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Hands Occupied

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

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Crochet

All of the crochet patterns, tutorials and inspiration from the Blog. If there's a specific pattern you're hoping to find, the search bar at the top left might come in handy.

A set of free crochet patterns for making super cute milk and cookies ornaments for your Christmas tree. Click through for the free patterns.

Crochet Milk & Cookies Ornaments – 12 Ornaments of Christmas

December 23, 2015 Leave a Comment

Santa’s visit wouldn’t be complete without milk and cookies! Crochet a quick cup of milk to match the cookie ornament in this series. The two of them add the sweetest touch to any tree.

A pattern for a crochet Christmas tree ornament that works up super quick! Click through for the free pattern.

Crochet Christmas Tree – 12 Ornaments of Christmas

December 16, 2015 1 Comment

This super festive little tree is so simple, but you can tell right away that it’s supposed to be a Christmas tree. Decorated with scrap yarn and simple straight pins, this little crochet ornament comes together quick!

New Christmas and Hanukkah Crochet Videos from Hands Occupied & Blitsy! Click through to watch the free classes.

New Christmas and Hanukkah Crochet Videos!

December 10, 2015 Leave a Comment

I once again teamed up with discount craft supplier Blitsy to bring you a set of free video classes for their site. They’re high quality, and both projects I did for this year’s holiday season are quick, fun and beginner-friendly. If you’ve been meaning to pick up crochet, these videos are a great place to start.

A free crochet pattern for a quick and festive peppermint ornament. Click through for the free pattern!

Crochet Peppermint Ornament – 12 Ornaments of Christmas

December 7, 2015 Leave a Comment

Shifting gears to explicitly holiday vibes is the seventh ornament in our series, a crochet peppermint.

Crochet a teeny mug ornament for your Christmas tree! - Click through for the super-fast pattern that is great for the coffee or beer lover in your life!

Crochet Mug Ornament – 12 Ornaments of Christmas

December 3, 2015 3 Comments

Crochet up a tiny mug ornament in no time that works for the coffee addict, tea lover, or beer aficionado (picture a tall pint glass with white foam on top) on your list.

Crochet this sweet little bell ornament for your Christmas tree! - Click through for the free, quick & easy pattern!

Crochet Bell Ornament – 12 Ornaments of Christmas

November 30, 2015 Leave a Comment

I feel like bells were such a big part of midcentury holiday decorations, and you don’t seen them all that often these days. Well, bells make awesome holiday decor, and I’ve always been a sucker for midcentury Christmas anything. That’s why you’re getting this cute crochet bell pattern in today’s 12 ornaments of Christmas installment. Enjoy!

Eucalan Fiber Wash Review & Giveaway

Eucalan Fiber Wash Review & Giveaway

November 4, 2015 30 Comments

Eucalan is a fiber wash originally designed for woolens. The founder of Eucalan, Mary Ellen Edgar, invented Eucalan after discovering a no rinse laundry product in Australia. Living in the country necessitated being conscious of water consumption, so a no rinse laundry solution was perfect for her home.

Easy DIY touch screen gloves made with conductive yarn thimbles! Click through for the free knitting and crochet patterns, plus a tutorial on how to assemble your gloves.

Easy DIY Touchscreen Gloves

September 21, 2015 2 Comments

Colder temps mean that whipping out your phone to check a text can be a chilly business. There are a lot of touchscreen gloves on the market, but why not DIY some, especially since there’s a such a thing as conductive yarn these days!

A free crochet pattern & tutorial for granny square throw pillows!

Granny Throw Pillows

April 6, 2015 4 Comments

I wanted to incorporate more knitting and crochet into my home decor this year, so I recently whipped up this pair of granny throw pillows to add some color, texture and classic kitsch to my living room.

