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Hands Occupied

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

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crafts

DIY Pencil Clutch - Get the tutorial at handsoccupied.com

DIY Pencil Clutch

August 25, 2014 19 Comments

A couple years ago, I made a clutch using rulers and felt that I am still pretty excited about and use all the time. Since I can’t get enough of all things bookish, I recently got the notion in my head to take the school supply clutch concept to the next level with pencils and a slightly different structure, and I think I might love this one even more!

50 Back to School DIYs at handsoccupied.com

50 Back to School DIYs

August 20, 2014 3 Comments

It’s that time of year, dudes. Every other ad you see is for juniors’ clothes at the department store, backpacks on sale at the other store, and every other craft is pencil or apple related. I don’t mind, though. As a librarian, I’ve always appreciated the bookish things in life, so here are 50 of my favorite back to school DIYs from around the internet.

Store Tour: Unglued - Fargo, ND at HandsOccupied.com

Store Tour: Unglued – Fargo, ND

July 15, 2014 4 Comments

If you’ve read this blog for awhile, you might know that I am from Fargo. The Fargo. Yeah, yeah, I’ve heard every possible comment on the movie, the new show, my blond hair, accent, etc. Stereotypes aside, Fargo has always had a fun downtown, but every time I’m home, its cultural landmarks seem to be getting more and more awesome.

25 American DIYs at handsoccupied.com

25 American DIYs

July 2, 2014 1 Comment

The Fourth of July is nearly here, folks! Get ready with my 25 favorite tutorials for celebrating America. This list is complete with DIY style ideas, snacks, picnic & cookout accessories, piñatas, home décor, and more!

10 DIY Pillows to Perk Up Your Home | www.handsoccupied.com

Weekly Reader + Pillows to Perk Up Your Place!

May 16, 2014 1 Comment

I think pillows might be what DIY was invented for – they’re just so expensive at the store! Not only that, they can be homemade in a variety of ways by any level of DIYer. For real, if you only ever do one DIY, it should be a throw pillow or cushion or two to really make your place yours. Check out 10 of my recent favorite pillowy projects from the crafty blog world.

Weekly Reader 04.25.14 | Hands Occupied

Weekly Reader

April 25, 2014 3 Comments

Easter may be behind us now, but there are still so many ways to get inspired to DIY this spring. Cinco de Mayo is coming up fast, and there’s always room in any season to DIY some awesome jewelry! Other than getting inspired by the crafty internet to DIY, you can always jump in on the Knit Along I’ve got going on Hands Occupied, or you can throw your hat in on the ring to win a copy of Washi Wonderful for more great craft ideas. Read on for my favorite inspiration of the week.

Weekly Reader 04.18.14 | Hands Occupied

Weekly Reader

April 18, 2014 Leave a Comment

Easter weekend is finally upon us! And once again, the craft blog world did NOT disappoint. The decoupage bunny eggs and doodle eggs above are particular faves of mine from this whole Easter season. I wonder what will inspire the world’s DIYers next month? Mother’s Day? Spring gardening? I can’t wait to see what everyone posts next week!

Weekly Reader 04.04.14 | Hands Occupied

Weekly Reader

April 4, 2014 Leave a Comment

Yesterday’s post was super long, so I’ll keep it short today! Easter crafting season continues to aww and inspire. That is all.

Fun-mazing Jewelry DIYs via Hands Occupied

Fun-mazing Jewelry DIYs

March 25, 2014 Leave a Comment

Looking at these 6 ideas, aren’t you inspired? Yesterday I shared my take on a DIY jewelry project, these fun little crochet rings. Careful readers might remember my mentioning that I designed that pattern as part of a quarterly collab of 7 bloggers, all of whom have become my internet (and when we can work it out!) real life friends. Isn’t the internet amazing?

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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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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
I independently released a knitting pattern today, I independently released a knitting pattern today, my first in 5 years! The Intarsia Flower Pillow is a 16” (40cm) round pillow knit with an intentional combination of intarsia, stockinette, garter and seed stitch. This pillow has everything you need to level up your intarsia technique while also knitting something you can use. 
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This pillow allows you to practice knitting intarsia while simultaneously increasing and decreasing. The Intarsia Flower Pillow pattern was designed to be a little knit-nerdy for learning and a little cute, arming you with many of the skills you'd need to knit an intarsia sweater. 
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Intarsia Flower Pillow is available in the Hands Occupied Sh0p and on @hi.ravelry . You can read more about the pattern on the bl0g, the🔗 are where you’d think.
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YARN: @universal_yarn Uni Merino in Antiquity, Fjord and Conch / NEEDLES: US 2 (2.75 mm) / PATTERN: Intarsia Flower Pillow by Heidi Gustad
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