• 0 items$0.00
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Hands Occupied

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

  • BLOG
    • Knitting
    • Crochet
    • Latch Hook
    • Macramé
    • Punch Needle
  • ABOUT
  • Shop
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • TikTok
    • YouTube

New in the Shop: Exclusive Enamel Pins!

September 25, 2020 2 Comments

A custom collab between Taaja Tucker and Hands Occupied, inspired by the knitting community.

As promised earlier this week, I’ve been busy updating a bunch of things behind the scenes, including the Hands Occupied Shop. Most importantly is my first foray into merch! I worked with an illustrator friend to develop two adorable enamel pin designs inspired by the knitting community. Both of these are perfect for gifting to your knit night bestie or treating yourself!

Find the pins in the Shop: Rip it! Enamel Pin / Fiber Friends Enamel Pin

A custom collab between Taaja Tucker and Hands Occupied, inspired by the knitting community.

About the pins

Fiber Friends

This adorable pin measures approximately 1.25 inches by 1.25 inches. The original design by Taaja Tucker features five of the most-loved fiber producing animals (sheep, rabbit, goat, alpaca, & yak) hanging out together behind a red banner reading “fiber friends.”

A custom collab between Taaja Tucker and Hands Occupied, inspired by the knitting community.
Find Fiber Friends pins in the Shop

Rip It!

Also clocking in at 1.25 inches by 1.25 inches, this funny pin again features original artwork by Taaja Tucker. This pin depicts a frog smiling and tearing out its red knitting. The words “rip it!” are in the foreground because in the knit and crochet community, frogging is the term we use for tearing back out work to fix a mistake, often very far back. Frogs ribbit, so… RIP IT! 

A custom collab between Taaja Tucker and Hands Occupied, inspired by the knitting community.
Nab a Rip it! pin in the Shop

Working with Taaja Tucker

Taaja Tucker is the name of the biologist and artist I collaborated with on these first 2 enamel pin designs. Personally, I’m a crafter and a fiber artist – not an illustrator. Enter Taaja, who I’ve known since college & who also designed my old band’s merchandise (pictured below!). 15 years after college, we collaborated again on merch for an indie project. I feel like working with a friend is the kind of good vibes I needed for adding physical objects to the Hands Occupied Shop, you know?

Taaja’s website / @tinywaterbear on Instagram

View this post on Instagram

This is what happens when you combine listening to the new episode of @seriouscrafts and trying to take a mirror selfie to show off the day’s handmade wardrobe element. (The new episode is seriously pretty funny!) . The shirt was for my college band, Falcorps (as in Falcor Luckdragon, yes). I screen printed our sweet merch using thrift store t-shirts and @speedball_art supplies in my dorm laundry room. 😆 Shout out to @tinywaterbear’s epic shirt design, & former bandmates @shuttershop @haunted_neighborhoods @mike_lala @mccuneza, etc. 🥰

A post shared by Heidi Gustad 🧶✂️ (@handsoccupied) on Jul 30, 2019 at 9:39pm PDT

Fun fact: these have literally been years in the making!

These pins were actually designed in early 2018. I wasn’t sure pins would be the right move for Hands Occupied at the time, but Taaja had already finished the Fiber Friends & Rip It designs. Luckily I was in love with the designs, so I kept them in my back pocket just in case! When WizardPins reached out about working together on a pins project, I was ready to go! Getting the project rolling was so simple. Shout out to WizardPins for making my enamel pin dreams come true!

A custom collab between Taaja Tucker and Hands Occupied, inspired by the knitting community.

Congratulations! If you’ve read this far, I appreciate it! Use code FREESHIP in the Shop to get, you guessed it, free shipping on orders through 10/1/20.

Filed Under: Pattern Shop Tagged With: enamel pins, fiber friends, rip it, taaja tucker

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.

Previous Post: « Happy 10th Birthday, Hands Occupied!
Next Post: The New Hands Occupied YouTube Channel is Live! »

Reader Interactions

DID YOU LIKE THIS POST?
Visit similar articles...

  • How to DIY the Perfect Book CoverHow to DIY the Perfect Book Cover
  • Stripey Myrna Sweater / Handmade WardrobeStripey Myrna Sweater / Handmade Wardrobe
  • Picks of the Week for August 18, 2017 | Hands OccupiedPicks of the Week
  • Brioche Knitting & A Brioche Cowl PatternBrioche Knitting & A Brioche Cowl Pattern

DON’T MISS ANOTHER UPDATE

Comments

  1. Bonnie

    September 25, 2020 at 11:01 am

    Hey there! Love the pin designs. Maybe I missed it, but I didn’t see a link to the actual product page in this post. (I ended up finding it via your shop link and ordered a frog pin, but wanted to mention it since I was confused for a bit.)

