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

Hands Occupied

Contemporary yarn crafts by Heidi Gustad. Knitting, crochet, latch hook and macrame.

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

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

Stop, it’s recharge time!

January 8, 2021 4 Comments

Heidi from Hands Occupied wearing her primary colored version of the So Faded sweater by Andrea Mowry.
Wearing: my take on the So Faded sweater by Andrea Mowry.

Often at the beginning of a new year, I share a blog post rounding up the previous year and outlining what’s to come. However, this year I’m finding myself in need of a little break. A full time creative since 2016, I have very much learned the hard way how burnout can knock a person off their game for longer than if they’d just listened to themselves and taken a break when they needed it.

This past Monday marked the deadline for one of the bigger design projects of my career. Delighted to have made it through the year 2020 and make my deadline on time, I knew I wanted to take it easy. Often, especially when I’ve had a deadline, I end up with a backlog of emails and work to catch up on afterwards. This latest project was no exception.

@handsoccupied

No two dreams looks the same! Pursue the life you imagine, even if it involves llama pjs & yarn. 🦙🧶 ##learnontiktok ##tiktokpartner ##intarsia ##knit

♬ LIVE YOUR DREAM – mellowtone

Breaks are great!

I’ve been blogging since September of 2010. In the past, I would just plow through a post-deadline catch-up in a couple days, kidding myself that finishing a to do list was the way to assuage post-design-project depression (a real thing, tuns out!). Doing that for project after project, year after year, is a recipe for burnout, particularly when so many other anxiety-inducing things are happening on a seemingly-endless loop in real life.

For years, I didn’t realize how valuable breaks are, especially for creative work. This post is just a few paragraphs outlining why I’ll be MIA for a bit, but maybe if you’re a maker on the cusp of falling out of love with your craft this will resonate with you. At the end of the day, I’m just one person, and taking care of myself comes before work.

The Very Serious Crafts Podcast

Listen & subscribe to the Very Serious Crafts podcast, available wherever you get your podcasts!

Speaking of which, I’d be remiss not to mention The Very Serious Crafts Podcast. I have been a co-host of VSC since episode 2 of season 1, and it’s been a blast! At the end of season 3 a few weeks ago, I announced I’ll be stepping back from the podcast after this season. In our most recent free episode, I talk about how in addition to needing a bit of a break overall, I also have some minor medical issues that I need to make time to attend to, and I needed to let go of something to make the time. (Are we sensing the self-care theme for 2021 yet? 😆 )

You can listen to my last episode co-hosting The Very Serious Crafts Podcast below:

Heidi with a big intarsia knitting swatch.
Don’t you also take selfies with your intarsia swatches?

Intentional Time Off

Sometimes it’s helpful to commit intentions to “paper,” so I’ll wrap up this unusually personal blog post by doing just that. On this break, my big work goal is to zoom out and check in with the overall Hands Occupied universe to ensure that I’m aiming in my efforts in the right direction. It’s been ten years, and there’s a lot to unpack! I landed my recently-wrapped design project right as my book was coming out and I was reaching the ten year anniversary of Hands Occupied. In addition to overall new year planning, I want a minute to pause to plan what’s next. That’s a much harder task when you’re in the thick of swatches and gauge math, you know?

Yours in yarn,
Heidi ❤️

Filed Under: Life Tagged With: burnout, craft design, new year

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!

Previous Post: « Picks of the Season
Next Post: 2021: A Year for Self-Care »

Reader Interactions

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

  • 2021: A Year for Self-Care2021: A Year for Self-Care
  • Latch Hook Book Design InspoLatch Hook Book Design Inspo
  • Almost a decade of Hands OccupiedAlmost a decade of Hands Occupied
  • Weekly Reader Weekly Reader

DON’T MISS ANOTHER UPDATE

Comments

  1. Cindy G.

    January 8, 2021 at 2:57 pm

    Heidi, I 100% support you taking a break to manage your mental and physical health. I will miss you on the VSC podcast. You crack me up with your humor and your comments that sometimes pop up in the background. I hope that your absence won’t be a permanent one. I am several weeks behind in my listening- I have been remote teaching, and the last few weeks have been from home. I’ll be heading back in to the building on Monday, so I can listen again on my commute! I wish you the best on your 2021 wellness journey!

