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Hands Occupied

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

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fall

Picks of the Week for August 23, 2019 | Hands Occupied

Picks of the Week

August 23, 2019 Leave a Comment

What’s that I see? A bunch of knit & crochet ideas to cast on for fall? Yes indeed! Welcome to late August, my friends. I can’t decide if I’m sad about the end of summer or excited for knitwear season to begin!

Picks of the Week for October 7, 2016 | Hands Occupied

Picks of the Week

October 7, 2016 Leave a Comment

Fall is in the air! A full half of this week’s picks are beanies, which means temps are finally starting to drop enough (in this hemisphere at least) to start getting some use out of our finished knits.

Picks of the Week for October 16, 2015 | Hands Occupied

Picks of the Week

October 16, 2015 Leave a Comment

It’s mid-October, which means we’re at the point where we have to decide if it’s too late to incorporate yarn into Halloween costumes or not. I vote yes! I’m going to be buckling down this weekend to knock out my vision for this year’s getup, and I’m crossing my fingers my vision matches the reality of the finished costume. Wish me luck!

Picks of the Week for November 14, 2014 at handsoccupied.com

Picks of the Week

November 14, 2014 1 Comment

Winter is coming. Christmas is coming. It’s almost Thanksgiving. And that means a lot of us have very deadline-driven knitting and crocheting to do! I am thoroughly convinced my handmade gift-giving goals are pretty much delusional, but I’m bound and determined to give them a try. Anyone else in this situation about now?

Picks of the Week for November 8, 2014 at handsoccupied.com

Picks of the Week

November 8, 2014 Leave a Comment

It’s weird to be writing a blog post for a Saturday! As I write this sleep-deprived roundup of my favorite yarn projects of the week, I’m so happy and excited in spite of my tiredness. The fall knit along has just a couple posts left, and I feel really good about how everyone’s sweaters are going. I hope the knitters along reading this are enjoying the KAL and will get to make a lot of progress on their Remy Pullovers this weekend. Knitting and crochet are so awesome.

Picks of the Week for August 15, 2014 at handsoccupied.com

Picks of the Week

August 15, 2014 Leave a Comment

I feel like it’s beginning to look a little like fall on the knitting/crochet internet this week. I know. August 15. Ugh. But since fall is a great season for fiber projects and ramps us up into holiday knitting, I’m not sure I mind. It’s ok, you can hate me for saying it, although I bet I’m not the only knitter or crocheter who feels this way!

How-to: Autumnal Necklace | Hands Occupied

How-to: Autumnal Necklace

November 4, 2013 Leave a Comment

Would you believe this subtle fall necklace was inspired by a cuckoo clock?

Bang Bang Pie's Chocolate Chess Pie with Bourbon Caramel Drizzle | Hands Occupied

Fall Festival Time!

October 10, 2013 Leave a Comment

Imma be a guest judge for a pumpkin carving contest, you guys!

How-to: Orange Slice Pumpkins | Hands Occupied

How-to: Orange Slice Pumpkins

September 12, 2013 Leave a Comment

Use toothpicks to turn orange slice candy into a pumpkin!

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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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