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Hands Occupied

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

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The Read Along Crochet Along is here!

April 2, 2018 3 Comments

Crochet the Worker Bee Bag & Worker Bee Clutch during the Read Along Crochet Along, April 1-30! This adorable bag uses filet crochet, baubles, and elongated stitches to create a fun, textural piece perfect for spring!

Get the Pattern / Join the Ravelry Group / Does your library have The Beekeeper’s Apprentice?

As promised, the Read Along Crochet Along is here! Folks who preordered the Worker Bee Bag received the pattern in their inboxes yesterday, some people have been chatting in the Ravelry Group, and books have been opened. For those who missed the announcement last month, we have just kicked off the first-ever Read Along Crochet Along, so throughout the month of April, everyone is welcome to crochet the Worker Bee Bag and read & discuss The Beekeeper’s Apprentice by Laurie R. King. The pattern was inspired by the book we’re reading too – it’s really fun!

Say what now?

What’s a crochet along?

For any folks out there who are new to “-alongs” (meaning a knit along or crochet along or stitch along), let me give you a brief overview of what’s happening here. First off, these things are often abbreviated CAL or KAL, for Crochet Along or Knit Along. What happens during an “-along” is this: for a predetermined period of time, a group of crocheters (or knitters or sewists) make the same project/pattern at the same time. It’s a fun way to share in the making experience with fellow craft nerds enthusiasts, and you can share progress and ask for help if you run into issues during the crafting process. Hands Occupied -alongs have been everything from how to make cuff down socks from start to finish to last fall’s mystery knit along inspired by The Night Circus. (BTW, mystery “-alongs” are very popular and add an extra layer of fun. You receive part of your pattern every week or so, so you can’t work ahead of the rest of the group doing the KAL.) In the end “-alongs” are a fun way to make crafting more social and help hold you accountable with a deadline to motivate a speedy finish to your project.

Where does the Read Along part come in?

The Read Along concept is an original of mine. I feel like it’s time to say that in print based on the amount of times people message me on my Ravelry or Instagram saying, “I’ve never done a Read Along before! Do you know of any other folks who do these?” Love the enthusiasm, but no I don’t, because I invented this idea. ;) There are so many knitters and crocheters who also love books, and I love listening to audiobooks while I craft. After leaving my career as a Librarian (more on that here) to focus on running Hands Occupied full time, I wanted to do something to capture the fun feeling of running library book groups, but give it a yarny twist. And the Read Alongs were born.

Each fall and spring, I now release a pattern inspired by the book we read & discuss during the RALCAL. As of this year, I’ve decided each fall will be our Read Along Knit Along, and we’ll do our RALCAL every spring. PS: I’m in the midst of finalizing details for the fall RALKAL already, and in planning stages for spring 2019. To see past Read Along posts, check out this blog post archive. :)

RALCAL Logistics

Reading/Discussion

To help us avoid spoilers and keep up with our reading pace, below is a schedule of where to read in The Beekeeper’s Apprentice each week. It breaks down pretty nicely in our one-month timeline (April 1-30). Just make sure not to discuss anything past the listed stopping point in the Ravelry Group until the appropriate week. For example, please don’t discuss anything that happens after Book 1 until April 18.

  • April 1-7: Prelude & Book 1
  • April 8-14: Book 2
  • April 15-21: Book 3
  • April 22-30 Book 4 & Postlude

PS: In The Beekeeper’s Apprentice, the book is broken up into “books” instead of parts.

Overall

Just as a refresher, here’s an overview of how the RALCAL will all be paced out:

  • 4/1: Worker Bee Bag crochet pattern goes live
  • Throughout the RALCAL, I’ll be publishing blog posts related to the pattern, including tutorials, inspiration and a fun look behind-the-scenes at the design process.
  • The RALCAL giveaway (more on that below) runs 4/1 through 11:59 p.m. on 4/30. The winner will be contacted 5/2 and announced in the 5/4 Picks of the Week post.
  • The RALCAL runs during the month of April, having kicked off Sunday, April 1, and it ends on Monday, April 30.
  • This is NOT a mystery crochet along, so when you buy the pattern, you get the whole thing all at once.
  • Read Along In Real Life meetups will be at Chicago’s Firefly Fiber Arts on Fridays from 4-8 p.m. during the crochet along: 4/6, 4/13, 4/20 & 4/27. We’ll wrap up the RAIRL at our 4/27 meet up and draw the in-person prize winner. (If you’re in the Chicago area, visit this post to read all about our Read Along IRL meetups.)
  • Official hashtags for the Read Along are: #readalongIRL & #RALCAL, and the pattern hashtag is #workerbeebag.

Crochet the Worker Bee Bag & Worker Bee Clutch during the Read Along Crochet Along, April 1-30! This adorable bag uses filet crochet, baubles, and elongated stitches to create a fun, textural piece perfect for spring!