    Reply
    • Heidi

      January 25, 2021 at 4:08 pm

      Thank you so much! <3 It was of course not long enough, but I'm glad to be back (on Hands Occupied at least) today! -Heidi

      Reply
  2. Dawn

    January 26, 2021 at 3:25 pm

    I’m sorry I’m just meeting you on your way out. I’m not sure how podcasts work either but I’ll try to figure it out so I can get to know you better. I’m interested in seeing your work and patterns and hear what you have to say about this craft. I learn everyday, even if I know the stitches I like to be shown again and see how others knit.
    I pray your medical situation is not serious but remember the Lord is in control with a path you can handle. Heidi thanks for sharing all you have shared to all your followers.
    Stay Safe
    Blessing
    Fredericksburg, Va

    Reply
    • Heidi

      January 26, 2021 at 8:33 pm

      Thank you! :)

      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, an author, yarn craft designer and content creator specializing in knitting, crochet, latch hook & macrame. My work unapologetically features primary colors and vintage-meets-modern style. My first book, Latch Hook: 12 Projects for the Modern Maker, is now available!

Professionally I’m most known for: advanced intarsia knitting design & modern latch hook design.

work with heidi

UPDATES BY EMAIL

Get a free pattern + biweekly updates sent to your inbox.

Let’s be friends!

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
Latch Hook by Heidi Gustad

Footer

INSTAGRAM

handsoccupied

Craft book author & content creator in love with primary colors & vintage vibes. / #latchhookbook out now!
.
knitting, crochet, latch hook & macramé

Heidi Gustad 🧶✂️
A new YouTube tutorial is live today covering how A new YouTube tutorial is live today covering how to knit the Little Butterfly Stitch (aka Bowknot Stitch). It adds so much cute character to simple stockinette. Only a little funky to knit, and it packs a huge visual punch! 🦋 
.
Find the video & written stitch pattern on the blog and YouTube, links are in bio. 
.
#kpambassadorsfeb21 #sponsored
.
Yarn: @kelbournewoolens Germantown in Baby Blue via @knit_picks. Needles: Prism Interchangeables, also from Knit Picks. 
.
Pictured: a light blue swatch of Little Butterfly Stitch knitting on a pink background. A skein of yarn and a few stitches of knitting are nearby.
“You’re telling me words can be pronounced in “You’re telling me words can be pronounced in different ways and mean the same things?!” 👀 Posting this here, just to make it clear: when anyone says skayne, skeen, or skyne, it can be safely assumed we’re talking about a bundle o’ yarn,  a SKEIN. It’s not necessary to shame someone for using a word that is known to have MULTIPLE common pronunciations. 🧶
.
.
Can you plz comment sharing how you say SKEIN and where you learned it? The OED happens to say SKAYNE, but it’s not a personal attack if someone says SKEEN and you say SKYNE or even Saskatoon. I’m legitimately curious. We don’t all knit or crochet the same way, and craft evolves a bit like language - it is passed on. There is so much value in having conversations about & embracing these variations! ✌🏻
.
Pictured: A blond woman holds a skein of mustard yellow yarn up to her head like a phone, looking shocked. She’s wearing glasses & a knit sweater. 
.
#handsoccupied #heidigustad #skein #yarn #yarncraft #knit #crochet #yarnaddict #knitincolor #soldotnacrop #language #englishisweird #oed #oxfordenglishdictionary
Sometimes my weekend projects involve hair rather Sometimes my weekend projects involve hair rather than yarn. Here’s the latest mediocre-but-improving result of my slow quest to learn to set vintage inspired curls. 💇🏼‍♀️ I’m hoping to be able to wash my hair less using a regular vintage set, but we’ll see if it ends up being practical. 😆 Hair frustrates me so much more than crafts! 
.
Do you also style your hair using vintage methods? If you have any tips for vintage hair styling or good resources to share, please do!
I suppose this is one way to decide what yarn colo I suppose this is one way to decide what yarn color suits your pooch. 😆 Navy really might be Woodrow‘s color - what do you think? 
.
Pictured: A medium sized, brown, senior dog asleep on a green bed. For some reason a donut ball of navy wool yarn sits on his head.
The first stitch tutorial of the new year is live The first stitch tutorial of the new year is live on YouTube! Diamond Brocade is a great knit+purl only stitch for beginners or anyone wanting a classic look for their knitting project. Find the video with a written stitch pattern on the blog or head directly to the video on YouTube. Both are linked in bio. ✌🏻 
#kpambassadorsfeb21 #sponsored
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Copyright © 2021 / Foodie Pro Theme On Genesis Framework / Branding by Ink + Mortar
All Site & Shop Policies / Privacy Policy / Cookie Policy