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Hands Occupied

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

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charity knitting

The Triangle Rib Baby Hat knits up so quickly! Get your hands on this free charity knitting pattern for babies on Hands Occupied. #charityknitting #freepattern #babyknitting

Triangle Rib Baby Hat for Charity Knitting (plus a Charity KCAL!)

December 4, 2019 Leave a Comment

The Triangle Rib Baby Hat knits up so quickly! Get your hands on this free charity knitting pattern for babies and start stitching for a cause. :)

Little Hats Big Hearts pairs newborns with red hats and life saving information every year during American Heart Month. Click through for free patterns and donation information.

Little Hats Big Hearts

February 14, 2017 12 Comments

Little Hats Big Hearts pairs newborns with red hats and life saving information every year during American Heart Month. Read on for free patterns and donation information.

Knit your gift wrap with this simple, free pattern that comes together in minutes!

Knit Your Gift Wrap & #PHWinterWorkshop

November 22, 2016 2 Comments

If you’re looking to make your gifts just a little more personal this year, why not try knitting up a cozy for them? I think this wrapped wrap idea is perfect for smaller gifts like jewelry, but you can also adapt this pattern to fit a nice bottle of wine, coffee cup, or anything else you can think of.

Learn how a simple donated baby hat can help save lives - click through for more information and three free patterns to get you started!

Celebrate Heart Month with Knitting & Crochet!

February 15, 2016 2 Comments

Learn how a simple donated baby hat can help save lives – read on for more information and three free patterns to get you started!

Knit red hats to help raise awareness about preemie heart health with the free Declan Hat pattern!

Little Hats, Big Hearts, Declan’s Story & A Free Pattern

November 19, 2015 10 Comments

Learn about the Little Hats, Big Hearts campaign, and how you can help raise awareness for infant and preemie heart health through yarn crafts! Read baby Declan’s preemie story to find out why making little hats matters, and snag a free pattern for the Declan Hat, available in preemie & infant sizes.

Red Hats for Preemies - Click through for the free pattern & donate a hat to help raise awareness about congenital heart defects in newborns. | hands occupied.com.

Red Hats for Preemies

December 29, 2014 14 Comments

A couple months ago I shared a very personal story about losing a relative to a congenital heart defect as a teen. In that post I shared a pattern called Baby Hearts Hat in two sizes, newborn and infant, and I let you guys know about the American Heart Association’s Little Hats, Big Hearts drive. For those who missed it, the AHA is looking for red baby hat donations to be given to (hopefully!) every baby born in February in Chicago.

Make the World Better with a Sweater - Hands Occupied Holiday Party | handsoccupied.com

Make the World Better with a Sweater! / Hands Occupied Sweater Party

November 12, 2014 4 Comments

One month from today, I’m partnering with one of my favorite local yarn shops, Nina, and Save the Children to help make the world better for kids this holiday season! And there’s going to be a Hands Occupied Sweater Party in the process! It turns out that Friday, December 12 is National Christmas Sweater Day, and Save the Children wants the world to wear a sweater (regular, festive, ugly or otherwise) and donate $5 to help fund their important work with kids around the world. I want to take that one step further by having a party that day to celebrate sweaters, the season, and raise money for a good cause. I think that we can easily raise $500 as a team, don’t you?

Red Hats for Newborns Pattern at handsoccupied.com

Red Hats for Newborns + A Free Pattern

August 18, 2014 98 Comments

The story of one of the most critical moments of loss in my life, how you can help raise awareness for this all-too-common issue, and a free knitting pattern to help you contribute to helping the cause.

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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, designer & creator specializing in yarn crafts like knitting, crochet, latch hook & macramé
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Heidi Gustad 🧶✂️
Weekend knitting design aftermath. Remember kids, Weekend knitting design aftermath. Remember kids, it’s always good to stop, swatch and block it. 🧶
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#stopswatchandblockit #handsoccupied
Learn how to do the magic loop method for knitting Learn how to do the magic loop method for knitting in the round in 90 seconds. / Using the magic loop allows knitters to work in the round with a single, long circular needle at a range of circumferences. 
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For a longer, full-width & more detailed overview of magic loop knitting, check out my u2be & b1og, the 🔗🔗 are where you’d think. 🧶
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#handsoccupied #magicloop #knitting #howtoknit #learntoknit #knitter #knittinginspiration #knittinginstagram #knittingintheround
Since it won’t be clean for long, swipe to see w Since it won’t be clean for long, swipe to see what my home studio looks like these days. Nothing will ever quite be like the old Hands Occupied Studio, but I’m pretty pleased with how I shoehorned everything in this space. Function over form + a layer of yarn cuteness-meets-chaos is how I’d describe my creative space needs. 😆 When I was still renting the studio, those needs included “doesn’t rain suspicious brown water from a crack in the ceiling for a year,” so this is an improvement! 😆
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For a time lapse of the studio organizing and tszuj-ing process, scroll down a couple posts on my feed. (There’s also a video or two featuring the old studio if you’re curious.) Happy June, friends! 
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#handsoccupied #handsoccupiedstudio #knitdesigner #craftdesign #yarncrafts #latchhook #makerlife #heidigustad #chicagocrafter
Who doesn’t love magic loop knitting? Who doesn’t know what it is? How about when circular needles were invented?
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In todays new bl0g post + video tutorial, you’ll learn about the magic loop method for knitting in the round, how to do it and why to use it, and when it came to be. The 🔗 is in my b1o. 🧶 
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#handsoccupied #magicloop #knitting #howtoknit #knittinginspiration #knittingintheround
Finally organizing & putting the finishing touches Finally organizing & putting the finishing touches on my home studio. After losing my studio space last fall, it’s feels really great to *occupy* this new space all the way. 😉
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I started by removing general clutter & returning straggler supplies from various WIPs, videos & design deadlines to their homes. Next, I hung a third peg board in the space - this one is mostly for display and less for organizing tools or projects. For the first time ever, I’m displaying projects from my book, plus a couple other faves. (The best thing about designing more yarn crafts besides knit & crochet is that I have some really fun -and delightfully pettable 😆- samples around.) I finished by adding a square dowel to my small supply storage tower to keep it from tipping over, plus re-arranging and de-cluttering the closet. 
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This cleaner space already has me feeling so much more creative and less overwhelmed. Now to find a safe spot in the basement for the tower of project samples in Rubbermaid tubs I liberated from my WIPs closet. Also why are there five?! 
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Here’s to keeping it clean for a few weeks! 🧶 
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#handsocupied #handsoccupiedstudio #craftroom #craftroomorganization #craftroomstorage #yarncraft #knitter #crocheter #latchhook #latchhookbook
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