A HUGE Giveaway!

We have some really spectacular prizes for everyone participating in the Read Along Crochet Along this spring. Why Knot Fibers donated a skein of their Spunky yarn in the Smoke and Shadows colorway, Love & Leche gave us one of their lovely lotion bars (appropriately made with beeswax), Jul Designs contributed a set of their amazing bag handles, and Darn Good Yarn donated one of their handmade wooden yarn bowls (the very yarn bowl I myself use)!

To enter the giveaway, use the box below. If you’re on mobile, you’ll have to click a button or visit this page to enter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway prizes provided by Why Knot Fibers, Darn Good Yarn, Jul Designs, and Love & Leche. 

Filed Under: Crochet, Knit Along Tagged With: crochet along, ralcal, read along crochet along, the beekeeper's apprentice, worker bee bag

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. Cindy G

    April 2, 2018 at 9:16 pm

    I am so excited to get started! But, I’ll be a week behind because I have grades due and a HUGE stack of papers that need grading. I also haven’t located my book, so if I can find my library card (or get to the library for a replacement), I can borrow it… Although I might buy a new copy and then pass it along when I’m finished (if I find my original copy, I’ll pass that one along as a gift). Now that I know it’s a series, I have a feeling I’ll want to keep a copy for myself anyway. I’ll make sure to pop in to Ravelry once I’m caught up :)

    Reply
    • Heidi

      April 3, 2018 at 9:58 am

      Great! We’ll be ready for you. :)

      Reply
  2. Laurel Robbins

    April 7, 2018 at 10:16 am

    My very first ever CAL – love it!

    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

Craft book author, designer & creator specializing in yarn crafts like knitting, crochet, latch hook & macramé
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Nobody panic. This is just the back of an (admitte Nobody panic. This is just the back of an (admittedly insane) intarsia project. One day, this will be a seamed sweater, but today is not that day. 🧶 
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Yarn: @universal_yarn’s Fibra Natura Cobblestone in Antarctica & Dragon’s Breath 
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Here’s how to work a Norwegian purl stitch for e Here’s how to work a Norwegian purl stitch for easier continental style knitting. With this purling method, the working yarn says tensioned (held) at the back of your knitting at all times. For many knitters, always holding the yarn at the back helps with tension issues, as well as feeling a little more comfortable. 
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Have you ever encountered this style of purling before? If you’ve tried it, have you found it helps with your purl tension and knitting speed? I’m curious.
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For a written tutorial, visit handsoccupied-dot-com. For video, you guessed it, You2be. Both of these platforms allow for longer, more in-depth versions of this tutorial, including full transcripts, alt text & the ability to pause, slow down or speed up at will. (Like if you really want to learn this, I recommend using a platform that doesn’t keep your hands occupied. Thinking of putting this in all my captions these days tbh - shout out to you if you made it this far. 🙌🏻😂)
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Have you ever tried this style of purl? . All thi Have you ever tried this style of purl? 
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All this recent talk about throwing vs. continental style knitting made it clear many people struggle with purling in continental knitting. Turns out that Norway may have the answer! In Norwegian purling, the working yarn stays tensioned at the back at all times, helping with speed and tension. 🤯
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Head to the bl0g (🔗 in bi0) for a more in-depth look at how to work a Norwegian purl stitch, including a photo tutorial with animated GIF & a video tutorial. Wrapping your mind around how to work a stitch you’re familiar with in a totally new way can be confusing, so I tried to give a few options for clarity. 🤙🏻 Video is also on You2be. 
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#handsoccupied #norwegianpurl #norwegianknitting #norwegianpurling #continentalknitting #howtoknit #learntoknit #knitterofinstagram #knitters
It’s been a hot second since I showed my face or It’s been a hot second since I showed my face or reintroduced myself, so here goes! I’m Heidi Gustad, a craft book author, pattern designer, and tutorial creator who specializes in yarn crafts. Lately, I’ve been focused on releasing quality knitting videos and related blog posts to help teach things like the difference between provisional cast ons and how to fix common knitting mistakes. Next week I’m shooting requested crochet and latch hook videos, so h👀kers, your time is coming! And if you ever have tutorial requests, please let me know. ☺️
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TLDR: I’m Heidi. I design & teach yarn crafts. You can find tutorials on my blog (est. 2010) & You2be. I also have several knitting & crochet patterns + a book about latch hook available. / All of these can be found on my website, the 🔗 is where you’d think. 
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Are you a picker or a thrower? Do you knit Contine Are you a picker or a thrower? Do you knit Continental or English Style? Here’s a quick overview of the differences between the two most common knitting styles, including a side by side comparison. (A good one to save for future reference. 👍🏻) 
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