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Hands Occupied

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

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Ornaments

Scandinavian Advent Calendar - free crochet pattern -- An advent calendar is a great way to make your own keepsake Christmas decoration and build a family tradition for years to come. The Scandinavian Advent Calendar is great for crocheters at almost any skill level and is inspired by beautiful holiday decor found in Scandinavia. This pattern features basic embroidery stitches for added texture and a handmade look.

The Scandinavian Advent Calendar was designed to coordinate with the ornaments of Christmas.

The Ornaments of Christmas were published between 2015-2018 on the Hands Occupied Blog. All of them are available for free on the blog (thanks to Lion Brand Yarn) and available as ad-free, printer-friendly PDFs for $1 each in the Hands Occupied Shop.

For folks new to the series, here’s a bit about how where the series got started and evolved over time.  Read on for a mini-archive of links to the TWENTY-FOUR knit & crochet ornament patterns that we created.

ORNAMENTS OF CHRISTMAS PAST

Originally back in 2015, I did a series featuring knit & crochet ornaments called the 12 Ornaments of Christmas. But it was so well-received, that it made sense to bring it back again… and again… and now again in 2018! As of the end of last year, there were 20 knit and crochet ornament patterns in all, and I just started calling the series the Ornaments of Christmas (since the whole stopping at 12 thing was way out the window at that point). So for this year, I decided that yes, we’d bring back the Ornaments of Christmas, but this will be the last leg of the series. I want to leave room in the future for a wider range of festive ideas that aren’t bound by the size limits of a Christmas tree ornament. (Who knows – an ornament or two might even squeak in come next December!)

Knit or crochet some adorable ornaments to trim your tree! Join Hands Occupied this holiday season to make Christmas ornaments with free patterns all season along. Each ornament doubles as a great gift topper & stocking stuffer!   Knit or crochet some adorable ornaments to trim your tree! Get your hands on 12 free knit and crochet patterns for Christmas ornaments. Each ornament doubles as a great gift topper & stocking stuffer!   Knit or crochet some adorable ornaments to trim your tree! Get your hands on 12 free knit and crochet patterns for Christmas ornaments. Each ornament doubles as a great gift topper & stocking stuffer!
All ornaments are knit or crochet using Lion Brand Yarn’s Bonbons, which come in packs of 8 mini skeins. The Bon Bons pack that we’re using is Beach, which is a cotton yarn that comes in bright, contemporary colors (and no browns!). I loved challenging myself to create a collection that still feels very Christmasy, but without the bounds of super-traditional colors. In addition to the colors, the cotton yarn results in some really fantastic stitch definition that helps make it clear that these guys are handmade, which is something that I think all makers can appreciate!

ORNAMENTS

Here are links to all of our ornaments! If you make any of these or have made any of these, please share the cheer! Use #handsoccupiedhohoho on Instagram & Twitter (there’s already some great contributions from makers from the last few years!).

1. Knit Star / 2. Knit Heart / 3. Knit Gift Box / 4. Knit Stocking Cap / 5. Crochet Bell / 6. Crochet Mug / 7. Crochet Peppermint / 8. Crochet Christmas Tree / 9. Crochet Milk / 10. Crochet Cookies / 11. Knit Mitten / 12. Knit Sweater  / 13. Crochet Cracker Candy / 14. Crochet Meringue / 15. Knit Bauble / 16. Crochet Santa Hat / 17. Crochet Snowman / 18. Knit Candy Cane / 19. Crochet Holly  / 20. Crochet Lump of Coal / 21. Knit Poinsettia / 22. Knit Candle / 23. Crochet Orange / 24. Knit Stocking

Knit or crochet some adorable ornaments to trim your tree! Get your hands on 12 free knit and crochet patterns for Christmas ornaments. Each ornament doubles as a great gift topper & stocking stuffer!
Updated 6/23/19.

