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Hands Occupied

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

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ralkal

Crochet the Worker Bee Bag & Worker Bee Clutch! This adorable bag uses filet crochet, baubles, and elongated stitches to create a fun, textural piece perfect for spring!

Coming this spring: The first Read Along CROCHET Along!

March 8, 2018 8 Comments

Crochet the Worker Bee Bag & Worker Bee Clutch during the Read Along Crochet Along, April 1-30! This adorable bag uses filet crochet, baubles, and elongated stitches to create a fun, textural piece perfect for spring! Preorder between now and April 1 to save on the pattern.

The Scarf of Dreams by Heidi Gustad - a mystery knit along design inspired by The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Winding Down the Read Along Knit Along

November 13, 2017 1 Comment

The biggest and best Read Along Knit Along yet is winding down this week. Check out some favorite WIP shots and finished projects from RALKAL, and enter to win a great prize pack while there’s still time!

Learn 4 knitting increases and decreases using easy-to-follow video tutorials. Up your knitting game & level up your lacework with double increases and decreases, including: incto3, sk2p2, k3tog, & p3tog. Central double increases & decreases might sound intimidating, but they're really pretty & useful in lace knitting.

Master 4 Double Increases & Decreases

October 26, 2017 3 Comments

Learn 4 knitting increases and decreases using easy-to-follow video tutorials. Up your knitting game & level up your lacework with double increases and decreases, including: incto3, sk2p2, k3tog, & p3tog. Central double increases & decreases might sound intimidating, but they’re pretty & really useful in lace knitting.

The Scarf of Dreams by Heidi Gustad - a mystery knit along design inspired by The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

The Read Along Knit Along is Here!

October 2, 2017 Leave a Comment

After months of planning, knitting, designing, testing, editing and re-editing, it’s time for our Read Along Knit Along featuring The Night Circus! Read this post to learn how to get the first clue to this mystery knit along pattern.

The Scarf of Dreams knitting pattern by Heidi Gustad, inspired by The Night Circus

Coming this Fall: The Night Circus Read Along Knit Along

September 7, 2017 10 Comments

Mark your calendars and start picking your yarn, the next Read Along Knit Along starts October 2! We are going to be reading & discussing one of my all-time favorite books, The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, and knitting The Scarf of Dreams, a mystery design very much inspired by the book

Join the Read Along Knit Along, make a pair of fun socks & enter to win a bundle of prizes!

Another RALKAL is in the books!

April 5, 2017 1 Comment

Thank you, everyone, for another successful Read Along Knit Along!

Finding a new knit stitch to add something interesting to your projects is always a lot of fun. Learn how to knit the rick rack rib stitch in the round or flat with an easy video tutorial from Hands Occupied.

How to Knit the Rick Rack Stitch

March 16, 2017 4 Comments

The rick rack rib stitch is one of those funky stitches that’s interesting to knit and packs a big visual punch. For a stitch that’s really just a matter of knitting stitches out of order, this stitch will quickly become a favorite.

Join the Read Along Knit Along, make a pair of fun socks & enter to win a bundle of prizes!

Hop On the Read Along Knit Along!

March 6, 2017 1 Comment

Join the Read Along Knit Along, make a pair of fun socks & enter to win a bundle of prizes!

The Smell of Other People's Houses author Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock, photo credit: Kristen Boyer

Read Along Knit Along Live Author Chat!

October 31, 2016 Leave a Comment

Exciting news! Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock, author of our Read Along Knit Along book The Smell of Other People’s Houses (TSOOPH), will be live chatting about the book in our Ravelry group this Wednesday, November 2 at 1 p.m. CST!

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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
It’s time for the monthly review and giveaway! T It’s time for the monthly review and giveaway! This go around, get to know two new sister yarns from @manosyarnsusa, Marla and Sami, and enter to win a skein of each to try for yourself. 
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What makes these yarns sisters is that, while dyed differently, they’re the same weight and come in intentionally coordinating color palettes. For my review, I opted for a sky-inspired combo of Sami in Natural and Marla in Nube. 🌧️ 
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Check out the full review & enter the giveaway at the link in my bio. 
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#handsoccupied #yarnreview #manosdeluruguay #knitting_inspire #crochet #yarngiveaway #knitters #yarn #crochetersofinstagram
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
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