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Hands Occupied

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

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DIY Style

DIY Pencil Clutch - Get the tutorial at handsoccupied.com

DIY Pencil Clutch

August 25, 2014 19 Comments

A couple years ago, I made a clutch using rulers and felt that I am still pretty excited about and use all the time. Since I can’t get enough of all things bookish, I recently got the notion in my head to take the school supply clutch concept to the next level with pencils and a slightly different structure, and I think I might love this one even more!

Crochet T-shirt Yarn Tote Pattern at HandsOccupied.com

Crochet T-shirt Yarn Tote

August 11, 2014 18 Comments

I’m loving how this new pattern turned out, you guys! It’s an easy crochet tote pattern, perfect for summer. Roughly 16x16x8 inches, it holds a ton of stuff for the perfect summer day hitting up the farmer’s market, the library or the beach. This chunky bag is an awesome & fun way to use fabric yarn if you’ve never tried it, and the pattern is great for beginners!

Chevron Sunglasses Case Knitting Pattern at handsoccupied.com

Chevron Sunglasses Case Knitting Pattern

July 17, 2014 14 Comments

What says summer knitting better than a quickie little sunglass case pattern? Grab a nice little ball of yarn leftover from one of your winter cowls, a couple of needles, and you’ve got yourself the perfect single-sitting beach knitting pattern. Or if it’s a rainy day, pop in a movie and you can make this start to finish in an hour or two. AND you can immediately use the finished case since it’s still summer. Like I said – summer knitting perfection. ;)

Twinkle in Your Eye Sunglasses at handsoccupied.com

Twinkle in Your Eye Sunglasses

June 30, 2014 Leave a Comment

This DIY is so simple, easy and fun, you might just be tempted to make five pairs for yourself and one for each of your friends. Inspired by the glint in a hollywood cartoon smile and the twinkle in a mischievous eye, these cheeky sunglasses will add a pinch of fun flair to your summer wardrobe!

Cross Body Phone Case Pattern with T-shirt Yarn at handsoccupied.com

Cross Body Phone Case Pattern

June 24, 2014 1 Comment

This design was inspired by summer days at the beach, by vacations spent riding bikes in flip flops. Those amazing days when all you need is a little pouch for your phone, money and keys that wears close to the body to stay out of the way. I made this pouch with one t-shirt’s worth of DIY yarn, and it came together in no time.

Fleur de lis Bar Ring at Hands Occupied

Fleur de lis Bar Ring

April 21, 2014 2 Comments

This ring is fun to make and accessorize with. Bar rings can be a little challenging to DIY, but they’re so rad! Plus the copper color and fleur de lis design are totally hardcore, which makes this fun too. So heat up your glue guns and grab some strong adhesive to whip up a bar ring of your own.

Robin's Egg Nest Bracelet at Hands Occupied

Robin’s Egg Nest Bracelet

April 9, 2014 3 Comments

I just don’t have enough springy jewelry in my wardrobe, and this subtle, colorful bracelet makes me think of something I’d find at an indie craft fair or an indie online shop. You know, a bold piece you don’t see a gillion variations of walking down the street. And that’s just my style!

Dimensional Easter Egg Earrings DIY at Hands Occupied

Dimensional Easter Egg Earrings

April 2, 2014 Leave a Comment

I feel like Ms. Frizzle would 100% wear these earrings given half a chance. They’re about as festive as it gets, and they involve ribbon and sparkle. I’m a huge DIY accessory lover, and part of what I love is making accessories you might not find in stores. These, admittedly are totally cray, but for something I’ll wear for fun to an Easter brunch or egg hunt? Heck yes I’m going to hang a couple of sparkle Easter eggs on my ears! Maybe I’ll even pair them with my astro turf Peter Pan collar…

Crochet Ring DIY with Free Pattern at Hands Occupied

Crochet Rings

March 24, 2014 11 Comments

These simple crocheted rings are made with a fun yarn and just a few rows of single crochet, and they’re completely addictive. Check out my free pattern for them as well as tips for getting started.

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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 🧶✂️
When you have four big skeins of pretty 2 ply yarn When you have four big skeins of pretty 2 ply yarn, you immediately think sweater, right? 
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My wardrobe could use another handmade sweater - I’m thinking something simple, seamed and with a decent amount of ease for potentially wearing tucked in with jeans or skirts. 🤔 
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Yarn: @universal_yarn Fibra Natura Cobblestone in Antarctica and Dragon’s Breath, wound in thick skeins of 100% superwash wool that’s a light DK weight.
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
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