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Hands Occupied

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

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Hands Occupied Studio is Open!

February 6, 2019 Leave a Comment

The Hands Occupied Studio is now open! See the finished space, read about the Studio Warming party, and share your ideas for workshops and events you'd like to see!

Man, the last two weeks have been some for the books! I finished moving into the Hands Occupied Studio, hosted a sold out live show for the Very Serious Crafts podcast, attempted to keep up with my regular work, and held a Studio Warming party …. oh wait. All of that? That was all on my plate before the coldest polar vortex-induced temps in 25 years hit Chicago.

Fun fact: It was so cold out when I washed the outside of my studio windows that the cleaning solution froze & left streaks! 

The Hands Occupied Studio is now open! See the finished space, read about the Studio Warming party, and share your ideas for workshops and events you'd like to see!
The Hands Occupied Studio is now open! See the finished space, read about the Studio Warming party, and share your ideas for workshops and events you'd like to see!
The Hands Occupied Studio is now open! See the finished space, read about the Studio Warming party, and share your ideas for workshops and events you'd like to see!

The Studio Warming Party!

Take a look inside the new Hands Occupied Studio in Chicago, learn about when it's open to the public, and share your ideas for workshops and events you'd like to see in the new space! #handsoccupiedstudio
Just a few of the friendly faces who made it out to the Studio Warming party this week!

Last Friday night we thoroughly warmed the Hands Occupied Studio. We had about 3 dozen folks in and out during the open house style soiree, and I’m so grateful to each and every one of you for taking the time and braving the cold to be there. We all contributed to a giant community weaving project as the first official creative act in the space, we had snacks and drinks, folks brought knit and crochet WIPs, and it was hopping! It was such a special evening. I can’t wait to see how Hands Occupied Studio will grow and evolve over time!

The Hands Occupied Studio is now open! See the finished space, read about the Studio Warming party, and share your ideas for workshops and events you'd like to see!
The best weaving power stance of the night!
The Hands Occupied Studio is now open! See the finished space, read about the Studio Warming party, and share your ideas for workshops and events you'd like to see!
The current status of our community weaving – come help us work on it this month during Craft Nights! :)

What’s next for the Studio?

While I first pursued a studio space to, you know, use as a place to do my design and other creative work, I also really envision it as an opportunity to foster a community of crafters. We’re starting slowly with weekly open Craft Nights (more on that below), which will take the place of last year’s monthly Meet Ups. Then I want to expand to include a monthly weekend Crafternoon, requested by folks who can’t come in to the city on weeknights, as well as out-of-towners who want to come visit. In addition to open crafting, there will be workshops, private lessons, guest instructors and more. If you’ve got any ideas for things you’d like to see in the Hands Occupied Studio, or if you’re interested in collaborating on something with the space, drop me a line at heidi-at-handsoccupied-dot-com. I very sincerely would love to hear your ideas. ❤️

Craft Night every Wednesday!

Tonight is our first open Craft Night from 6-9 p.m. at Hands Occupied Studio. (We’re at 3323 W Diversey Ave. #1 in Chicago. All crafts are welcome, and feel free to bring any snacks and drinks to share.) Mark your calendars! We’ll be doing this open Craft Night every Wednesday unless otherwise posted. I’ll make Facebook events for each of them as well as posting them to the Events page on this site, though RSVPing is optional.

The Hands Occupied Studio is now open! See the finished space, read about the Studio Warming party, and share your ideas for workshops and events you'd like to see!
The Hands Occupied Studio is now open! See the finished space, read about the Studio Warming party, and share your ideas for workshops and events you'd like to see!

Before I go, I wanted to once again say that I’m so grateful for the Chicago crafting community. Y’all showed up on Friday after a hell week of terrible weather, and I couldn’t have been more humbled by and truly grateful for the support. See you at Craft Night! :)

Filed Under: Hands Occupied Studio, Workshops & Events Tagged With: chicago, craft night, craft workshop, crochet studio, hands occupied studio, knitting studio, logan square

About Heidi

Heidi Gustad is an artist, author and crafts designer specializing in knitting, crochet, latch hook and macrame. In addition to running the Hands Occupied Blog and Pattern Shop, you can find her making videos & co-hosting the Very Serious Crafts podcast.

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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.

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

Heidi Gustad 🧶✂️
Head to the link in bio for an update on my 2021 p Head to the link in bio for an update on my 2021 plans for Hands Occupied. The two words that best describe this post are self-care and boundaries. 😜 
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Much love to everyone who sent supportive messages about taking time off and creative burnout. I often deflect with humor, but it was genuinely touching to connect with folks who understand. I’ll have something new for y’all later this week, so stay tuned! ❤️💛💙 
#handsoccupied 
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Pictured: An unblocked pile of four striped sweater panels in primary colors sitting on a blanket in my lap.
There’s an update on the blog today, & it’s ab There’s an update on the blog today, & it’s about how I’m going to take the next 2 weeks off to rest & recharge. ☺️🧶 No new content for y’all means I can also take a moment to zoom out & plan what’s next. Link is in bio. 
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A note on Very Serious Crafts: In the post I discuss stepping away from the @seriouscrafts podcast to give myself more time to devote to some minor medical issues. Don’t you worry - my health will be fine, & @molliejohanson @redhandledscissors and I are still pals, and after a short break of their own, the podcast will be back! Just sans moi. 💁🏼‍♀️😆 
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See you in a couple weeks! ✌🏻#handsoccupied #knitdesign #craftdesign #sofadedsweater
Been a little quiet this holiday week, as it shoul Been a little quiet this holiday week, as it should be. ☺️🎄The past few days have been filled with a lot of catching up on festive zoom calls & raising toasts to the camera. 🥂 Connecting with people has been a welcome change of pace! Now I’m feeling ready to meet my inevitable end-of-year deadlines. 😆
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Warmest wishes for the season, my friends! ❤️💛💙
Hi, I’m Heidi, the craft book author & maker beh Hi, I’m Heidi, the craft book author & maker behind Hands Occupied! 👋🏻 I’ve been enjoying making Reels a lot lately, but I wanted to bop in to share a regular photo & say hello. 🤓 
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rather than giving you my bio right now, I have a question. I just got this new sweater & I can’t stop imaging how funny it would be to wear this to a knitting class ... is that bad? 🤣🤣🤣
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Pictured: a blond woman with glasses wearing a sweater that reads “all your sweaters are ugly” standing in front of a Christmas tree.
Wet blocking, also called immersive blocking, is o Wet blocking, also called immersive blocking, is one of the most common methods for finishing a knitting project and helping ensure its final size and shape. Learn basic blocking for absolute beginners in an easy-to-follow (non-Reel!) video tutorial! Catch the tutorial on YouTube or the Hands Occupied Blog, link is in bio. 🧶 #handsoccupied #stopswatchandblockit #KPAmbassadorsDec20 #sponsored
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