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Hands Occupied

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

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The Bijou Basin Ranch yaks enjoy some hay! - Take a look inside the yaks' lives in this mini documentary.

A Visit to the Yak Ranch

September 8, 2015 4 Comments

When the opportunity presented itself for me to visit a working yak ranch that produces yak fibers that are used to make yarn, I realized I could make a mini documentary to share a fascinating glimpse into this unique corner of the world.

Check out the Delta Hat, an asymmetrical cloche that's a blast to knit!

Wrapping up the Delta Hat KAL

August 31, 2015 1 Comment

Take a look at some of the amazing finished Delta Hats knitters have made during the Delta Hat knit along and find out who won the giveaway prizes.

The care and keeping of yak yarn with Allure.

How to wash hand knits

August 26, 2015 Leave a Comment

Blocking and caring for hand knit items is important, so today, I want to share tips for maintaing your knitwear, particularly if it’s a piece done in a fine fiber like yak or cashmere. I mean, after all the hard work of making your own creation, why not take the best possible care of it?

Delta Hat Knit Along at Hands Occupied #DeltaHatKAL #bbrHandsOccupied

It’s the Delta Hat Knit Along!

August 10, 2015 2 Comments

I’m so excited to be partnering with Bijou Basin Ranch on this knit along for my new Delta Hat pattern. With a full rainbow of colors to choose from, I can’t wait to see the many color and button combos people knit Delta Hats in!

Check out the Delta Hat, an asymmetrical cloche that's a blast to knit!

The Delta Hat is here, let’s celebrate with a knit along!

August 3, 2015 1 Comment

The Delta Hat is an asymmetrical hat with a garter stitch flap that can be left down for added coverage or buttoned up for a cute, cloche look. The side of the hat opposite the flap features a triangle motif reminiscent of art deco architecture, and the off-center decreases help this hat lie naturally at a jaunty angle.

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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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