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Hands Occupied

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

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How-to: Balloon Garland

September 23, 2013 9 Comments

How-to: Balloon Garland | Hands Occupied

I can’t believe it. Yesterday marks 3 years since I decided to set up a little crafty website, just for fun. I never thought Hands Occupied would be more than a way to participate in the crafty internet world I loved following. My initial vision was simple: take some phone pics of projects I threw together and write up instructions on how I crafted them.

Since the blog’s start in 2010, I have gotten married, learned a little bit about photography, and blogged hundreds of DIYs. In honor of the big day, I’ve got a super simple (and affordable) DIY balloon garland to share with you all. Thank you, dear wonderful readers, for coming back again and again to check out my whacky and colorful craft project ideas. It means a lot that people appreciate what comes out of my crazy head.

Supplies

balloons
scissors
yarn

How-to: Balloon Garland | Hands Occupied

Directions

Blow up several balloons and tie them off. Cut a piece of yarn a few feet longer than the length you’d like the finished garland to be. Also cut several pieces of 4 inch-long yarn, one for each balloon. Tie a piece of string to a balloon.

How-to: Balloon Garland | Hands Occupied

Tie the balloon to the long piece of yarn with a square knot.

How-to: Balloon Garland | Hands Occupied

Tie many more balloons to the long yarn with the same method.

How-to: Balloon Garland | Hands Occupied

Push all of the balloons together so they cluster.

How-to: Balloon Garland | Hands Occupied

Ta da! That’s it. Since yarn is fibrous, it acts kind of like velcro and grips to itself, which is part of why the balloons stay in place.

How-to: Balloon Garland | Hands Occupied

For those of you not in the know, I’m a librarian too. I developed the balloon garland idea when given the task of decorating for my branch’s grand opening last month. The budget was basically $3. Here’s what I made with 50 dollar store balloons, yarn, and two hours. I may or may not have blistered the living daylights out of my left middle finger tying all those balloons in a row, but I think it was worth it:

How-to: Balloon Garland | Hands Occupied

Are we friends on Instagram yet?

Filed Under: How-to, Parties Tagged With: balloon craft, balloon garland, birthday, birthday party craft, cheap, craft, crafts, diy, hands occupied, parties, simple, yarn

About Heidi

Heidi Gustad (she/her) is a craft book author & designer specializing in yarn crafts. Her work combines vintage and modern design elements, prioritizing color and graphic motifs. Her first book, Latch Hook: 12 Projects for the Modern Maker, is out now.

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Comments

  1. Rachel | 52 Weeks Project

    September 23, 2013 at 5:49 pm

    Yay, happy blog birthday! You nailed it with that balloon garland. Your branch is lucky to have you :)

    Reply
  2. Mimi

    September 27, 2013 at 6:03 am

    That is adorable!! Great for any party! Thanks for sharing :)

    Reply
  3. Laura / The Shed blog by Pet Scribbles

    September 30, 2013 at 8:57 am

    Happy 3rd bloggy birthday, Heidi! I love your blog, and this latest balloon garland is but one example of why! :)

    Reply
  4. Naila

    January 4, 2014 at 4:50 am

    really I say thanks a lot to you :*

    Reply
  5. Lindsay

    January 9, 2016 at 2:02 pm

    I’m considering doing this for my daughters birthday but don’t know if it’s possible to do the night before? Do the balloons last?

    Reply
    • Heidi

      January 10, 2016 at 9:52 pm

      Hi Lindsay! I found this blog post about making balloons last longer – maybe it will help with your daughter’s party: https://ballooncrewsviews.wordpress.com/2014/06/16/15-tips-for-getting-balloons-to-last-longer-in-hot-weather/. Best of luck!

      Reply
  6. Lilly

    September 23, 2017 at 9:43 pm

    Hi where did u get that fun star confetti backdrop? Thanks!

    Reply
    • Heidi

      September 24, 2017 at 5:31 pm

      It’s just some fabric from the craft store! :)

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Party ideas : birthday balloons - Belle Bébés says:
    July 4, 2014 at 1:02 am

    […] this balloon garland from Hands Occupied would make a fun backdrop to the party […]

    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), and I’ve been helping yarn crafters untangle various techniques on the internet since 2010. I got my start here, as a blogger, and since then I’ve shared more than a few tutorials here and on YouTube as I’ve grown as a pattern designer. 🧶 

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Heidi Gustad 🧶 knitting & yarn crafts

handsoccupied

Knitting & yarn crafts designer 🧶
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Stay up-to-date 💌 & shop new patterns ⤵️