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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

Helping yarn crafters untangle various techniques on the internet since 2010
🧶 Really into intarsia
Stay up-to-date 💌 & shop the latest patterns ⤵️

Heidi Gustad 🧶 knitting & yarn crafts
Wow! I am floored by the awesome response to the S Wow! I am floored by the awesome response to the Spiral Hill Sweater Vest. Thank you. 🙏🏻❤️ If you love this pattern & didn’t know already, we are going to be doing a knit along (KAL) from October 1-29 featuring this spooky sweater vest & lots of tutorials, especially for the intarsia part. 
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Later today my newsletter will be coming out with additional Knit Along details, so if you’re not already signed up, now is a great time - the 🔗 is in my b1o. 
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Pictured: My Spiral Hill Sweater Vest pattern from the new Nightmare Before Christmas knitting book by @tanisknits. Model is wearing size 1 with 2” of positive ease, knit in @brooklyntweed Imbue Worsted. Vest images via @insighteditions 
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#spiralhillsweatervest #handsoccupied #nightmarebeforechristmasknittingbook
At long last! I can share the Spiral Hill Sweater At long last! I can share the Spiral Hill Sweater Vest, my contribution to the new book Disney Tim Burton’s Nightmare Before Christmas: The Official Knitting Guide to Halloween Town and Christmas Town, out now! 🎃💀 
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I’m hosting a knit along (KAL) October 1-29 for anyone who’d like to knit this vest along with a group & learn a little about intarsia while we’re at it. I’ve got weekly tutorials planned to help you knit this worsted weight sweater vest, and there’s a prize package giveaway at the end for KAL participants too. Details are on my site - you know where to find the 🔗 I think. 😉
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Book by @tanisknits 
Publisher @insighteditions 
Yarn @brooklyntweed Imbue 
Find it wherever fine books are sold. 
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#handsoccupied #nightmarebeforechristmas #intarsia #sweatervest #knittingpattern #knittingbook #spiralhill #knitting_inspiration #knitting
Since there was some interest in stills of my WIPs Since there was some interest in stills of my WIPs closet after this weekend’s quick tutorial, here are few. ✂️ The tutorial is one post back in my feed as a video.
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As you can see, I didn’t worry about the wire hangers all being perfectly uniform, but it doesn’t matter to me. Also, this closet holds a lot! Despite that, it is already at capacity. Since the hanging bags don’t appear to be recyclable, I want to reuse them as long as possible. Who knows, maybe this will be a way to limit my WIPs? 😅
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P.s. In the third photo you can see how I use this system to store the original swatches, scraps, yarn ball bands, & notes from a design project all together. 
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#handsoccupied #wips #craftstorage #yarnstorage #yarncrafts #knitting_inspiration #craftstudio #craftroom #craftcloset
How to convert a closet into WIPs storage with jus How to convert a closet into WIPs storage with just a few supplies ✂️
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When I was a librarian, we would use these hanging bags to circulate books with audiobook CDs. They came to mind when I wanted to develop a filing cabinet-like system for my differently-sized WIPs. To fit in my studio closet, a standard bedroom closet, they just needed custom hangers. 🤙🏻 
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HOW TO MAKE THE HANGERS
1. Carefully cut approx. a 9” (23 cm) length of flexible 3 mm aluminum wire.
2. Near the end of a large knitting needle or dowel, wrap the wire around it as you would a twist tie. 
3. Bend the other end into a hook shape, perpendicular to the circle shape you just created. 
4. Hang like a hanger in a closet, as shown. 
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#handsoccupied #handmadelife #knitting_inspiration #craftcloset #craftroom #craftroomorganization #craftroomstorage #craftroomdecor #crocheter #latchhook #knittersofinstagram #wip #wips #hangingstorage
It’s time for the monthly review and giveaway! T It’s time for the monthly review and giveaway! This go around, get to know two new sister yarns from @manosyarnsusa, Marla and Sami, and enter to win a skein of each to try for yourself. 
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What makes these yarns sisters is that, while dyed differently, they’re the same weight and come in intentionally coordinating color palettes. For my review, I opted for a sky-inspired combo of Sami in Natural and Marla in Nube. 🌧️ 
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Check out the full review & enter the giveaway at the link in my bio. 
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#handsoccupied #yarnreview #manosdeluruguay #knitting_inspire #crochet #yarngiveaway #knitters #yarn #crochetersofinstagram
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