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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

December 5, 2014 2 Comments

Picks of the Week for December 5, 2014 at handsoccupied.com

images via sources below

I’ve been busy all week planning, booking, crafting knitting and prepping for next Friday’s big Sweater Party benefitting Save the Children. If you haven’t heard, I’ll be hosting a party at Chicago’s Nina yarn store on Friday 12/12 from 5-7:30 pm, with all donations benefitting the Save the Children foundation. Basically, it’s going to be a fun, sweater-themed party to help us raise money for an awesome charity. And even though the campaign we’re raising money for is called Make the World Better with a Sweater, no knitting or crochet is required to participate. Here’s a taste of some of the things I have in the works:

  • ugly sweater cookie decoration station
  • dance party
  • knitting mini sweaters
  • fashion show of attendees’ best knitwear (optional but will be really fun!)
  • door prizes
  • drinks & snacks
  • epic, yarn-filled photo booth

My goal is make this the funnest yarn nerd holiday fest ever. I have sketches of my vision for this party, ranging from giant knitting needles to tiny sweaters all over the place as I work on party panning. I really think this is going to be fun! Come geek out with me! And help a charity while we’re at it!

If you can’t make it to the party (because I do realize not everyone lives in Chicago), you can also support the charity by making an online donation. And if you donate there, you’re eligible to win a $5o gift certificate to WEBS. It’s a win/win, really!

best of the week: knit and crochet

mini crochet gift boxes -ice pandora
wreath of crochet poinsettias -yarn twist
amigurumi bunny ornament -all about ami
knit gift card holders -4 you with love
traveling cables hat -the purl bee
vintage crochet baby pixie hat -bread & with it

current giveaways!

  • Win a PostStitch box full of everything you need to knit a project start to finish, plus extra goodies!
  • Support the Save the Children foundation for a chance to win a gift certificate to Webs, American’s Yarn Store.

in case you missed it…

  • New holiday pattern: mini stockings!
  • The Remy Pullover / KAL wrap-up
  • Get knitting projects in a box with PostStitch

Filed Under: Weekly Picks Tagged With: amigurumi, ccables, crochet, Knitting, ornaments, poinsettias, save the children, sweater party, 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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Comments

  1. Laurel Blow

    December 5, 2014 at 12:24 pm

    Thanks for sharing my Vintage Pixie Hat!

    Looks like you have a busy yarn nerd holiday a head of you!

    Happy Holidays!

    Reply
  2. Christine

    December 13, 2014 at 9:33 am

    Loved the party last night at Nina’s and wish I could have stayed longer. The “Christmas sweater” cookie decorating was a great idea and I will be knitting a mini sweater for sure. Good to meet you, good to donate, good website.

    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), 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
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
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
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