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Hands Occupied

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

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Is your summer crochet routine in need of a mix up? Try your hooks at one of these 10 brand new patterns, half of which are adorable handmade toy ideas!

Things to Crochet

July 25, 2018 Leave a Comment

Is your summer crochet routine in need of a mix up? Try your hooks at one of these 10 brand new patterns, half of which are adorable handmade toy ideas!

Picks of the Week for July 20, 2018 | Hands Occupied

Picks of the Week

July 20, 2018 Leave a Comment

A sure sign of summer, this selection of ideas is perfect. You can work on something small that won’t sit in your lap making you sweat, plus they come together so quickly that they’re the perfect projects to do in an afternoon!

Picks of the Week for July 6, 2018 | Hands Occupied

Picks of the Week

July 6, 2018 Leave a Comment

It’s the weekend again already! What’s on your to-make list?

Summer is a great time to grab a hook and whip up something summery! Try one of these fresh & airy crochet patterns this summer to change up your handmade routine.

Things to Crochet

June 4, 2018 Leave a Comment

Summer is a great time to grab a hook and whip up something airy! If you’re hankering to hook up your next project, why not give one of these new ideas a closer look? 

Picks of the Week for May 25, 2018 | Hands Occupied

Picks of the Week

May 25, 2018 Leave a Comment

Man, sometimes looking at a collection of ideas just leaves you so inspired to cast on all the things!

Ten new patterns to crochet, February 2018.

Things to Crochet

February 12, 2018 Leave a Comment

This new crop of crochet patterns is so perfect for spring. No matter your crochet style, anyone can find a project to get excited about among this month’s new pattern picks! 

Feast your eyes on ten beautiful, new crochet patterns from independent designers, released in November and December 2017. All of these beauties would make lovely Christmas presents, even if it's just gifting the pattern to your favorite crocheter!

Things to Crochet

November 29, 2017 Leave a Comment

Feast your eyes on ten beautiful, new crochet patterns from independent designers, released in November and December 2017. All of these beauties would make lovely Christmas presents, even if it’s just gifting the pattern to your favorite crocheter!

From garden fairies to goats, these crochet patterns don't disappoint! Click through to find fall crocheting inspiration.

Things to Crochet

September 19, 2017 Leave a Comment

Would you look at these? From garden fairies to goats, these crochet patterns don’t disappoint!

Picks of the Week for June 2, 2017 | Hands Occupied

Picks of the Week

June 2, 2017 2 Comments

This week’s picks really show a nice cross section of the kinds of projects you can make relatively quickly with crochet! Everything from a super adorable teddy bear pencil holder to a festival-ready bag to an elegant as heck reticule purse is represented here, and I think that’s great!

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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

Helping yarn crafters untangle various techniques on the internet since 2010
🧶 Really into intarsia
Stay up-to-date 💌 & shop the latest patterns ⤵️

Heidi Gustad 🧶 knitting & yarn crafts
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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#handsoccupied #yarnreview #manosdeluruguay #knitting_inspire #crochet #yarngiveaway #knitters #yarn #crochetersofinstagram
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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#handsoccupied #knitting #learntoknit #howtoknit #sweaterknitting #knitinspiration #knittersofinstagram #liftedincreases
Last week I got to hang out with my family & helpe Last week I got to hang out with my family & helped babysit my red-headed niece and nephew. So here’s some plane knitting, and a couple pictures (shared with permission) of my babysitting adventures.
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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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#handsoccupied #knitting #placesyoucanknit #knitters #knitinpublic #handmadelife #knitting_inspiration
Weaving in ends & seaming with mattress stitch are Weaving in ends & seaming with mattress stitch are both so useful for garment knitting! But for me, weaving in ends can feel like a chore while the latter feels like I’ve successfully done magic. 🧙🏻‍♀️ Does anybody else run into this phenomenon? Are you the opposite? Any theories as to why they feel different? 
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In this video, I’m finishing my brand new Intarsia Flower Pillow. 🌸 I’m working with @universal_yarn Uni Merino & the pattern is available at the 🔗 in my b1o. 
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#handsoccupied #intarsiaflowerpillow #intarsia #intarsiaknitting #knitting #colorwork #knitpillow #knittinginspiration #knittersofinstagram
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