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Hands Occupied

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

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KnitPal Yarn Review & Giveaway

December 20, 2019 3 Comments

Yarn provided by KnitPal. Opinions are my own.

Ever wanted to knit or crochet something in team colors, only to be disappointed by the very plasticy options available? In this month's yarn review and giveaway, let me introduce you to KnitPal, a company specializing in hand dyed wool yarns in accurate team colors.

Ever wanted to knit or crochet something in team colors, only to be disappointed by the very plasticy options available? Or the not-quite-right color selection? In this month’s yarn review and giveaway, let me introduce you to KnitPal, a company specializing in hand dyed wool yarns in accurate team colors.

If you want to give KnitPal a try, use code HEIDI10 at checkout for 10% off all orders, valid through 1/31/2020.

Ever wanted to knit or crochet something in team colors, only to be disappointed by the very plasticy options available? In this month's yarn review and giveaway, let me introduce you to KnitPal, a company specializing in hand dyed wool yarns in accurate team colors.

When KnitPal first reached out about working together, my gut reaction was thinking that it wasn’t 100% a good fit for Hands Occupied because I personally am so not about sports. Like at all. I’m into Pilates, but I have no enthusiasm for organized athletics. The thing that many long time knitters and crocheters know, though, is how great gifting a handmade beanie or socks in a friend’s favorite sports team can be. (Hence me saving them for December’s review!)

Another reason I wanted to work with KnitPal is because they have addressed a real issue team-inspired beanie makers have worried over for years – that of only finding low quality yarn and/or yarn that’s just not a correct match for the team you’re emulating. With hand dyeing, they can ensure the color is correct. The other nice thing about KnitPal is that their great colors also come in a variety of weights, including fingering, DK and worsted. (Wouldn’t it be fun to knit a stranded yoke sweater inspired by someone’s favorite team? I feel like that could be a super cool design challenge!)

PS: They also do kits if you know a collegiate knitter who likes sports and needs a gift!

Ever wanted to knit or crochet something in team colors, only to be disappointed by the very plasticy options available? In this month's yarn review and giveaway, let me introduce you to KnitPal, a company specializing in hand dyed wool yarns in accurate team colors.

The Yarn: KnitPal DK in Michigan State Green

Colorway pictured: Michigan State Green (I went there for undergrad and it’s the holidays, so yay green!)
Skein details:
490 yards/448 meters per skein // 3.5 ounces/100g per skein // 100% Superwash Merino Wool // DK Weight
Knitting needles: US 7-9 / 3.75-4.5 mm // 16-20 stitches = 4 inches (10 cm)
Crochet hook: US H-I / 5-5.5 mm // 18-22 sc = 4 inches (10 cm)
Cons: Like many hand dyed yarns, its $28/hank retail price could be prohibitive to folks on a budget.
Pros: If you want to make your nephew Kenneth a scarf to wear at his college homecoming game next year, you aren’t limited to close-enough colors or yarns that aren’t the most fun to work with thanks to KnitPal.
Pattern Ideas: I worked with the DK weight base, but with three weight options that are all common for garment patterns, there are lots of options for working with this yarn given the range of bases. In particular, I’d knit a DK weight Outlander Chevron Shawl for layering as a a scarf, and I’d crochet a Moss Stitch Cowl for the same too. :)

Get a free knitting pattern for an Outlander-inspired shawl, the Outlander Chevron Shawl from Hands Occupied
Outlander Chevron Shawl
This cute, two-color cowl is crocheted with just two 50g balls of 100% wool yarn. Get the free Moss Stitch Cowl pattern from Hands Occupied.
Moss Stitch Cowl
Ever wanted to knit or crochet something in team colors, only to be disappointed by the very plasticy options available? In this month's yarn review and giveaway, let me introduce you to KnitPal, a company specializing in hand dyed wool yarns in accurate team colors.

THE GIVEAWAY

Enter to win a skein of KnitPal to try! Up for grabs: one skein of the pictured yarn in Michigan State White. Giveaway is open to U.S. only. Enter in the box provided below or here.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

In case you want to try your luck at another giveaway, KnitPal themselves are also doing a giveaway leading up to Valentine’s Day. You can learn more about that and enter to win here.

Ever wanted to knit or crochet something in team colors, only to be disappointed by the very plasticy options available? In this month's yarn review and giveaway, let me introduce you to KnitPal, a company specializing in hand dyed wool yarns in accurate team colors.

Don’t forget! If you want to give KnitPal a try, use code HEIDI10 at checkout for 10% off all orders, valid through 1/31/2020.

Yarn provided by KnitPal. Opinions are my own.

Filed Under: Giveaways, Reviews & Sponsored Tagged With: crochet, knit, knitpal, michigan state yarn, yarn review and giveaway

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. Barbara Colvin

    December 21, 2019 at 10:50 am

    I am so tempted to enter, but having won twice,,,, I am now off to check out the KnitPal shop. Lots of Seahawks fans in the family/friends, but then there are the Bronco and Cowboy fans. Could get expensive LOL Thanks for sharing your journey and for having such wonderful sponsors.

    Reply
    • Barbara Colvin

      December 21, 2019 at 10:56 am

      Guess I should have paid more attention to your mentioning collegiate knitters. None of my sports fans are into college football! No football fanatics, I guess. But there are still some awesome colors to play with.

      Reply
  2. Andrea

    December 22, 2019 at 7:48 am

    Coming from a family of college sports fans and being a proud Badger, I’m intrigued by this company. However, I found their website to be confusing regarding what you actually get when you order a school’s colors. That is, do you get two skeins (one of each color) that add up to the total yardage listed or one of each color at the yardage listed? Something else?

    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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