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Hands Occupied

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

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It’s the Read Along Knit Along!

September 28, 2016 17 Comments

Read and knit along with Heidi from Hands Occupied!

At the beginning of the year I posted about some plans I hoped to roll out in 2016. This year has turned out to be quite the doozie for, well, the whole planet, and as a resident of Earth, I was not immune to what my best friend and I have coined 201666. To turn the frown that is this year a little upside down, I thought it was time to plow forward with an idea I have been excited about for a long time: hosting a read along knit along! (#RALKAL? I think so!)

As an avid audiobook knitter and librarian, this book-group-meets-knit-along idea is something I’ve wanted to do for years. Get your hands ready to be occupied, friends! Starting Monday, October 10, we’ll be knitting a relaxing (and audiobook listening-friendly) shawl and reading one of my favorite new books of 2016, The Smell of Other People’s Houses by Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock.

About the book

This young adult title is a gut punch of a book in the best possible way. Set in Alaska in the 1970s as the region grapples with its newfound statehood, four young people find their complicated young lives intertwined. From Goodreads, “In Alaska, 1970, being a teenager here isn’t like being a teenager anywhere else. Ruth has a secret that she can’t hide forever. Dora wonders if she can ever truly escape where she comes from, even when good luck strikes. Alyce is trying to reconcile her desire to dance, with the life she’s always known on her family’s fishing boat. Hank and his brothers decide it’s safer to run away than to stay home—until one of them ends up in terrible danger.”

At just 240 pages and an audiobook that runs under 6 hours (and has multiple narrators which helps keep characters straight if you’re knitting while listening), this isn’t a crazy commitment time-wise. While the title is written for young adults (a.k.a. teens), I’ve had amazing conversations with every adult reader who’s feasted their brains on this special story. You’ll be in good hands with me as we discuss the book in the Hands Occupied Ravelry Group, by the way! I’m a librarian who has worked with teens and adults in book groups featuring both adult and teen titles. I’m q-u-a-l-i-f-i-e-d to discuss me some books! The book is currently available in hardback, paperback, and on audiobook. My library has lots of copies on the shelves, so you should check yours to see if they have it too!

About the pattern

Inspired by the book we’ll be reading, the Other People’s Houses Shawl will be released for free on the first day of the RALKAL on October 10. We’ll be knitting and reading between October 10 and 31, sharing progress and finished pictures with the hashtag #RALKAL. To knit this shawl, you’ll need: two 100g balls of Louet Gems Euroflax Sport yarn in your choice of color (pictured is Cloud Grey), 1 pair of 40 inch US 3 circular knitting needles, and a tapestry needle and scissors to weave in ends.

As an added incentive to get your reading and knitting on, there will be a Louet giveaway prize pack raffle at the end of the RALKAL, and everyone who finishes the book and the shawl can enter to win. I’ll post more details and prize pics in the coming weeks. I can’t wait to cast on and start reading with you all!

If you’ve got any questions about the RALKAL, holler in the comments. :)

Filed Under: Knit Along, Knitting, Knitting & Crochet Tagged With: book discussion, book group, free pattern, kal, knit along, ralkal, read along, shawl, the smell of other peoples houses, young adult

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. Allison

    September 28, 2016 at 9:55 am

    Ooh! *librarian immediately sucked in to book and yarn vortex*
    I may have blown my yarn budget twice over this year…what if I were to substitute some Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool? I have 300-ish yards in a nice cream and 500-ish in orange–is the shawl designed to use both skeins of Euroflax in their entirety?

    Reply
    • Heidi

      September 28, 2016 at 12:19 pm

      It is!

      Reply
      • Allison

        September 28, 2016 at 6:18 pm

        Ok! Eye-searing orange shawl it is :)

        Reply
        • Heidi

          September 29, 2016 at 5:52 pm

          OMG, I can’t wait to see that!

          Reply
  2. Debbie W

    September 28, 2016 at 1:36 pm

    So excited about this! Though I’ll be travelling at the end of October so getting the shawl finished May be a bit of a challenge, I’d hate to lose such lovely yarn to the changing whims of the TSA…I’ll definitely be reading along!

    Reply
    • Heidi

      September 28, 2016 at 2:42 pm

      Yay! Excited to have you, Debbie! For what it’s worth, I traveled with this project last year and it was all good. I sometimes pack a printout from TSA’s website – the page where they say you can knit and crochet on planes. 🤓 🤓 Clearly I’m VERY cool!

      Reply
      • Debbie W

        September 28, 2016 at 4:57 pm

        Thanks for the travel tip!

        Reply
  3. Nan

    September 28, 2016 at 3:18 pm

    Can you recommend any other yarns, size and weight? I’d love to try to use some of my stash… Can I use wool? Thanks

    Reply
    • Heidi

      September 29, 2016 at 9:21 am

      You’re in luck! This pattern will work at any gauge with any yarn.

      Reply
  4. Judy

    October 1, 2016 at 5:20 pm

    I love this idea! I listen to audiobooks constantly as I knit, so this is right up my alley. I just joined your Ravelry group but don’t see the ralkal listed yet…will you send out a reminder when it’s all up and running? Meanwhile, off to see if my library has a copy for me <3

    Reply
    • Heidi

      October 1, 2016 at 5:28 pm

      I was planning on the thread starting to be active when the KAL does, but I can start it early since you’re interested! :) Ill do that right now!

      Reply
      • Judy

        October 2, 2016 at 7:32 am

        Thanks! I just wanted to be sure I didn’t lose track…

        Reply
  5. Jen

    October 2, 2016 at 12:21 pm

    Books + yarn + fall = heaven! What a great idea!

    Reply
  6. Helen

    October 8, 2016 at 4:54 pm

    Heidi,,, por favor,,,, the pattern will be released October 10th. Will we get this via email,,,, or your postings on Faceybook? Im as happy as a greased pig in a pig catching contest SMILE Dont wanna miss out on anything Thanks much!!!!

    Reply
    • Heidi

      October 9, 2016 at 12:17 pm

      Hi Helen!

      Your comment made me laugh out loud! Can’t wait to have your positive energy during our Read Along Knit Along! The pattern will be posted in full to this blog tomorrow (and I’ll post links to the pattern on Facebook, Twitter, Ravelry etc. letting people who follow that way know about the pattern). You can chat with everyone doing the RALKAL in the Ravelry group about the pattern and what we’re reading as we go!

      Can’t wait to get started tomorrow,
      Heidi

      Reply
  7. Helen White

    October 9, 2016 at 8:37 am

    Heidi, you are so cute. I am a 74 tear old grandmother, so am I permitted to say this.? Plus a retired high school teacher who is trying to get my groove back to knitting. Never have been very good at it, but do better with crochet. Your site is wonderful.

    Reply
    • Heidi

      October 9, 2016 at 12:19 pm

      Thank you so much, Helen! Glad you found Hands Occupied. :)

      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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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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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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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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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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