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Hands Occupied

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

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The Hands Occupied Story

February 8, 2018 11 Comments

Heidi Gustad modeling her Spring Meadow Scarf knitting design.

The biggest thing I’ve learned over the years on social media, and especially as a blogger is that I’m pretty terrible at consistently opening up online. I am much better at saying things like, “Isn’t this yarn pretty?” or “Doesn’t this design look nice?” rather than speaking about myself. This week, I sat down to prep for a couple of interviews I have coming up about Hands Occupied (more on that another time), and I ended up wallering in a self-doubt and second-guessing loop for HOURS. Lucky for you, and maybe for me too, something sort of productive came out of the exercise. NOT a finished interview (because of course not), but a pretty thorough reflection on how the heck Hands Occupied came about and why. Suffice it to say, none of this was planned. 

Early Days

My grandma taught me to knit when I was an anxious 8-year-old. My left-handed mother had actually learned lefty knitting as a kid from a friend, so she sent right-handed me to her mom when I wanted to learn. Grandma is also left handed, but her only knitting instructors were righties, so she went with it, much to my personal benefit.

One of knit designer Heidi Gustad's first ever knitting projects.

One of my first-ever knitting projects in all its glory. Clearly, I’ve always loved primary colors. 

It was challenging for a third grader to understand knitting patterns, so I dabbled until high school, when I decided that knitting was something I wanted to be good at. I’d knit my way through entire library books of patterns (this was a fave) to up my skills, and since I only had a few sets of needles, I even tried knitting with chopsticks and pencils (to mixed success). I added crochet to the mix when I was 21, teaching myself in between retail shifts with YouTube, DVDs, and every single yarn-related book at my local library. With college behind me, I redirected the hours I’d previously spent studying music and telecommunication to bettering my yarn skills.

Some of Heidi Gustad's high school knitting projects.

Two of the scarves I knit from “Knit Scarves” in high school. Other than not understanding that the grey would suck with the blue, I think this was some decent work! 

Enter: Blogging

By 2010, I was looking for a new source of creative motivation, so I decided to start a blog. So many hours of my day were dedicated to combing through the internet for the latest craft patterns and tutorials, and I worshipped bloggers who made interesting, youthful, and unique projects I wasn’t necessarily seeing in magazines or books.

Some of my favorite RSS feeds to follow in 2008-2010 were: Craftzine (now just Make:), Red Handled Scissors (formerly The Zen of Making), Purl Soho, Dollar Store Crafts, Mod Podge Rocks, How About Orange, & Wild Olive.

These inspiring people made me want to be part of a creative space online in a pre-Instagram, pre-Pinterest era. When I began, I had no idea bloggers were making money blogging. I just wanted to put my stuff out there and share ideas with other folks on the internet, so I sat down, signed up for every social network around, bought a domain, and learned how to install WordPress. It was super hard starting from scratch, but as always, I liked the challenge.

The Hands Occupied Story - Heidi Gustad's original about page image.

This is the original Hands Occupied about page image from 2010. I’m dressed as bad Halloween candy and that poorly-tensioned bit of knitting is a Michigan-inspired yarn bombing project that never made the blog.

The name “Hands Occupied” was born as a nod to the fidgety beginning of my knitting journey and my still-constant need to feel like I’m accomplishing something. Here’s the thing, though. Knitting might be where this story starts and ends, but it took me five years to sort out the middle part. First off, this whole blog project was really only supposed to be a sort of journal and a place to share photos with crafty friends on the internet. But then it grew. People were sharing some of my ideas, which was a nice little bit of validation for an anxious person like myself, so I kept going. I didn’t dare post too much about knitting or crochet back then, let alone a pattern, because I felt like I was so unqualified to do so. I shared wedding DIYs, gardening projects, the occasional recipe – I really was just documenting projects as I made them. Time passed, but I was still terrified to share my knitting or crochet.

As the blog grew, my photography skills slowly improved too. Then I realized (at a blog conference no less!) that a lot of people start blogs to make money. And there are things called ad networks and influencer networks and sponsors where you can make money. So I tried it. I got a little spending money and lot of free craft supplies to play with. Side gigs as blog contributors started to come my way. But I was also working as a Librarian with underprivileged teens, so I never thought I’d want do more than have a side hustle and crafty internet friends. Then I finally got the courage to publish my first couple free knitting patterns as blog posts, and people liked them!

