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

Hands Occupied

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

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

    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • TikTok
    • YouTube

Handmade Wardrobe

Read about one knitter's Christmas inspired take on the Soldotna Crop sweater pattern by Caitlin Hunter, including tips for customizing for fit!

A Christmasy Soldotna Crop / Handmade Wardrobe

December 10, 2019 1 Comment

Read about one knitter’s Christmas inspired take on the Soldotna Crop sweater pattern by Caitlin Hunter, including tips for customizing for fit!

Read about how this intarsia jack-o'-lantern sweater came to be, and the joy of making exactly what you want to make, just for you.

Jack-O’-Lantern Sweater / Handmade Wardrobe

October 17, 2019 11 Comments

Have you ever just sat down and made something because you had a picture in your head of what you wanted to make? Read about how this intarsia jack-o’-lantern sweater came to be, and the joy of making exactly what you want to make, just for you.

Sewing the Mathilde Blouse: what worked? What didn't? And where can you find fun, fresh fabric to pair with some beautiful buttons for adding to your handmade wardrobe? This post has the answers.

Mathilde / Handmade Wardrobe

October 1, 2019 2 Comments

Sewing the Mathilde Blouse: what worked? What didn’t? And where can you find fun, fresh fabric to pair with some beautiful buttons for adding to your handmade wardrobe? This post has the answers.

Handmade beachwear is so much fun to make! Find tips for achieving a good fit when knitting from a vintage pattern, and take a look at a handmade, 1940s-inspired swim set.

Boardwalk Duet & Fernlace Pullover 2.0 / Handmade Wardrobe

August 21, 2019 4 Comments

Handmade beachwear is so much fun to make! Find tips for achieving a good fit when knitting from a vintage pattern, and take a look at a handmade, 1940s-inspired swim set.

Making a skirt from a favorite dress sewing pattern is easy! Get some easy tips for making half of your favorite dress in the latest edition of Handmade Wardrobe on Hands Occupied.

Simplicity 1803: Just the Skirt / Handmade Wardrobe

August 7, 2019 3 Comments

Making a skirt from a favorite dress sewing pattern is easy! Get some easy tips for making half of your favorite dress in the latest installment of Handmade Wardrobe on Hands Occupied.

Knittable in two weekends (really!), a short sleeved, worsted weight cardigan is a quick addition to a handmade wardrobe. Check out Heidi's modified take on the Myrna cardigan using Blue Sky Fibers' Woolstok yarn.

Stripey Myrna Sweater / Handmade Wardrobe

July 2, 2019 Leave a Comment

Knittable in two weekends (really!), a short sleeved, worsted weight cardigan is a quick addition to a handmade wardrobe. Check out Heidi’s modified take on the Myrna cardigan using Blue Sky Fibers’ Woolstok yarn.

Handmade Wardrobe / Learn the ins and outs, pros and cons of sewing the beginner-friendly ESP Dress from Decades of Style.

The ESP Dress / Handmade Wardrobe

May 29, 2019 4 Comments

Learn the ins and outs, pros and cons of sewing the beginner-friendly ESP Dress from Decades of Style.

Handmade Wardrobe: Simplicity 1803. Sometimes stash-diving results in a fun dress that teaches you a thing or two about ease and fit. Click to check out the pros and cons of making Simplicity pattern 1803, and get some practical sewing advice from Grandma while you're at it!

Simplicity 1803 / Handmade Wardrobe

May 22, 2019 Leave a Comment

Sometimes stash-diving results in a fun dress that teaches you a thing or two about ease and fit. Click to check out the pros and cons of making Simplicity pattern 1803, and get some practical sewing advice from Grandma while you’re at it!

Handmade Wardrobe: The TLC Caftan from Decades of Style. Is this pattern right for you? Read about easy moments, challenging moments, and lessons learned in the process of sewing this advanced beginner-friendly pattern.

