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Hands Occupied

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

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Twinkle in Your Eye Sunglasses at handsoccupied.com

Twinkle in Your Eye Sunglasses

June 30, 2014 Leave a Comment

This DIY is so simple, easy and fun, you might just be tempted to make five pairs for yourself and one for each of your friends. Inspired by the glint in a hollywood cartoon smile and the twinkle in a mischievous eye, these cheeky sunglasses will add a pinch of fun flair to your summer wardrobe!

Dimensional Easter Egg Earrings DIY at Hands Occupied

Dimensional Easter Egg Earrings

April 2, 2014 Leave a Comment

I feel like Ms. Frizzle would 100% wear these earrings given half a chance. They’re about as festive as it gets, and they involve ribbon and sparkle. I’m a huge DIY accessory lover, and part of what I love is making accessories you might not find in stores. These, admittedly are totally cray, but for something I’ll wear for fun to an Easter brunch or egg hunt? Heck yes I’m going to hang a couple of sparkle Easter eggs on my ears! Maybe I’ll even pair them with my astro turf Peter Pan collar…

Glitter Polka Dot Notebook at Hands Occupied

Glitter Polka Dot Notebook

March 12, 2014 7 Comments

There are some new glitter-friendly stencils at Michaels these days, designed by my good friend (and all around really great lady) Amy from Mod Podge Rocks! They are peel and stick stencils, do you don’t have to worry about leakage under the stencil as you use them. I whipped up this polka dot notebook in no time, and I’m looking forward to gifting it to a creative friend who loves sketching as much as I love DIYing.

Weekly Reader 03.07.14 | Hands Occupied

Weekly Reader

March 7, 2014 2 Comments

Thank goodness we’ve come to another Friday. Monday I had a wonderful day filled with crafts and planning a doozie of a project- I’ll share more on that another day. Tuesday and Wednesday, I had jury duty for the first time ever! While I can’t discuss the details of the case, I can share that I got all the way to the “we, the jury, find the defendant” part. If nothing else, it was for sure an interesting experience! And this weekend will be filled with catching up on all the work I missed while making secret plans and doing my civic duty – wish me luck. ;)

DIY Comic Book Compact at Hands Occupied

DIY Comic Book Compact

March 5, 2014 4 Comments

Inspired by a love of action movies and lifelong wish to BE Sydney Bristow, this made-over compact makes me smile every time I reach for it in my purse. I used to carry around a vintage gold compact for powdering my nose, but the wear and tear on it was no good. Then I switched to a plastic, non-vintage compact, so it was ok when it got scratched up by keys or other purse ephemera. But it was looking pretty bad. The solution? Bust out the Mod Podge!

DIY Color Blocked Glitter Bangle at Hands Occupied

DIY Color Blocked Glitter Bangle Bracelet

February 4, 2014 4 Comments

Don’t you just love a DIY that takes something that cost a quarter and makes it look like a million bucks? Well, maybe not a million, but more than 25 cents! I got a bangle bracelet at a thrift store years ago and realized I hadn’t been wearing it at all as it was, so a quickie makeover was in order!

Simple Mod Podge Ribbon Vase DIY

Simple Ribbon Vase DIY

January 2, 2014 Leave a Comment

Make this vase as a simple Valentine’s gift for a friend, and check out my go-to tips for DIY floral arranging.

How-to: Radioactive Jars - Hands Occupied

How-to: Radioactive Jars

October 14, 2013 1 Comment

Make easy dystopian-inspired radioactive jars that glow in the dark and are outdoor friendly too!

How-to: Lantern-style Votive Luminaries | Hands Occupied

How-to: Lantern-style Votive Luminaries

September 2, 2013 1 Comment

Take it easy this Labor Day and whip up a set of simple lantern-style luminaries.

