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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 is a craft book author & content creator in love with primary colors & vintage vibes. She specializes in knitting, crochet, latch hook and macramé, and 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), a craft book author & pattern designer specializing in knitting, crochet, latch hook & macrame. Really anything with yarn! ❤️  My work combines vintage and modern design elements, featuring bold colors and graphic motifs.

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Craft book author & pattern designer ❤️💛💙
knitting, crochet, latch hook & macramé
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Please email for pattern support. 🧶

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How to to knit throwing (a.k.a. English) style . How to to knit throwing (a.k.a. English) style 
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In knitting, there are a few common knitting styles. Most often you’re going to encounter continental style and English (throwing) style on your knitting journey. I recently had an old video teaching continental style get a lot of views. Based on the comments, it was clear the people wanted to also see a throwing tutorial, so here you go! 🧶
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Please note that there is a LOT of variation in knitting styles, and one isn’t necessarily better than another. Most often, I’ve found it comes down to two things: how you were taught and whether or not you’re really into colorwork knitting (which can involve a mix of styles). 
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Longer-term knitters who’ve made it this far: do you prefer one over the other? And why? 
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#handsoccupied #englishknitting #learntoknit #knitting #howtoknit #knittersofinstagram #knitting_inspiration
How to do a one-step provisional knitting cast on How to do a one-step provisional knitting cast on / a.k.a. crochet provisional cast on, scrap yarn cast on
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I read recently that tiktok and Instagram are being used as search engines more and more. 🤔 I thought since I’m going to all the work of making tutorials on YouTube, I should experiment with making a quick version of them for other platforms. There are obvious teaching limitations to vertical video, short-form content like this, but I think I covered the gist of this cast on in a minute. The YouTube version also covers how to unzip this cast on because there was time for it 👍🏻 L1nk is in my profile. 
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I’m very much looking for feedback as I continue to make instructional knitting & craft videos. Sometimes good tutorials are hard to find, and (ideally polite) feedback helps me improve. 
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#handsoccupied #provisionalcaston #knitting #knititngtutorial #knittersofinstagram #crochethook #knittingtutorial
For the first time in a long time, there’s a new For the first time in a long time, there’s a new tutorial from Hands Occupied! 🎉 The video is live on YouTube & the blog. 
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The post covers what provisional cast ons are & how they differ, and the video covers how to work a one-step provisional cast on using scrap yarn and a crochet hook. (This is a great one to save for future reference.)
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I learned several names for this method while researching this video & post. Crochet provisional cast on, one-step cast on, scrap yarn cast on - if you know even more names for this technique, please share! 
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#handsoccupied #provisionalcaston #knitting #scrapyarn #crochethook
Working on a sample for some upcoming videos. It’s an overcast day with intermittent sunshine & I have a scruffy little sidecar. 🐶 Can’t complain! 
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What’s on your needles this week? 
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Yarn: @debbieblissknits Cashmerino Aran 
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#handsoccupied #knitting #knittinglife
Peg boards and craft room organization go together Peg boards and craft room organization go together like peanut butter and jelly. So, as you can see, do latch hook tools and screwdriver organizers! 🪛 
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I think this trick translates to any tool with a thick handle, so leather working tools, punch needles, print making tools, etc. should work! What other tools am I, a needlecrafter, blanking on right now? 
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#craftorganization #handsoccupied #latchhook #latchhooking
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