• 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

Make the World Better with a Sweater Party

January 6, 2015 Leave a Comment

Make the World Better with a Sweater party and fundraiser benefitting Save the Children. | HandsOccupied.com

You might be thinking, wait, what? Christmas stuff again?? I had something else planned for today, but when the photos from last month’s Make the World Better with a Sweater party/Save the Children fundraiser came in, a change of plans was in order. I think most of you are down for seeing epic yarn nerdery any time, even if it’s mostly red and green, right? It was a big goal of mine in 2014 to find a way to give back with the blog, and between the red hats project and this fundraiser, I think Hands Occupied is headed in the right direction going into 2015.

If you’re excited about one of the ideas or DIYs you see in the photos, you can find a list of party sources & credits at the bottom of the post. Except where noted, all photos in this post are by Tennile Sunday.

Party highlights

The party was full of people who walked in for some last minute holiday yarn shopping, Hands Occupied readers and friends. We had wine, cookies, snacks, and a giveaway for everyone who donated to Save the Children, plus some fun activities for everyone.

Make the World Better with a Sweater party and fundraiser benefitting Save the Children. | HandsOccupied.com

This photo tells you a lot about me. I am bad at styling my own hair, especially the back, lol. I must be terrifying to talk to because I lean forward and wave my hands around during basic human communication activities. I remember this conversation being really good, and this lady was totally charming and fun to talk to. Here’s hoping this crazy polka dot lady who was really, really excited about everything didn’t scare the nice brunette lady away from the knitting world for good!

Make the World Better with a Sweater party and fundraiser benefitting Save the Children. | HandsOccupied.com

Make the World Better with a Sweater party and fundraiser benefitting Save the Children. | HandsOccupied.com

the ugly sweater cookie decorating bar

I think people really loved the sweater cookie station. There was  regularly a moment of, “Wait. They’re tiny sweaters?!” as folks reached the table. I mean, it’s sweaters at a yarn store party, should I really be surprised?

Make the World Better with a Sweater party and fundraiser benefitting Save the Children. | HandsOccupied.com

The frosting was in pastry bags so people didn’t have to get their hands messy, and there were a lot of holiday sprinkle options for embellishing sweater designs. Even the most reluctant cookie decorator could have fun with it!

Make the World Better with a Sweater party and fundraiser benefitting Save the Children. | HandsOccupied.com

Make the World Better with a Sweater party and fundraiser benefitting Save the Children. | HandsOccupied.com

How cute is this lady? This is my favorite of the moments Tennile captured that night! Oh, and the other cutie in this snap is my dear husband, Ed. He killed it as our party DJ!

Make the World Better with a Sweater party and fundraiser benefitting Save the Children. | HandsOccupied.com

While we’re drooling over cookies, let’s pause for just a sec to drool over the pink, blue and yellow color combo in this gorgeous shot:

Make the World Better with a Sweater party and fundraiser benefitting Save the Children. | HandsOccupied.com

the knitting and crochet corner

Yup, no sweater-party-at-a-yarn-store would be complete without some needles and hooks flying back and forth. We dedicated the couch area to the stitch and bitch, and the ladies came prepared!

Make the World Better with a Sweater party and fundraiser benefitting Save the Children. | HandsOccupied.com

Make the World Better with a Sweater party and fundraiser benefitting Save the Children. | HandsOccupied.com Is this not the perfect thing to be knitting at a holiday knitting party? I think so.

Make the World Better with a Sweater party and fundraiser benefitting Save the Children. | HandsOccupied.com

the photo booth

I’m super proud of the photo booth at the party, which featured yards and yards and yards! of red, green & white yarn, folded in half and hung in bunches from extra-strong fishing line (yarn gets heavy, guys!). The props for the photobooth are styrofoam balls covered in yarn secured with straight pins, the giant knitting needles are 4 foot dowels I sanded to a dull point, and the yarn wigs were DIY’d as well. I also found some dry erase foamcore that I cut into sweater shapes with an x-acto knife, so people could draw their own ugly sweater designs on them on the fly. You can see one of the dry erase sweater props at the top of this post, as modeled by yours truly who was having way too much fun geeking out about yarn.

Speaking of way too fun, here are Maura and Jen, the lovely ladies who helped work the shop during the party, helped me set up the party, and are both fantastic knitters and utterly charming.