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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
The first lesson of the Spiral Hill Sweater Vest K The first lesson of the Spiral Hill Sweater Vest Knit Along is now up on the bl0g! First thing’s first: better understanding gauge in intarsia, a.k.a. my most-requested intarsia tutorial topic. 🧶
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Maybe it isn’t the flashiest or funnest of topics, but knitting your patterns at gauge accomplishes 2 important things for projects like the Spiral Hill Sweater Vest. 1️⃣ Your garment will fit properly. 2️⃣ The intarsia you’ve worked hard to knit won’t look squished like an image in Print Wizard 2000. (Is that software reference too niche? 🖨️)
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Find the first #spiralhillsweatervest Knit Along lesson at the 🔗 in my profle. 
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P.S. I’m currently finishing editing a related video for the lesson, which will be live on You2ube later today/tomorrow. I’ll post in Stories when it’s up.👍🏻 
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#handsoccupied #intarsia #knittinggauge #knitting #sweaterknitting #nightmarebeforechristmasknittingbook #knitting_inspiration #stopswatchandblockit #swatching
This audio was me last summer while secretly desig This audio was me last summer while secretly designing the Spiral Hill Sweater Vest pattern behind the scenes. 😆 I very often design with primary colors, so trying to explain suddenly working with black, white and grey was awkward/kinda funny. 🩶
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In case you missed it, this is my design from the new book ‘Disney Tim Burton’s Nightmare Before Christmas: The Official Knitting Guide to Halloween Town and Christmas Town,’ available now from @insighteditions & @tanisknits. We’re doing a knit along starting very soon, and we’ll be knitting this pattern! I’ve got weekly video tutorials planned for this educationally-focused knit along. This KAL is especially for you if you’re eager to work on your intarsia. 🧶
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Full KAL details, yarn quantities & pattern information are available on my bl0g, the 🔗 is where you’d think. 
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Yarn: @brooklyntweed Imbue Worsted
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#nightmarebeforechristmasknittingbook #handsoccupied #spiralhillsweatervest #knitting #halloweenknitting #knitalong #kal #knitting_inspiration #intarsia #intarsiaknitting #learntoknit
Wow! I am floored by the awesome response to the S Wow! I am floored by the awesome response to the Spiral Hill Sweater Vest. Thank you. 🙏🏻❤️ If you love this pattern & didn’t know already, we are going to be doing a knit along (KAL) from October 1-29 featuring this spooky sweater vest & lots of tutorials, especially for the intarsia part. 
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Later today my newsletter will be coming out with additional Knit Along details, so if you’re not already signed up, now is a great time - the 🔗 is in my b1o. 
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Pictured: My Spiral Hill Sweater Vest pattern from the new Nightmare Before Christmas knitting book by @tanisknits. Model is wearing size 1 with 2” of positive ease, knit in @brooklyntweed Imbue Worsted. Vest images via @insighteditions 
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#spiralhillsweatervest #handsoccupied #nightmarebeforechristmasknittingbook
At long last! I can share the Spiral Hill Sweater At long last! I can share the Spiral Hill Sweater Vest, my contribution to the new book Disney Tim Burton’s Nightmare Before Christmas: The Official Knitting Guide to Halloween Town and Christmas Town, out now! 🎃💀 
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I’m hosting a knit along (KAL) October 1-29 for anyone who’d like to knit this vest along with a group & learn a little about intarsia while we’re at it. I’ve got weekly tutorials planned to help you knit this worsted weight sweater vest, and there’s a prize package giveaway at the end for KAL participants too. Details are on my site - you know where to find the 🔗 I think. 😉
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Book by @tanisknits 
Publisher @insighteditions 
Yarn @brooklyntweed Imbue 
Find it wherever fine books are sold. 
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#handsoccupied #nightmarebeforechristmas #intarsia #sweatervest #knittingpattern #knittingbook #spiralhill #knitting_inspiration #knitting
Since there was some interest in stills of my WIPs Since there was some interest in stills of my WIPs closet after this weekend’s quick tutorial, here are few. ✂️ The tutorial is one post back in my feed as a video.
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As you can see, I didn’t worry about the wire hangers all being perfectly uniform, but it doesn’t matter to me. Also, this closet holds a lot! Despite that, it is already at capacity. Since the hanging bags don’t appear to be recyclable, I want to reuse them as long as possible. Who knows, maybe this will be a way to limit my WIPs? 😅
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P.s. In the third photo you can see how I use this system to store the original swatches, scraps, yarn ball bands, & notes from a design project all together. 
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#handsoccupied #wips #craftstorage #yarnstorage #yarncrafts #knitting_inspiration #craftstudio #craftroom #craftcloset
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