    Reply
    • Heidi

      September 25, 2020 at 12:32 pm

      Thanks, Bonnie! I just added prominent link to them near the top of the post – can you tell I’m used to marketing just patterns? ;) Appreciate the feedback, it really helps me out! -Heidi

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

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.

EMAIL NEWSLETTER

Never miss a tutorial with these short & sweet monthly updates.

Find Me on Social Media

  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • TikTok
  • YouTube
Latch Hook by Heidi GustadDiscover Unique Items

Footer

INSTAGRAM

handsoccupied

Craft book author, designer & creator specializing in yarn crafts like knitting, crochet, latch hook & macramé
❤️ Email preferred

Heidi Gustad 🧶✂️
Learn how to do the magic loop method for knitting Learn how to do the magic loop method for knitting in the round in 90 seconds. / Using the magic loop allows knitters to work in the round with a single, long circular needle at a range of circumferences. 
.
For a longer, full-width & more detailed overview of magic loop knitting, check out my u2be & b1og, the 🔗🔗 are where you’d think. 🧶
.
#handsoccupied #magicloop #knitting #howtoknit #learntoknit #knitter #knittinginspiration #knittinginstagram #knittingintheround
Since it won’t be clean for long, swipe to see w Since it won’t be clean for long, swipe to see what my home studio looks like these days. Nothing will ever quite be like the old Hands Occupied Studio, but I’m pretty pleased with how I shoehorned everything in this space. Function over form + a layer of yarn cuteness-meets-chaos is how I’d describe my creative space needs. 😆 When I was still renting the studio, those needs included “doesn’t rain suspicious brown water from a crack in the ceiling for a year,” so this is an improvement! 😆
.
For a time lapse of the studio organizing and tszuj-ing process, scroll down a couple posts on my feed. (There’s also a video or two featuring the old studio if you’re curious.) Happy June, friends! 
.
#handsoccupied #handsoccupiedstudio #knitdesigner #craftdesign #yarncrafts #latchhook #makerlife #heidigustad #chicagocrafter
Who doesn’t love magic loop knitting? Who doesn’t know what it is? How about when circular needles were invented?
.
In todays new bl0g post + video tutorial, you’ll learn about the magic loop method for knitting in the round, how to do it and why to use it, and when it came to be. The 🔗 is in my b1o. 🧶 
.
#handsoccupied #magicloop #knitting #howtoknit #knittinginspiration #knittingintheround
Finally organizing & putting the finishing touches Finally organizing & putting the finishing touches on my home studio. After losing my studio space last fall, it’s feels really great to *occupy* this new space all the way. 😉
.
I started by removing general clutter & returning straggler supplies from various WIPs, videos & design deadlines to their homes. Next, I hung a third peg board in the space - this one is mostly for display and less for organizing tools or projects. For the first time ever, I’m displaying projects from my book, plus a couple other faves. (The best thing about designing more yarn crafts besides knit & crochet is that I have some really fun -and delightfully pettable 😆- samples around.) I finished by adding a square dowel to my small supply storage tower to keep it from tipping over, plus re-arranging and de-cluttering the closet. 
.
This cleaner space already has me feeling so much more creative and less overwhelmed. Now to find a safe spot in the basement for the tower of project samples in Rubbermaid tubs I liberated from my WIPs closet. Also why are there five?! 
.
Here’s to keeping it clean for a few weeks! 🧶 
.
#handsocupied #handsoccupiedstudio #craftroom #craftroomorganization #craftroomstorage #yarncraft #knitter #crocheter #latchhook #latchhookbook
It’s a disaster in here and my video microphone It’s a disaster in here and my video microphone isn’t cooperating, but it could be worse! How’s your day? 
.
(If we haven’t yet met, I’m Heidi and I’m a pattern designer and tutorial creator specializing in yarn crafts like knitting & latch hook. You can learn more about my work and regularly find new tutorials in my profile. ☺️👋🏻)
.
#handsoccupied #craftstudio #knitter #yarncrafter
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Copyright © 2023 / Foodie Pro Theme On Genesis Framework / Branding by Ink + Mortar
All Site & Shop Policies / Privacy Policy / Cookie Policy