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

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Recap: The Very Serious Crafts Podcast Live from Chicago!

February 27, 2019 Leave a Comment

The hosts of the Very Serious Crafts Podcast (from left to right): Heidi Gustad (Hands Occupied), Mollie Johanson (Wild Olive) & Haley Pierson-Cox (Red-Handled Scissors)
The hosts of the Very Serious Crafts Podcast: Heidi Gustad (Hands Occupied), Mollie Johanson (Wild Olive) & Haley Pierson-Cox (Red-Handled Scissors)

A couple of crafty friends and I started a podcast last spring called the Very Serious Crafts Podcast. Every other week, you can listen to Mollie, Haley and I talk about everything from translating knitting gauge into graph paper to shameful tales of crafts gone wrong. Nine months into this adventure, we managed to book and sell out (!) our first live show. Since the show took place a month ago and the recording is officially available in our podcast feed (season 2, episode 4 to be specific), I figured it’s about time I shared a bit from that fun and somewhat terrifying day!

Part 1: Live Recording

Recap: The Very Serious Crafts Podcast Live from Chicago

First up, shout out to Chicago Public Library (And Librarian Amanda especially) for having us! Our show was at the Harold Washington Library Center, a.k.a. the main branch of Chicago Public Library, on Saturday 1/26. The first hour of our program consisted of a live recording of an episode (which you can listen to here). Mollie, Haley & were all a little intimidated, but we had so much fun. We kicked off the episode by discussing & passing around our favorite weird vintage craft items. As a nod to our venue, we next shared some of the craft books that informed our development as makers. Then we wound things up with a round of our beloved Train of Shame series, which basically consists of sharing stories about crafty failures (think perpetually unfinished projects, disastrous outcomes – that sort of thing).

Recap: The Very Serious Crafts Podcast Live from Chicago

Part 2: Serious crafting with our audience

When we brainstormed what exactly a Very Serious Crafts live show would look like, it was important to all 3 of us to include some sort of make and take craft project. In retrospect we were probably a little ambitious to tackle recording an episode PLUS three separate crafting tables at a single live show, but it was fun! We are all craft designers, so we each came up with something that could be sewn or appliquèd onto a felt coffee sleeve.

Recap: The Very Serious Crafts Podcast Live from Chicago

Mollie not only made all the sleeves everyone got to work with and take home, but she designed an embroidery transfer in the Very Serious Crafts font. It’s SO GOOD!

Recap: The Very Serious Crafts Podcast Live from Chicago
Recap: The Very Serious Crafts Podcast Live from Chicago

Just for fun, I wondered if it would be possible to make latch hook a very cozy coffee sleeve. It is! ;) Some day my latch hook evangelizing will make everyone as excited about making shag rugs as I am, haha!

And Haley, being a whiz with English paper piecing, designed a cute coffee sleeve featuring appliquè hexagons. Her corner of the room was a rainbow fabric lover’s dream!

Recap: The Very Serious Crafts Podcast Live from Chicago

Truly, it’s been a whirlwind month since the Very Serious Crafts live show in Chicago, and I can hardly believe it happened at all! Thank you so much if you were able to come out on that cold day. Hopefully we can do one again soon. <3

Don’t forget to listen to the live show! And check out our show notes for the live show to see pictures of our vintage crafts and find links to the crafty books that made us!

Filed Under: Inspiration Tagged With: chicago public library, craft podcast, live podcast, podcast, very serious crafts

About Heidi

Heidi Gustad is a craft book author & content creator in love with primary colors & vintage vibes. She specializes in knitting, crochet, latch hook and macramé, and 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 & pattern designer ❤️💛💙
knitting, crochet, latch hook & macramé
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Please email for pattern support. 🧶

Heidi Gustad 🧶✂️
When you have four big skeins of pretty 2 ply yarn When you have four big skeins of pretty 2 ply yarn, you immediately think sweater, right? 
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My wardrobe could use another handmade sweater - I’m thinking something simple, seamed and with a decent amount of ease for potentially wearing tucked in with jeans or skirts. 🤔 
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Yarn: @universal_yarn Fibra Natura Cobblestone in Antarctica and Dragon’s Breath, wound in thick skeins of 100% superwash wool that’s a light DK weight.
How to to knit throwing (a.k.a. English) style . How to to knit throwing (a.k.a. English) style 
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In knitting, there are a few common knitting styles. Most often you’re going to encounter continental style and English (throwing) style on your knitting journey. I recently had an old video teaching continental style get a lot of views. Based on the comments, it was clear the people wanted to also see a throwing tutorial, so here you go! 🧶
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Please note that there is a LOT of variation in knitting styles, and one isn’t necessarily better than another. Most often, I’ve found it comes down to two things: how you were taught and whether or not you’re really into colorwork knitting (which can involve a mix of styles). 
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Longer-term knitters who’ve made it this far: do you prefer one over the other? And why? 
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#handsoccupied #englishknitting #learntoknit #knitting #howtoknit #knittersofinstagram #knitting_inspiration
How to do a one-step provisional knitting cast on How to do a one-step provisional knitting cast on / a.k.a. crochet provisional cast on, scrap yarn cast on
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I read recently that tiktok and Instagram are being used as search engines more and more. 🤔 I thought since I’m going to all the work of making tutorials on YouTube, I should experiment with making a quick version of them for other platforms. There are obvious teaching limitations to vertical video, short-form content like this, but I think I covered the gist of this cast on in a minute. The YouTube version also covers how to unzip this cast on because there was time for it 👍🏻 L1nk is in my profile. 
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I’m very much looking for feedback as I continue to make instructional knitting & craft videos. Sometimes good tutorials are hard to find, and (ideally polite) feedback helps me improve. 
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#handsoccupied #provisionalcaston #knitting #knititngtutorial #knittersofinstagram #crochethook #knittingtutorial
For the first time in a long time, there’s a new For the first time in a long time, there’s a new tutorial from Hands Occupied! 🎉 The video is live on YouTube & the blog. 
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The post covers what provisional cast ons are & how they differ, and the video covers how to work a one-step provisional cast on using scrap yarn and a crochet hook. (This is a great one to save for future reference.)
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I learned several names for this method while researching this video & post. Crochet provisional cast on, one-step cast on, scrap yarn cast on - if you know even more names for this technique, please share! 
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#handsoccupied #provisionalcaston #knitting #scrapyarn #crochethook
Working on a sample for some upcoming videos. It’s an overcast day with intermittent sunshine & I have a scruffy little sidecar. 🐶 Can’t complain! 
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What’s on your needles this week? 
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Yarn: @debbieblissknits Cashmerino Aran 
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#handsoccupied #knitting #knittinglife
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