Make the World Better with a Sweater party and fundraiser benefitting Save the Children. | HandsOccupied.com

Make the World Better with a Sweater party and fundraiser benefitting Save the Children. | HandsOccupied.com

via Instagram

My #1 favorite DIY of the party had to be the yarn wigs. I named them Brumhilda and Kevin. I should prooooobably do a tutorial on these sometime, eh? I need an excuse to make at least one more of these babies.

Make the World Better with a Sweater party and fundraiser benefitting Save the Children. | HandsOccupied.com

PS: This old phone is my business card holder for events. I always mean to share it on the blog and forget, so here it is! Another one of those things I should do a tutorial for on Hands Occupied. Womp womp.

Make the World Better with a Sweater party and fundraiser benefitting Save the Children. | HandsOccupied.com Thanks to everyone who helped make this party happen!

Especially Nina and Tennile for donating their amazing spaces and talents to help support this cause, and I also want to thank Eileen, Ana & Maria at Save the Children for their support. Also, my dear husbro, Ed. He helped man the cookie bar and made a kickass holiday playlist and got the speakers all rigged to bump xmas hits throughout the store. 

Make the World Better with a Sweater party and fundraiser benefitting Save the Children. | HandsOccupied.com

Me + Nina, boss ladying :)

Party resources
Design, party crafts, photobooth, etc.: Hands Occupied
Venue: Nina Chicago
Photographer: Tennile Sunday
DJ Husband’s Playlist: Christmas Party
Ugly Sweater Cookie Kits: Wilton
The best cheap yarn that you’ll need tons of for the yarn backdrop and photobooth props: Caron One Pound and Red Heart Super Saver.
Make the Word Better with a Sweater garland sign: designed & cut by me with my Cricut Explore. 

Filed Under: Christmas, Knitting & Crochet, Parties Tagged With: nina chicago, save the children, sweater party, tennile sunday, ugly sweater cookies, yarn party, yarn photo booth

About Heidi

Heidi Gustad (she/her) is a craft book author & designer specializing in yarn crafts. Her work combines vintage and modern design elements, prioritizing color and graphic motifs. Her first book, Latch Hook: 12 Projects for the Modern Maker, is out now.

Previous Post: « How to Fix Mistakes in Brioche Knitting
Next Post: Picks of the Week »

Reader Interactions

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

  • Picks of the WeekPicks of the Week
  • Trunk Show at Nina!Trunk Show at Nina!
  • Make the World Better with a Sweater! / Hands Occupied Sweater PartyMake the World Better with a Sweater! / Hands Occupied Sweater Party
  • Nina: A Contemporary Yarn StoreNina: A Contemporary Yarn Store

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), and I’ve been helping yarn crafters untangle various techniques on the internet since 2010. I got my start here, as a blogger, and since then I’ve shared more than a few tutorials here and on YouTube as I’ve grown as a pattern designer. 🧶 

learn more / work with me

Find Me on Social Media

  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • TikTok
  • YouTube
Latch Hook by Heidi Gustad