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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

Helping yarn crafters untangle various techniques on the internet since 2010
🧶 Really into intarsia
Stay up-to-date 💌 & shop the latest patterns ⤵️

Heidi Gustad 🧶 knitting & yarn crafts
Wow! I am floored by the awesome response to the S Wow! I am floored by the awesome response to the Spiral Hill Sweater Vest. Thank you. 🙏🏻❤️ If you love this pattern & didn’t know already, we are going to be doing a knit along (KAL) from October 1-29 featuring this spooky sweater vest & lots of tutorials, especially for the intarsia part. 
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Later today my newsletter will be coming out with additional Knit Along details, so if you’re not already signed up, now is a great time - the 🔗 is in my b1o. 
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Pictured: My Spiral Hill Sweater Vest pattern from the new Nightmare Before Christmas knitting book by @tanisknits. Model is wearing size 1 with 2” of positive ease, knit in @brooklyntweed Imbue Worsted. Vest images via @insighteditions 
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#spiralhillsweatervest #handsoccupied #nightmarebeforechristmasknittingbook
At long last! I can share the Spiral Hill Sweater At long last! I can share the Spiral Hill Sweater Vest, my contribution to the new book Disney Tim Burton’s Nightmare Before Christmas: The Official Knitting Guide to Halloween Town and Christmas Town, out now! 🎃💀 
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I’m hosting a knit along (KAL) October 1-29 for anyone who’d like to knit this vest along with a group & learn a little about intarsia while we’re at it. I’ve got weekly tutorials planned to help you knit this worsted weight sweater vest, and there’s a prize package giveaway at the end for KAL participants too. Details are on my site - you know where to find the 🔗 I think. 😉
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Book by @tanisknits 
Publisher @insighteditions 
Yarn @brooklyntweed Imbue 
Find it wherever fine books are sold. 
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#handsoccupied #nightmarebeforechristmas #intarsia #sweatervest #knittingpattern #knittingbook #spiralhill #knitting_inspiration #knitting
Since there was some interest in stills of my WIPs Since there was some interest in stills of my WIPs closet after this weekend’s quick tutorial, here are few. ✂️ The tutorial is one post back in my feed as a video.
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As you can see, I didn’t worry about the wire hangers all being perfectly uniform, but it doesn’t matter to me. Also, this closet holds a lot! Despite that, it is already at capacity. Since the hanging bags don’t appear to be recyclable, I want to reuse them as long as possible. Who knows, maybe this will be a way to limit my WIPs? 😅
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P.s. In the third photo you can see how I use this system to store the original swatches, scraps, yarn ball bands, & notes from a design project all together. 
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#handsoccupied #wips #craftstorage #yarnstorage #yarncrafts #knitting_inspiration #craftstudio #craftroom #craftcloset
How to convert a closet into WIPs storage with jus How to convert a closet into WIPs storage with just a few supplies ✂️
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When I was a librarian, we would use these hanging bags to circulate books with audiobook CDs. They came to mind when I wanted to develop a filing cabinet-like system for my differently-sized WIPs. To fit in my studio closet, a standard bedroom closet, they just needed custom hangers. 🤙🏻 
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HOW TO MAKE THE HANGERS
1. Carefully cut approx. a 9” (23 cm) length of flexible 3 mm aluminum wire.
2. Near the end of a large knitting needle or dowel, wrap the wire around it as you would a twist tie. 
3. Bend the other end into a hook shape, perpendicular to the circle shape you just created. 
4. Hang like a hanger in a closet, as shown. 
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#handsoccupied #handmadelife #knitting_inspiration #craftcloset #craftroom #craftroomorganization #craftroomstorage #craftroomdecor #crocheter #latchhook #knittersofinstagram #wip #wips #hangingstorage
It’s time for the monthly review and giveaway! T It’s time for the monthly review and giveaway! This go around, get to know two new sister yarns from @manosyarnsusa, Marla and Sami, and enter to win a skein of each to try for yourself. 
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What makes these yarns sisters is that, while dyed differently, they’re the same weight and come in intentionally coordinating color palettes. For my review, I opted for a sky-inspired combo of Sami in Natural and Marla in Nube. 🌧️ 
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Check out the full review & enter the giveaway at the link in my bio. 
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#handsoccupied #yarnreview #manosdeluruguay #knitting_inspire #crochet #yarngiveaway #knitters #yarn #crochetersofinstagram
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