• 0 items$0.00
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Hands Occupied

Contemporary yarn crafts by Heidi Gustad. Knitting, crochet, latch hook and macrame.

  • BLOG
    • Knitting
    • Crochet
    • Latch Hook
    • Macramé
  • ABOUT
  • Shop
  • Studio
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

A Hard Knit Life

February 21, 2011 Leave a Comment

Well folks, it’s finally happened. After successfully knitting my first sweater, afghan, cabled hat/mitten/scarf set, and as of today, my first pair of socks, I’ve reached a new plateau of knitting skillz. Yes, with a z. In the process, I even learned to knit left-handed, a goal I didn’t think possible for a few years. Between the afghan and the socks, both of which I had hoped to finish by Christmas 2010, my tendinitis necessitated finish the afghan left-handed and the socks past deadline. In my ambidextrous excitement, I tried working on the microscopically-gauged socks (knitted on size 1 double-pointed needles) left-handed and totally failed. There’s only so much a person can do with their non-dominant hand in a short period of time.

I won’t bore you with more details than the above, but I thought I’d share some in-progress and completed pictures of my first pair of socks, which I started making right after Thanksgiving of 2010 and completed Sunday, February 20, 2011.

I mentioned finishing a few other first-ofs in the past year. My winter set was inspired by a Michigan brew, Short’s Huma Lupa Licious and was made using Stitch Nation Full O’ Sheep yarn. The sweater was my take on the Hey Teach pattern from Knitty and was made with Stitch Nation Bamboo Ewe yarn in periwinkle. Finally, the afghan was made with some Red Heart Fiesta yarn in cornmeal and was a pattern of my own creation.

I’ve made my own knitting patterns in the past, but my new goal is to learn how to get them down on more than miscellaneous scraps of graph paper. Later this week, I’ll begin the next leg of my knitting journey – pattern making. If anyone out there has tips for pattern-making, please leave a comment. Otherwise, wish me luck!

Filed Under: Inspiration, Knitting, Knitting & Crochet Tagged With: afghan, Knitting, mittens, ravelry, socks, sweater, yarn

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!

Previous Post: « Inspiration Thursday: Mad Men Luminaries
Next Post: How to: Brand Your Wedding »

Reader Interactions

DID YOU LIKE THIS POST?
Visit similar articles...

  • August means it's time to start casting on your fall and early winter accessories to get them done in time for cold weather to hit! Click through to find ten of the best new patterns released in August 2017.Things to Knit
  • Picks of the Week for October 28, 2016 | Hands OccupiedPicks of the Week
  • In Progress: Knitting My First Sock Heel In Progress: Knitting My First Sock Heel
  • Picks of the WeekPicks of the Week

DON’T MISS ANOTHER UPDATE

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

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

Hi! I’m Heidi, an author, yarn craft designer and content creator specializing in knitting, crochet, latch hook & macrame. My work unapologetically features primary colors and vintage-meets-modern style. My first book, Latch Hook: 12 Projects for the Modern Maker, is now available!

Professionally I’m most known for: advanced intarsia knitting design & modern latch hook design.

work with heidi

UPDATES BY EMAIL

Get a free pattern + biweekly updates sent to your inbox.

Let’s be friends!

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
Latch Hook by Heidi Gustad

Footer

INSTAGRAM

handsoccupied

Craft book author & content creator in love with primary colors & vintage vibes. / #latchhookbook out now!
.
knitting, crochet, latch hook & macramé

Heidi Gustad 🧶✂️
A new YouTube tutorial is live today covering how A new YouTube tutorial is live today covering how to knit the Little Butterfly Stitch (aka Bowknot Stitch). It adds so much cute character to simple stockinette. Only a little funky to knit, and it packs a huge visual punch! 🦋 
.
Find the video & written stitch pattern on the blog and YouTube, links are in bio. 
.
#kpambassadorsfeb21 #sponsored
.
Yarn: @kelbournewoolens Germantown in Baby Blue via @knit_picks. Needles: Prism Interchangeables, also from Knit Picks. 
.
Pictured: a light blue swatch of Little Butterfly Stitch knitting on a pink background. A skein of yarn and a few stitches of knitting are nearby.
“You’re telling me words can be pronounced in “You’re telling me words can be pronounced in different ways and mean the same things?!” 👀 Posting this here, just to make it clear: when anyone says skayne, skeen, or skyne, it can be safely assumed we’re talking about a bundle o’ yarn,  a SKEIN. It’s not necessary to shame someone for using a word that is known to have MULTIPLE common pronunciations. 🧶
.
.
Can you plz comment sharing how you say SKEIN and where you learned it? The OED happens to say SKAYNE, but it’s not a personal attack if someone says SKEEN and you say SKYNE or even Saskatoon. I’m legitimately curious. We don’t all knit or crochet the same way, and craft evolves a bit like language - it is passed on. There is so much value in having conversations about & embracing these variations! ✌🏻
.
Pictured: A blond woman holds a skein of mustard yellow yarn up to her head like a phone, looking shocked. She’s wearing glasses & a knit sweater. 
.
#handsoccupied #heidigustad #skein #yarn #yarncraft #knit #crochet #yarnaddict #knitincolor #soldotnacrop #language #englishisweird #oed #oxfordenglishdictionary
Sometimes my weekend projects involve hair rather Sometimes my weekend projects involve hair rather than yarn. Here’s the latest mediocre-but-improving result of my slow quest to learn to set vintage inspired curls. 💇🏼‍♀️ I’m hoping to be able to wash my hair less using a regular vintage set, but we’ll see if it ends up being practical. 😆 Hair frustrates me so much more than crafts! 
.
Do you also style your hair using vintage methods? If you have any tips for vintage hair styling or good resources to share, please do!
I suppose this is one way to decide what yarn colo I suppose this is one way to decide what yarn color suits your pooch. 😆 Navy really might be Woodrow‘s color - what do you think? 
.
Pictured: A medium sized, brown, senior dog asleep on a green bed. For some reason a donut ball of navy wool yarn sits on his head.
The first stitch tutorial of the new year is live The first stitch tutorial of the new year is live on YouTube! Diamond Brocade is a great knit+purl only stitch for beginners or anyone wanting a classic look for their knitting project. Find the video with a written stitch pattern on the blog or head directly to the video on YouTube. Both are linked in bio. ✌🏻 
#kpambassadorsfeb21 #sponsored
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Copyright © 2021 / Foodie Pro Theme On Genesis Framework / Branding by Ink + Mortar
All Site & Shop Policies / Privacy Policy / Cookie Policy