Footer

INSTAGRAM

Heidi Gustad 🧶 knitting & yarn crafts

handsoccupied

Knitting & yarn crafts designer 🧶
.
Stay up-to-date 💌 & shop new patterns ⤵️

POV: Showing you how my new Bevelled Tank pattern POV: Showing you how my new Bevelled Tank pattern fits with no ease vs. 4” of positive ease. There’s a bit more length to the cotton (brighter color) sample, but both are cropped and feature shoulder seams designed to sit an inch back onto the shoulder instead of on top, giving it a little swing. Length is easily adjustable for folks looking for less of a crop. 
.
Pattern: Bevelled Tank by @handsoccupied for @pompommag x @hobbii_yarn summer 2024. Available for free from Hobbii at the 🔗 in my profile.
Yarn pictured: @kelbournewoolens Skipper and Camper. 
Dress form is adjusted to a 36” chest and ~5’3”ish in height. 
Human has a 40” chest and is 5’5”.
Both skirts are vintage.
.
#pompomxhobbiisummer2024 #handsoccupied #intarsia #handmade #knitting #colorwork
Let’s talk about fit and ease! . During the Beve Let’s talk about fit and ease!
.
During the Bevelled Tank design process for @pompommag, I knit 2 samples using 2 different @KelbourneWoolens yarns. One was in Skipper (100% cotton, second photo) and the other was in Camper (100% 2 ply wool). The Skipper sample was knit for a 36” bust, which measures in at 40” with 4” of positive ease. And I knit the Camper Sample for my 40” bust with a 44” finished measurement. (BTW, I’m 5’5” for folks that find that measurement helpful in visualizing fit.)
.
Based on the size chart for the Bevelled Tank, that means I knit one size 3 sample and one size 4. As designed, I conveniently fit a size 4 as intended with 4” of positive ease. When I wear the 3, there is no ease at all because the garment and my body are both 40” in size. Comparing the 2 garments, you can see how the fiber content (cotton vs. wool) and fit (no ease vs. 4” of positive ease) makes a difference in the look and feel of the finished garment. 
.
These samples are a great way to compare what ease looks like on different bodies. While I can fit both a size 3 and 4, the garment with no ease feels more like pajamas or a bralette when I wear it. On the other hand, when I wear the one with 4” of positive ease, I feel comfortable enough to wear it to work, even as a crop top. Plus, it leaves me with enough room to layer it with a nice button down if I’m not feeling the cropped look one day. 
.
I’m curious - how would you style this tank? Would you modify it with a few stockinette rows for added length? I’m so curious now that this pattern is finally out in the world. :) 
.
#pompomxhobbiisummer2024 #bevelledtank #handsoccupied #knitting #intarisa #handmade #kelbournewoolens #croppedsweater #summerknits
After a 6 month hiatus, I am happy to say I’m ba After a 6 month hiatus, I am happy to say I’m back with a brand new pattern in 9 sizes, and it’s FREE as part of @pompommag x @hobbii_yarn’s summer design collection! (Link is in my bio.)
.
In my December newsletter, I announced that I was soliciting test knitters for a pattern that had originally been selected for the summer ’24 issue of Pom Pom Quarterly magazine. However, the magazine ceased publication after its spring ’24 issue, leaving in-progress designs unpublished. (It happens.) As a result, I’d begun the long process of editing, testing, and photographing the pattern for independent release through the Hands Occupied pattern shop and Ravelry.
.
Before I was done with that process, Pom Pom Quarterly’s former editors reached out with an exciting proposal for the pattern. Post-magazine, they’ve begun to partner with yarn companies to produce high quality pattern collections. They wanted to include designs from the would-be current issue of Pom Pom Quarterly in a new collection for Hobbii yarn, including my Bevelled Tank. I worked with the same technical editors I would have for the magazine on this one, and as you can see from the photos, Pom Pom’s team did an amazing job of styling the garment to the beautiful standards they’re known for.
.
You can learn more about the pattern on my blog and get the free pattern from Hobbii yarn - links to both in my profile. I’ll post sizing info in the comments for quick reference too. 🧶
.
#pompomxhobbiisummer2024 #knitting #intarsia #sponsored #colorworkknitting 
.
Photos: @dianascarrunz 
Model: @angel.jade_
Here’s a nice throwback for you: my take on a vi Here’s a nice throwback for you: my take on a vintage knitting pattern from 1938 called the Fernlace Pullover. A pattern so nice, I knit it twice.
.
Yellow version 💛: knit with Despondent Dyes’ Vintage Vixen Sport after attending a @squidneyknits vintage knitting retreat in 2019 & learning *so much*. Paired with a self-drafted circle skirt pattern. 
.
Blue version 💙: knit with @eweeweyarns Ewe So Sporty in Sky Blue. Paired with the 1940s Boardwalk Duet sewing pattern from @decades_of_style 
.
Head to my stories for 🔗🔗 to the handmade wardrobe blog posts I wrote about each take on the Fernlace Pullover, working with a vintage pattern, where to find vintage patterns (including the one I used), & some thoughts on sizing. 
.
Image descriptions available in alt text. 
.
#handsoccupied #handmadewardrobe #fernlacepullover #vintageknitting #vintageknittingpatterns #knitting_inspiration
Frogging is a word in the knitting world that mean Frogging is a word in the knitting world that means to rip out your knitting. It’s called frogging because frogs say “ribbit,” and when you’re tearing out your knitting, you will “rip it” out, and that sounds like ribbit. No really. 🐸 Did you know this fun fact? 
.
P.S. I did like this design concept, but to make the pattern more knitter friendly as well as more wearable, I am making some tweaks to the construction. Excited to share when it’s ready! 🥰🧶
.
Yarn: @blueskyfibers Woolstok North in Morning Frost & Highland Fleece 
.
#handsoccupied #knitting #frogging #blueskyfibers #knittersofinstagram #blueskymakers #knittingvocabulary #bsfmakers #knitdesign
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Copyright © 2025 / Foodie Pro Theme On Genesis Framework / Branding by Ink + Mortar
All Site & Shop Policies / Privacy Policy / Cookie Policy