The TLC Caftan / Handmade Wardrobe

May 14, 2019 Leave a Comment

Handmade Wardrobe: Is the TLC Caftan pattern from Decades of Style right for you? Read about easy moments, challenging moments, and lessons learned in the process of sewing this advanced beginner-friendly pattern.

  • Go to page 1
  • Go to page 2
  • Go to Next Page »

Primary Sidebar

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.

EMAIL NEWSLETTER

Never miss a tutorial with these short & sweet monthly updates.

Find Me on Social Media

  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • TikTok
  • YouTube
Latch Hook by Heidi GustadDiscover Unique Items

Footer

INSTAGRAM

handsoccupied

Craft book author, designer & creator specializing in yarn crafts like knitting, crochet, latch hook & macramé
❤️ Email preferred

Heidi Gustad 🧶✂️
Weekend knitting design aftermath. Remember kids, Weekend knitting design aftermath. Remember kids, it’s always good to stop, swatch and block it. 🧶
.
#stopswatchandblockit #handsoccupied
Learn how to do the magic loop method for knitting Learn how to do the magic loop method for knitting in the round in 90 seconds. / Using the magic loop allows knitters to work in the round with a single, long circular needle at a range of circumferences. 
.
For a longer, full-width & more detailed overview of magic loop knitting, check out my u2be & b1og, the 🔗🔗 are where you’d think. 🧶
.
#handsoccupied #magicloop #knitting #howtoknit #learntoknit #knitter #knittinginspiration #knittinginstagram #knittingintheround
Since it won’t be clean for long, swipe to see w Since it won’t be clean for long, swipe to see what my home studio looks like these days. Nothing will ever quite be like the old Hands Occupied Studio, but I’m pretty pleased with how I shoehorned everything in this space. Function over form + a layer of yarn cuteness-meets-chaos is how I’d describe my creative space needs. 😆 When I was still renting the studio, those needs included “doesn’t rain suspicious brown water from a crack in the ceiling for a year,” so this is an improvement! 😆
.
For a time lapse of the studio organizing and tszuj-ing process, scroll down a couple posts on my feed. (There’s also a video or two featuring the old studio if you’re curious.) Happy June, friends! 
.
#handsoccupied #handsoccupiedstudio #knitdesigner #craftdesign #yarncrafts #latchhook #makerlife #heidigustad #chicagocrafter
Who doesn’t love magic loop knitting? Who doesn’t know what it is? How about when circular needles were invented?
.
In todays new bl0g post + video tutorial, you’ll learn about the magic loop method for knitting in the round, how to do it and why to use it, and when it came to be. The 🔗 is in my b1o. 🧶 
.
#handsoccupied #magicloop #knitting #howtoknit #knittinginspiration #knittingintheround
Finally organizing & putting the finishing touches Finally organizing & putting the finishing touches on my home studio. After losing my studio space last fall, it’s feels really great to *occupy* this new space all the way. 😉
.
I started by removing general clutter & returning straggler supplies from various WIPs, videos & design deadlines to their homes. Next, I hung a third peg board in the space - this one is mostly for display and less for organizing tools or projects. For the first time ever, I’m displaying projects from my book, plus a couple other faves. (The best thing about designing more yarn crafts besides knit & crochet is that I have some really fun -and delightfully pettable 😆- samples around.) I finished by adding a square dowel to my small supply storage tower to keep it from tipping over, plus re-arranging and de-cluttering the closet. 
.
This cleaner space already has me feeling so much more creative and less overwhelmed. Now to find a safe spot in the basement for the tower of project samples in Rubbermaid tubs I liberated from my WIPs closet. Also why are there five?! 
.
Here’s to keeping it clean for a few weeks! 🧶 
.
#handsocupied #handsoccupiedstudio #craftroom #craftroomorganization #craftroomstorage #yarncraft #knitter #crocheter #latchhook #latchhookbook
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Copyright © 2023 / Foodie Pro Theme On Genesis Framework / Branding by Ink + Mortar
All Site & Shop Policies / Privacy Policy / Cookie Policy