POV: Showing you how my new Bevelled Tank pattern POV: Showing you how my new Bevelled Tank pattern fits with no ease vs. 4” of positive ease. There’s a bit more length to the cotton (brighter color) sample, but both are cropped and feature shoulder seams designed to sit an inch back onto the shoulder instead of on top, giving it a little swing. Length is easily adjustable for folks looking for less of a crop. 
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Pattern: Bevelled Tank by @handsoccupied for @pompommag x @hobbii_yarn summer 2024. Available for free from Hobbii at the 🔗 in my profile.
Yarn pictured: @kelbournewoolens Skipper and Camper. 
Dress form is adjusted to a 36” chest and ~5’3”ish in height. 
Human has a 40” chest and is 5’5”.
Both skirts are vintage.
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#pompomxhobbiisummer2024 #handsoccupied #intarsia #handmade #knitting #colorwork
Let’s talk about fit and ease! . During the Beve Let’s talk about fit and ease!
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During the Bevelled Tank design process for @pompommag, I knit 2 samples using 2 different @KelbourneWoolens yarns. One was in Skipper (100% cotton, second photo) and the other was in Camper (100% 2 ply wool). The Skipper sample was knit for a 36” bust, which measures in at 40” with 4” of positive ease. And I knit the Camper Sample for my 40” bust with a 44” finished measurement. (BTW, I’m 5’5” for folks that find that measurement helpful in visualizing fit.)
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Based on the size chart for the Bevelled Tank, that means I knit one size 3 sample and one size 4. As designed, I conveniently fit a size 4 as intended with 4” of positive ease. When I wear the 3, there is no ease at all because the garment and my body are both 40” in size. Comparing the 2 garments, you can see how the fiber content (cotton vs. wool) and fit (no ease vs. 4” of positive ease) makes a difference in the look and feel of the finished garment. 
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These samples are a great way to compare what ease looks like on different bodies. While I can fit both a size 3 and 4, the garment with no ease feels more like pajamas or a bralette when I wear it. On the other hand, when I wear the one with 4” of positive ease, I feel comfortable enough to wear it to work, even as a crop top. Plus, it leaves me with enough room to layer it with a nice button down if I’m not feeling the cropped look one day. 
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I’m curious - how would you style this tank? Would you modify it with a few stockinette rows for added length? I’m so curious now that this pattern is finally out in the world. :) 
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#pompomxhobbiisummer2024 #bevelledtank #handsoccupied #knitting #intarisa #handmade #kelbournewoolens #croppedsweater #summerknits
After a 6 month hiatus, I am happy to say I’m ba After a 6 month hiatus, I am happy to say I’m back with a brand new pattern in 9 sizes, and it’s FREE as part of @pompommag x @hobbii_yarn’s summer design collection! (Link is in my bio.)
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In my December newsletter, I announced that I was soliciting test knitters for a pattern that had originally been selected for the summer ’24 issue of Pom Pom Quarterly magazine. However, the magazine ceased publication after its spring ’24 issue, leaving in-progress designs unpublished. (It happens.) As a result, I’d begun the long process of editing, testing, and photographing the pattern for independent release through the Hands Occupied pattern shop and Ravelry.
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Before I was done with that process, Pom Pom Quarterly’s former editors reached out with an exciting proposal for the pattern. Post-magazine, they’ve begun to partner with yarn companies to produce high quality pattern collections. They wanted to include designs from the would-be current issue of Pom Pom Quarterly in a new collection for Hobbii yarn, including my Bevelled Tank. I worked with the same technical editors I would have for the magazine on this one, and as you can see from the photos, Pom Pom’s team did an amazing job of styling the garment to the beautiful standards they’re known for.
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You can learn more about the pattern on my blog and get the free pattern from Hobbii yarn - links to both in my profile. I’ll post sizing info in the comments for quick reference too. 🧶
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#pompomxhobbiisummer2024 #knitting #intarsia #sponsored #colorworkknitting 
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Photos: @dianascarrunz 
Model: @angel.jade_
Here’s a nice throwback for you: my take on a vi Here’s a nice throwback for you: my take on a vintage knitting pattern from 1938 called the Fernlace Pullover. A pattern so nice, I knit it twice.
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Yellow version 💛: knit with Despondent Dyes’ Vintage Vixen Sport after attending a @squidneyknits vintage knitting retreat in 2019 & learning *so much*. Paired with a self-drafted circle skirt pattern. 
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Blue version 💙: knit with @eweeweyarns Ewe So Sporty in Sky Blue. Paired with the 1940s Boardwalk Duet sewing pattern from @decades_of_style 
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Head to my stories for 🔗🔗 to the handmade wardrobe blog posts I wrote about each take on the Fernlace Pullover, working with a vintage pattern, where to find vintage patterns (including the one I used), & some thoughts on sizing. 
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Image descriptions available in alt text. 
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#handsoccupied #handmadewardrobe #fernlacepullover #vintageknitting #vintageknittingpatterns #knitting_inspiration
Frogging is a word in the knitting world that mean Frogging is a word in the knitting world that means to rip out your knitting. It’s called frogging because frogs say “ribbit,” and when you’re tearing out your knitting, you will “rip it” out, and that sounds like ribbit. No really. 🐸 Did you know this fun fact? 
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P.S. I did like this design concept, but to make the pattern more knitter friendly as well as more wearable, I am making some tweaks to the construction. Excited to share when it’s ready! 🥰🧶
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Yarn: @blueskyfibers Woolstok North in Morning Frost & Highland Fleece 
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#handsoccupied #knitting #frogging #blueskyfibers #knittersofinstagram #blueskymakers #knittingvocabulary #bsfmakers #knitdesign
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