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Hands Occupied

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

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Picks of the Year

December 29, 2017 2 Comments

Read about the top 10 posts from Hands Occupied in 2017. Did your favorites make the list?
It’s always so interesting looking back on a full year of work, especially when you do something like design knit and crochet patterns. 2017 has been my first year designing full time, and I have learned so much! There was a great deal going on in my personal life this year. Between tending to family (which, sorry not sorry, comes before my career), tending to my own physical and mental health, and working on shoring up the foundation Hands Occupied is built on as a business, I feel like I’ve made some amazing strides. Stuff’s been light on the blog this week as I take time to celebrate Christmas (again, family, duh), but I’m also dedicating time to reflecting on where the business is at and where it’s heading in 2018. I’m eager to keep growing as a designer and business owner, and I am so grateful for each and every one of you for being part of this journey!

Unsurprisingly, there are a lot of free patterns and useful tutorials on this year’s list. (Here’s the best of 2016 list in case you’re looking to compare the two.) They’re absolutely worth taking a peek at if you missed them on the first go ’round. Next week, we’re kicking off the new year with a survey for you guys to help me narrow down some of the ideas and plans I have for Hands Occupied. Don’t miss out on that – I want to make sure I hear from everyone I possibly can to ensure Hands Occupied keeps bringing you the knitting, crochet, yarn crafts, and more that you want to see! For now, let’s take a look at this year’s most-visited posts. :)

The best of 2017:

  1. Little Hats Big Hearts – An overview of a favorite charity knitting & crochet program.
  2. Lopi Tote – A free knitting pattern.
  3. Golden Check Infinity Scarf – A free knitting pattern.
  4. Le Pom Blanket – A free knitting pattern.
  5. Read Along Knit Along – Announcing the fall 2017 RALKAL featuring The Scarf of Dreams (knitting pattern) & The Night Circus (book).
  6. How to Increase & Decrease in Brioche – Knitting video tutorials.
  7. Grab ‘n Go Purse – A free crochet pattern.
  8. Candy Cane Ornament – A free knitting pattern.
  9. Knitting Needle Sizes & A Handy Conversion Chart – A guide to knitting needle sizing and how they vary.
  10. Kleenex Share Mitts – A free crochet pattern.

Here’s to 2018!! 

Filed Under: Inspiration Tagged With: 2017, free patterns, hands occupied top ten, picks of the year, top ten

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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Comments

  1. Louise Pozzi

    December 30, 2017 at 3:40 pm

    Heidi, I am trying to print the instructions for red hats for preemies and I really don’t want to print all 53 pages Please help me to print just the instructions. Thank you so much

    Reply
    • Heidi

      January 1, 2018 at 5:47 pm

      You have to copy and paste the pattern into a separate document if you want to print it without images. I am on the lookout for a good website plugin to make my free patterns on the blog printer-friendly, but haven’t yet found one that fits knitters’ and crocheters’ needs!

      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! ❤️  My work combines vintage and modern design elements, featuring bold colors and graphic motifs.

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handsoccupied

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

Heidi Gustad 🧶✂️
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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