6 month hiatus, I am happy to say I’m back with a brand new pattern in 9 sizes, and it’s FREE as part of @pompommag x @hobbii_yarn’s summer design collection! (Link is in my bio.)
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In my December newsletter, I announced that I was soliciting test knitters for a pattern that had originally been selected for the summer ’24 issue of Pom Pom Quarterly magazine. However, the magazine ceased publication after its spring ’24 issue, leaving in-progress designs unpublished. (It happens.) As a result, I’d begun the long process of editing, testing, and photographing the pattern for independent release through the Hands Occupied pattern shop and Ravelry.
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Before I was done with that process, Pom Pom Quarterly’s former editors reached out with an exciting proposal for the pattern. Post-magazine, they’ve begun to partner with yarn companies to produce high quality pattern collections. They wanted to include designs from the would-be current issue of Pom Pom Quarterly in a new collection for Hobbii yarn, including my Bevelled Tank. I worked with the same technical editors I would have for the magazine on this one, and as you can see from the photos, Pom Pom’s team did an amazing job of styling the garment to the beautiful standards they’re known for.
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You can learn more about the pattern on my blog and get the free pattern from Hobbii yarn - links to both in my profile. I’ll post sizing info in the comments for quick reference too. 🧶
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#pompomxhobbiisummer2024 #knitting #intarsia #sponsored #colorworkknitting 
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Photos: @dianascarrunz 
Model: @angel.jade_
Here’s a nice throwback for you: my take on a vi Here’s a nice throwback for you: my take on a vintage knitting pattern from 1938 called the Fernlace Pullover. A pattern so nice, I knit it twice.
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Yellow version 💛: knit with Despondent Dyes’ Vintage Vixen Sport after attending a @squidneyknits vintage knitting retreat in 2019 & learning *so much*. Paired with a self-drafted circle skirt pattern. 
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Blue version 💙: knit with @eweeweyarns Ewe So Sporty in Sky Blue. Paired with the 1940s Boardwalk Duet sewing pattern from @decades_of_style 
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Head to my stories for 🔗🔗 to the handmade wardrobe blog posts I wrote about each take on the Fernlace Pullover, working with a vintage pattern, where to find vintage patterns (including the one I used), & some thoughts on sizing. 
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Image descriptions available in alt text. 
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#handsoccupied #handmadewardrobe #fernlacepullover #vintageknitting #vintageknittingpatterns #knitting_inspiration
Frogging is a word in the knitting world that mean Frogging is a word in the knitting world that means to rip out your knitting. It’s called frogging because frogs say “ribbit,” and when you’re tearing out your knitting, you will “rip it” out, and that sounds like ribbit. No really. 🐸 Did you know this fun fact? 
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P.S. I did like this design concept, but to make the pattern more knitter friendly as well as more wearable, I am making some tweaks to the construction. Excited to share when it’s ready! 🥰🧶
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Yarn: @blueskyfibers Woolstok North in Morning Frost & Highland Fleece 
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#handsoccupied #knitting #frogging #blueskyfibers #knittersofinstagram #blueskymakers #knittingvocabulary #bsfmakers #knitdesign
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