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Hands Occupied

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

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It’s 2022 already?

February 9, 2022 1 Comment

Heidi (Hands Occupied) reacts in horror to the time.

In 2021, I wrote a total of ten blog posts. Back in the day, I’d churn out a couple of posts a week, no problem. Hundreds a year. Running the Hands Occupied blog was my part time, then full time job. As mentioned in the past, things have changed in the blogging world in the last 11 years, but more importantly, what I want to be doing creatively has evolved, especially since writing a book. I started Hands Occupied as a way to make crafting friends online after college. I didn’t realize that a lot of folks at the time came to blogging with the intent of it being a side hustle, a full time hustle, or even a path to a career. I thought I just wanted to make friends and develop my skills as a maker, but looking back now, there was a tiny voice inside, however cliche that may be, that really wanted to become a designer, maybe even in knitting and other yarn crafts. Like many, I didn’t think I was good enough. I was 23, I didn’t know what I wanted to do in general. I just knew I needed to use my considerable anxious energy on something for me outside of my traditional job. 

There was no Instagram, no Pinterest in 2010. (I remember feeling like it was a choice between a craft blog or Etsy shop at the time.) The word “algorithm” wasn’t something dropped in casual conversations. With my iPhone 3 in hand, I wanted to learn how to take good photos & make tutorial videos. That and honing basic web design skills – HTML, CSS, a dash of PHP and javascript – were what I hoped to do in addition to making some friends and some crafts. 

The last few years, amirite? 😅

Most of last year was about figuring out what direction I want to take professionally, especially digging into where my mental health and work overlap and how to balance it. Burnout needed to be dealt with, and I needed to decide what was next. Getting to write a book in late 2019/early 2020 was great! It marked off a bucket list item I didn’t believe was in reach, however, confronting the post-big-scary-project blahs (on top of Ye Olde Panini 🦠 ), took a lot more energy and time than I expected. To be fair to myself as well, there was a lot going on in my personal life. Notably, we lost both of our dogs in a 4 month window, starting the week my book came out, and ending the week of our tenth wedding anniversary. (Sorry I hadn’t written about it on the blog before this. It was hard to talk about for a long time, but as Storm & Woodrow made appearances here over the years, I would be remiss not to mention it.)

What’s Next

Those following along on social media know that I’ve been busy moving into a new studio space that’s slightly smaller and better suits my current needs. If you missed it, you can read about the studio move and my bittersweet farewell to the old space on Instagram.

Heidi (Hands Occupied) answers the phone with skepticism.

Since the book came out, I feel like I’ve been pretty quiet, including on social media, and there are folks here who have followed for years to whom I felt I owed a small explanation beyond “sorry to ghost! the last 2 years have been challenging for everyone, amirite?!” So that’s why my annual new year post is coming out now, and why I’ve been kinda quietly crafting on my own for the last year+ without sharing as much of the process as I might have before. It’s been a good break that has allowed me to physically heal some of my hand pain & find enough space to sort out what I want to be doing professionally as a maker.

This year, you can expect an evolved Hands Occupied. I’ve got my eye on releasing a small collection of knitting patterns, and the aforementioned crafting of the past 12-18 months has laid the foundation for what it’s going to be. Soon I’ll be sharing a mood board for the collection to give you a sense of where I’m going with that. Think accessible (!) intarsia with a vintage-meets-modern twist. (No one is surprised. 😆)

I also have a larger-scale latch hook art piece set to tackle next summer, so that will be a fun way to keep active with that work in a low-impact way. Maybe I’ll even start to sell finished tapestries in the Shop if there’s interest. The world is my oyster (which, it turns out, can be scary).

That’s far and away plenty from me. It’s a new year! Are there any tutorials you’re desperate to see from Hands Occupied in some way? (If there’s enough interest, you have my word I will try!) Would you like there to be ongoing YouTube content again? Are you into Instagram only these days? Don’t care about Pinterest anymore? Feel free to holler in the comments or email me at heidi-at-handsoccupied-dot-com. 

Yours in yarn,

Heidi 

P.S. I also need to start sending my email newsletter again, but it’ll be monthly instead of biweekly because I think that’s easier for me and what most email people want – less email. 🤓 The first newsletter in awhile will be coming out soon, so if you’re not already signed up, don’t forget to do so.

Filed Under: Life Tagged With: book, hands occupied, hands occupied studio, intarsia, knit design, latch hook

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. Pamela

    February 9, 2022 at 11:31 am

    Great post! It’s good to hear what you’ve been up to and where you’re going. Congrats on your new craft/work space. I always look forward to your posts on IG (It’s the only social media I’m on) but take care of yourself and don’t feel pressured to live up to anyone’s standards except your own. And always be kind to yourself.

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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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Latch Hook by Heidi Gustad

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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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