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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: My Zen Bathroom

January 23, 2012 Leave a Comment

Two of my guiltiest pleasures in the world are taking baths in my deluxe bejetted tub and reading Martha Stewart Living magazine. I try not to read MSL too much because I don’t want all my projects to look like a crappy shadow of the Stewart team’s wonderful ideas. Today’s tutorial is inspired by a combination of this idea from the January 2012 issue of MSL:

…and the bathroom design below. I just *love* bathrooms with living plants. Incredibly relaxing – it’s nice to see something organic in an otherwise sterile looking environment.

Source: freshome.com via Heidi on Pinterest

 

Last summer, I made a point of including potted plants to help improve air quality in my home. However, six months later, my succulents aren’t doing so hot, my aloe has outgrown its pot, and I’ve got a cactus in need of repotting in deeper soil. Hold up – won’t repotting plants indoors make for a huge, dirt-filled  disaster? Not according to Martha Stewart!

Following MSL’s lead, I assembled my very own indoor gardening toolkit to help contain the mess of repotting plants.

indoor gardening toolkit supplies

a wide & shallow tub

cheap trowel

seeds

a small bit of potting soil

a few pebbles to help with water drainage (see this gardening 101 post to learn more)

though it doesn’t need to live with your toolkit, a dust buster and/or hand broom with dustpan are helpful

small watering can

plant light bulbs and lamps to help your plants grow on cloudy days

check out my toolkit 

I really love the look of terra cotta (clay) pots, and I’ve had good luck with them, so I’m keeping a small one in my toolkit as well. I read somewhere that terra cotta pots’ water-absorbing properties are good for keeping plants alive. Bonus.

I didn’t grab a fresh bag of potting soil or pebbles at the store for this because I knew I had some out on my frozen balcony. After hauling in and defrosting said  gardening supplies, I was set to tackle repotting my aloe, cactus, and surviving succulents.

moving aloe to a bigger pot

new “tropical plant” 

Really. All the label says is “tropical plant.” Anybody know what the heck this is, other than pretty?

newly planted herb seeds: dill, cat grass, sage, chives & cumin

And now, with my soon-to-be herbs starting to germinate, and my repotted plants settling in, my happy place is once again zen. All it took was a rubbermaid tub and a dust buster, both of which are now easily tucked away. I’ll let you guys know when the seeds start to sprout!

Filed Under: Home Decor, How-to Tagged With: aloe, cactus, grow lamp, herbs, indoor gardening, martha stewart, seeds, succulents

About Heidi

Heidi Gustad is a craft book author, designer & creator specializing in yarn crafts like knitting, crochet, latch hook & macramé. Her first book, Latch Hook: 12 Projects for the Modern Maker, is out now.

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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, designer & creator specializing in yarn crafts like knitting, crochet, latch hook & macramé
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Heidi Gustad 🧶✂️
Nobody panic. This is just the back of an (admitte Nobody panic. This is just the back of an (admittedly insane) intarsia project. One day, this will be a seamed sweater, but today is not that day. 🧶 
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Have a good weekend, everyone! 
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Yarn: @universal_yarn’s Fibra Natura Cobblestone in Antarctica & Dragon’s Breath 
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#handsoccupied #intarsia #intarsiaknitting #wip #knitting
Here’s how to work a Norwegian purl stitch for e Here’s how to work a Norwegian purl stitch for easier continental style knitting. With this purling method, the working yarn says tensioned (held) at the back of your knitting at all times. For many knitters, always holding the yarn at the back helps with tension issues, as well as feeling a little more comfortable. 
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Have you ever encountered this style of purling before? If you’ve tried it, have you found it helps with your purl tension and knitting speed? I’m curious.
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For a written tutorial, visit handsoccupied-dot-com. For video, you guessed it, You2be. Both of these platforms allow for longer, more in-depth versions of this tutorial, including full transcripts, alt text & the ability to pause, slow down or speed up at will. (Like if you really want to learn this, I recommend using a platform that doesn’t keep your hands occupied. Thinking of putting this in all my captions these days tbh - shout out to you if you made it this far. 🙌🏻😂)
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#handsoccupied #learntoknit #continentalknitting #howtoknit #norwegianpurl #norwegianknitting #knit #knitting #knitter #knittersofinstagram #knittinghack  #handknitting #handknit #norwegianpurling
Have you ever tried this style of purl? . All thi Have you ever tried this style of purl? 
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All this recent talk about throwing vs. continental style knitting made it clear many people struggle with purling in continental knitting. Turns out that Norway may have the answer! In Norwegian purling, the working yarn stays tensioned at the back at all times, helping with speed and tension. 🤯
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Head to the bl0g (🔗 in bi0) for a more in-depth look at how to work a Norwegian purl stitch, including a photo tutorial with animated GIF & a video tutorial. Wrapping your mind around how to work a stitch you’re familiar with in a totally new way can be confusing, so I tried to give a few options for clarity. 🤙🏻 Video is also on You2be. 
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#handsoccupied #norwegianpurl #norwegianknitting #norwegianpurling #continentalknitting #howtoknit #learntoknit #knitterofinstagram #knitters
It’s been a hot second since I showed my face or It’s been a hot second since I showed my face or reintroduced myself, so here goes! I’m Heidi Gustad, a craft book author, pattern designer, and tutorial creator who specializes in yarn crafts. Lately, I’ve been focused on releasing quality knitting videos and related blog posts to help teach things like the difference between provisional cast ons and how to fix common knitting mistakes. Next week I’m shooting requested crochet and latch hook videos, so h👀kers, your time is coming! And if you ever have tutorial requests, please let me know. ☺️
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TLDR: I’m Heidi. I design & teach yarn crafts. You can find tutorials on my blog (est. 2010) & You2be. I also have several knitting & crochet patterns + a book about latch hook available. / All of these can be found on my website, the 🔗 is where you’d think. 
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#handsoccupied #fridayintroduction #heidigustad #knitting #knitter #knittersofinstagram #yarncrafts #latchhookbook
Are you a picker or a thrower? Do you knit Contine Are you a picker or a thrower? Do you knit Continental or English Style? Here’s a quick overview of the differences between the two most common knitting styles, including a side by side comparison. (A good one to save for future reference. 👍🏻) 
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There’s more on the differences between picking and throwing in my latest blog post & You 2ube video - the l1nk is where you’d think!
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#handsoccupied #learntoknit #knittingstyles #howtoknit #knittersofinstagram #knitter
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