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Hands Occupied

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

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Meet Yarnthology & Win Some Yarn!

May 11, 2016 7 Comments

Get to know Yarnthology, a company that does things differently by carefully selecting yarn brands based on how they treat people, animals, and the environment.

I’ve always loved all kinds of yarn. Affordable yarn, colorful yarn, handmade yarn, specialty yarn – you name it. But as a designer and someone whose interest in ethical consumerism has only grown with age, I started to realize that there are some questions to think about when you consume yarn, just like anything else.

Where does your yarn come from? If you’re knitting in a certain country, it might be a priority for you to reduce your carbon footprint by working with domestically made or sourced yarn.

What sheep used to wear your wool? There’s such a thing as being a vegan knitter – some knitters avoid working with animal fiber altogether.

Did you know that it takes a heck of a lot of water to make and dye yarn? Some yarn companies strive to be more eco-friendly by being thoughtful about their water consumption and disposal methods.

Now, I’m by far no expert on any of these issues, and the above questions are by far not an exhaustive list of questions about how to ethically consume yarn. While I’m vegetarian, I’m not vegan, and I do work with animal fibers. My workplace doesn’t recycle (but I’m working on them). My apartment does not have a rain barrel. Nobody’s perfect, but if everyone is a little more aware of how they consume, it can have a big impact.

That’s why I partnered with Yarnthology this week. I think their site says best why these issues matter:

Yarn is a vehicle for expression and always has a story to tell.

Sadly, many fibers tell a story about a textile industry woven together with human rights abuses, child labor, unfair trade practices, animal cruelty, and environmental damage.

At yarnthology we do things differently by carefully selecting yarn brands based on how they treat people, animals, and the environment.

The Sixth Degree Shawl by Heidi Gustad is a free pattern designed with American made, ethically-sourced yarn!

The Sixth Degree Shawl was designed with Cestari Monticello, a yarnthology yarn.

Carrying brands like Blue Sky Alpacas, Cestari and Malabrigo (just to name a few), Yarnthology does things differently. You can shop the site with ethics-based filters. You can search for yarn by whether it’s eco friendly, vegan, cruelty free, American made, or ethically traded. It shouldn’t be totally innovative and mind-blowing that they do this, but it totally is! Of course I’m going to keep shopping a site that takes the important (but sometimes-confusing and/or time consuming) work out of ethical yarn shopping.

Get to know Yarnthology, a company that does things differently by carefully selecting yarn brands based on how they treat people, animals, and the environment.

Yarnthology is the site that sponsored Monday’s free pattern, the Sixth Degree Shawl. As with all partnerships that involve a new design, the first step was getting yarn from them. I was so excited to see that even their packaging is eco friendly! Yarnthology uses sustainable and biodegradable packaging, keeping even logistical aspects of their business in eco-check.

Cestari’s Monticello Collection yarn was so great to work with for the new design. If you take a look at the Yarnthology page for the yarn, you’ll see how easy it is to identify that the yarn is cruelty free, ethically traded, eco-friendly and vegan. And they’re completely transparent about the fact that the yarn’s 25% flax content is sourced from outside the U.S. With Yarnthology, you’re completely aware of all of the major ethics points as you decide whether or not to buy the yarn – no additional research required!

Get to know Yarnthology, a company that does things differently by carefully selecting yarn brands based on how they treat people, animals, and the environment.

Cestari’s Monticello Collection yarn in partridge blue

Enter to win a Yarnthology prize!

At this point, I feel pretty confident that you’re at least curious to try Yarnthology for yourself. Enter in the box below for your chance to win 2 skeins of Cestari Monticello yarn (a.k.a. enough yarn to make the Sixth Degree Shawl) in your choice of color.

If you’re too excited to wait for the giveaway to end, Yarnthology is offering 20% off Cestari, 15% off the entire store, and free shipping with code HANDSOCCUPIED.

PS: If you’re not reading this on handsoccupied.com, you’ll need to visit the site to enter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This post & giveaway are sponsored by yarnthology. All opinions are my own. I am not an expert in sustainable and ethical consumerism, so please be kind in the comments if my lifestyle or perspectives do not align with your own. 

Yarnthology - beautifully ethical fibers. Visit yarnthology.com, where they select brands and let you sort our yarn by the people who are making positive changes ranging from cruelty free to American made.

Filed Under: Crochet, Giveaways, Reviews & Sponsored, Knitting, Knitting & Crochet Tagged With: cestari, cruelty free yarn, eco-friendly, ethical consumerism, giveaway, vegan knitting, vegan yarn, yarnthology

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. Kristie

    May 11, 2016 at 12:57 pm

    I didn’t know this! This is wonderful. Thanks for letting us know.

    Reply
  2. Elizabeth

    May 11, 2016 at 7:07 pm

    I had no idea that animal cruelty could be a part of the making of yarn! I love to knit. I am self taught and feel so proud when I make something . Now I will look more into the yarn making not just the knitting . Thank you.

    Reply
  3. Sally

    May 11, 2016 at 8:29 pm

    Thank you!!

    Reply
  4. MaryEllen

    May 14, 2016 at 3:53 pm

    What pretty yarn!! And I love that it’s a yarn I can feel good about using. (ethical vegan of 40 years!!)

    Reply
  5. Deborah

    May 14, 2016 at 5:13 pm

    This is exciting! The yarn is beautiful!

    Reply
  6. Jody Hall

    May 14, 2016 at 5:22 pm

    Such pretty yarn! Thanks for the Giveaway!

    Reply
  7. Erika

    July 13, 2016 at 12:01 am

    That’s all well and good but how many knitters can afford a $13 hank of 100g of yarn? Or better yet a $24.40 hank, or a (gasp!) $70 hank! All this succeeds in doing is making people feel guilty for buying their more reasonably priced yarns, which may not even HAVE practices that are unfair or unethical. I love animals and people and want both to be treated fairly, but there’s got to be a better way.

    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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