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Hands Occupied

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

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5, 4, 3, 2, 1 Things

August 11, 2011 1 Comment

Craftzine recently featured a series of posts called 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 Things. They encouraged other bloggers & crafters to answer their series of question at their own sites, so I thought I’d hop on board. Here are my 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 Things:

Heidi & Ed Sign

One Project You Are Particularly Proud Of

The project I think I’m most proud of is probably the light up banner at my wedding. That project was an original idea, and it’s one of the first tutorials I did for Hands Occupied that was featured at a widely-read blog. I can’t wait to see other people (not just brides) take the idea and run with it.

Two Mistakes You’ve Made in the Past

1. Not realizing the necessity of great photography in craft blogging. My biggest goal for the remainder of 2012 is to stop using my iPhone 4 camera for blog content.

2. Working too fast. Sometimes my most exciting ideas come while I’m working, but in particular, they come when I’m taking enough time to self-reflect while working.

Choc eggs

Three Things That Make Your Work Unique
1. I have only being crafting in the quasi-public sphere for 11 months. My newbieness helps inform a fresh perspective on blogging & crafting.

2. My family is from the plains and has a long, long history of crafting and making. I have this piece of my personality that is insatiably practical, which leads ms to look at nontraditional materials and think of interesting ways to use them in crafts.

3. I love learning how to use new mediums and techniques. This helps keep my crafts interesting.

Hole punch

Four Tools You Love to Use
1. My iPad: my new favorite way to search for inspiration online. Getting to touch the screen helps me feel more connected to what I’m seeing than a mouse and keyboard.

2. Hardware & building tools: there’s something about making something small & cute that involves a hammer that makes me laugh every time.

3. Nontraditional supplies: whenever I can recycle or upcycle stuff I have around the house, I am happy. It’s that North Dakotan practicality thing at work. I also keep a “goody bag” of crap I don’t want to throw away that might have a craft use some day. But also being a librarian, I make sure to weed the goody bag from time to time to avoid a total mess.

4. My hands! ;)

The Making of the Pinup Girl at Fashionising

Five Inspirations
1. Andrea of Blonde Bedhead. A fashion blogger who moved to Chicago from Lansing, MI around the same time I did. Seeing her really make an impact from Lansing inspired me to finally take the plunge in to blogging.

2. Megan from Studio MME: my 5th grade friend-turned brilliant illustrator & artist. Nothing gets her down.

3. Craftzine: I started reading Craftzine a number of years ago they really turned me on to what was happening in the modern world of crafting. They are always sharing innovate & creative ideas.

4. My family. This fall, I’m going to start featuring “my family’s crafts.” My parents, grandparents and great-grandparents made everything from DIY wine & rosaries (Catholic upbringing what what!) to gorgeous quilts and woodworking. Guess which grandchild is winding up with a lot of the trinkets accumulated over the years? I think this will be a great way to preserve and share their history and work. The best part? One of my grandmas asked me one day, “so what’s this Internet I hear so much about?” Now, she’ll be featured on it.

5. This isn’t supposed to be a cop-out, but I’m really inspired by people who work really hard. Other bloggers, Etsy sellers and silent readers all make this weird, crafty circle of the Internet keep going. I rarely run in to spammers, plagiarists, or haters (knock on wood). Everyone in the crafting community is so nice and supportive. It’s awesome.

5.4.3.2.1. things about...

Filed Under: Inspiration Tagged With: 5 4 3 2 1 things, craft magazine, Craftzine, inspiration, make, work

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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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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Latch Hook by Heidi Gustad

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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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