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Hands Occupied

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

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Picks of the Week

January 5, 2018 Leave a Comment

Picks of the Week for January 5, 2018 | Hands Occupied

images via sources below

It’s been a very cold 2018 in my neck of the woods! With temps hovering right around zero degrees since before Christmas, it’s a great time to be an introvert who loves yarn. If you’ve plowed through the last of your 2017 projects, you could spend this coming weekend whipping up a quick, trendy project. It looks like (more) pink and (more) pom poms are going to be popular in early 2018 – especially if you’re talking about double pom pom hats!

brr, it’s cold out there!

quick weave wall hanging -a beautiful mess
basic knit baby beanie -all about ami
DIY knot-embellished blanket -tell love and party
double pom beanie for adults -gina michele
crochet headband -sewandso
cozy slipper socks -leelee knits

New magazine designs!

Happy Heart Blanket by Heidi Gustad, first published in the Feb. 2018 issue of I Like Knitting magazine

Get the pattern exclusively in the new issue of I Like Knitting.

Happy Heart Blanket in the February issue of I Like Knitting, available now. This blanket was designed as a baby blanket, but doubles in a really fun way as a shawl. This is one of my favorite new designs because it is textural and challenging in a unique way, and it lets you really create something faceted and textured without having to do any colorwork OR cables. Here’s a little more from me about this shawl to give you an idea of what you’re in for, including how you can use the Happy Hearts Blanket as a shawl or baby blanket:

Navy Bloom Mary Janes by Heidi Gustad, first published in the Feb. 2018 issue of I Like Crochet magazine

Get the pattern exclusively in the new issue of I Like Crochet.

Navy Bloom Mary Janes in the February issue of I Like Crochet, available now. Fun fact: I designed these little shoes while waiting for the solar eclipse back in August! I wanted to make something easy and quick, a perfect last minute gift idea for a birthday party or baby shower when you just don’t have time to commit to a full blanket. This pattern comes with a video tutorial full of tips to help even new crocheters whip up a pair of these cute shoes.

in case you missed it…

  • Check out the in-person events coming up this winter for Hands Occupied fans!

Filed Under: Weekly Picks Tagged With: crochet, free pattern, Knitting, picks of the week, weaving, weekly picks

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 🧶✂️
If only knitting a whole project took 39 seconds… 😮‍💨 
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In this video, you can see how the Intarsia Flower Pillow pattern knits up - two flat panels, one with intarsia, both are blocked, and then they’re seamed. Find the pattern on @hi.ravelry & my website, just search Intarsia Flower Pillow. 🌸 
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P.S. I’m really smiling in this video while seaming the pillow, so I guess I’m proving last week’s claim that I truly enjoy that sometimes-dreaded task. 😆🫣
In knitting, a Left Lifted Increase (LLI) lets you In knitting, a Left Lifted Increase (LLI) lets you add a stitch in between two columns of stitches that leans to the left. Similar to an M1L, LLIs allow you to increase nearly invisibly.
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To learn more about lifted increases, including when to use them and how they differ from Make 1s, head to the 🔗 in my profle. 
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Have you ever used lifted increases? I used M1’s almost exclusively for a long time when I needed to inc between stitches, but when I designed the Intarsia Flower Pillow pattern, I needed something that would allow me to increase a lot near my cast on, and M1’s resulted in edge curling. The more you know! 🌈 
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Yarn: @lionbrandyarn Wool Ease from my Stash / Neddles: @boyeyarncrafts - Just remembered these are the needles I learned to knit on at age 8. 😂
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#handsoccupied #knitting #learntoknit #howtoknit #sweaterknitting #knitinspiration #knittersofinstagram #liftedincreases
Last week I got to hang out with my family & helpe Last week I got to hang out with my family & helped babysit my red-headed niece and nephew. So here’s some plane knitting, and a couple pictures (shared with permission) of my babysitting adventures.
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Lessons learned: 1️⃣ Trying to knit around 2 toddlers, 2 cats & 2 large dogs is pretty hard. 2️⃣ I learned during water color time that pink and black make “colorful black.” 🩷🖤 3️⃣ Toddlers do NOT care about your rainbow sorting of their toys. 4️⃣ Toddlers are very good at finding mischief in a very short amount of time, what a surprise. 😂
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#handsoccupied #knitting #placesyoucanknit #knitters #knitinpublic #handmadelife #knitting_inspiration
Weaving in ends & seaming with mattress stitch are Weaving in ends & seaming with mattress stitch are both so useful for garment knitting! But for me, weaving in ends can feel like a chore while the latter feels like I’ve successfully done magic. 🧙🏻‍♀️ Does anybody else run into this phenomenon? Are you the opposite? Any theories as to why they feel different? 
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In this video, I’m finishing my brand new Intarsia Flower Pillow. 🌸 I’m working with @universal_yarn Uni Merino & the pattern is available at the 🔗 in my b1o. 
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#handsoccupied #intarsiaflowerpillow #intarsia #intarsiaknitting #knitting #colorwork #knitpillow #knittinginspiration #knittersofinstagram
I independently released a knitting pattern today, I independently released a knitting pattern today, my first in 5 years! The Intarsia Flower Pillow is a 16” (40cm) round pillow knit with an intentional combination of intarsia, stockinette, garter and seed stitch. This pillow has everything you need to level up your intarsia technique while also knitting something you can use. 
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This pillow allows you to practice knitting intarsia while simultaneously increasing and decreasing. The Intarsia Flower Pillow pattern was designed to be a little knit-nerdy for learning and a little cute, arming you with many of the skills you'd need to knit an intarsia sweater. 
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Intarsia Flower Pillow is available in the Hands Occupied Sh0p and on @hi.ravelry . You can read more about the pattern on the bl0g, the🔗 are where you’d think.
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YARN: @universal_yarn Uni Merino in Antiquity, Fjord and Conch / NEEDLES: US 2 (2.75 mm) / PATTERN: Intarsia Flower Pillow by Heidi Gustad
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