Knitted Faux Woven Cowl - Free Knitting Pattern at Hands Occupied

The Faux Woven Cowl, one of the first patterns published on Hands Occupied.

Leaving Librarianship

In an effort to keep this from getting too long, I’ll summarize this last bit (and refer you to this post about leaving my job last year). As a Librarian, I loved the teens I worked with, but I’d been working in public libraries for a long time and pretty much got burned out. More and more yarn work was headed my way, and I found myself wanting to say yes to more and more of it, despite the wall-to-wall workload of balancing two careers. Finally I realized one day, very clearly, that I needed to either level up as a Librarian or go all in on my knit & crochet design work. I realized that if I didn’t give this my whole self, I’d regret it forever. After getting my literal house in order (you still gotta pay that rent), I left Librarianship. It was the right call, truly. When I told my teens I was leaving the library, one particularly erudite young man said to me, “Ms. Heidi, but this means you get to do art for your job now? You’ve worked hard for that.” (Gutted, right? Statements like that are why working with teens is so incredible – teens can be very wise.) Librarianship made me a great teacher, gave me empathy, and taught me how to check all of my own privilege. I’ll never, ever regret my time in public service, but I know that design is where I’m meant to be.

Nice notes from library teens.

Give teens a pen and a whiteboard, and they can be very generous with the compliments. :)

Carving out a place in knit & crochet

And now where am I? 18 months in to my full time creative career, things are good and growing. Hands Occupied has its own online shop with new products being added each month (IOU all a post about this too), the blog is thriving, I’m regularly designing projects for knit & crochet magazines. I teach workshops and private lessons, and I host videos and design projects for various clients. There’s a clear path that I can see for my business, and I’m so excited that it involves teaching too. Giving people the gift of crafts is one of the best parts of the job, and it’s the part that’s most like my favorite parts of librarianship.

With that, we’ve arrived at the part of the Hands Occupied story that’s still being written. I’ll always be growing and evolving as a person, a blogger and a designer, but I hope sharing this story helps you if you’re finding yourself on your own weird and winding creative path. There was no direct line from learning to knit at age 8 to being the full time designer I am now at 30, and I’m sure that wherever I find myself even in one year (let alone another 20) will be anything but a straight shot as well. :)

—

Are you on a creative journey of your own? I’d love to hear about it. During the years I grappled with my career indecision, I spent many hours reading other creatives’ stories looking for real talk about what it felt like to make a change like this. I hope reading the Hands Occupied story is helpful for you. If you’ve got some questions for me, please let me know in the comments or by emailing me at heidi-at-handsoccupied-dot-com (because sometimes talking about things in a public forum is super intimidating – I totally get it). 

Filed Under: Life Tagged With: blogging, design, personal, solopreneuer

About Heidi

Heidi Gustad (she/her) is a craft book author & designer specializing in yarn crafts. Her work combines vintage and modern design elements, prioritizing color and graphic motifs. Her first book, Latch Hook: 12 Projects for the Modern Maker, is out now.

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Comments

  1. Jaime McCorry

    February 10, 2018 at 9:17 am

    Wonderful story! Carving out a career and loving your work & being able to pay the bills at the same time makes for a great life! Congrats!

    Reply
  2. Arlene Dolan

    February 10, 2018 at 10:03 am

    Thank you for sharing, Heidi.
    As someone who chose a somewhat similar path to your own, I found your piece rather inspirational and uplifting.
    I’ve always been drawn to the creative component of knitting, cross stitch, and crochet. It makes me unique in my family, as no one else shares the same interest or passion in any area of the fiber arts.
    Knitting has been a constant, stable force in my life. It has always been there – a source of comfort, calm and endless creativity.
    Almost 4 years ago – just prior to my 50th birthday – I opened an Etsy shop selling downloadable knitting patterns.
    In reading your article, I recognize questioning one’s decision to “put all the eggs in one creative basket” is not uncommon. It doesn’t equate to failure, or the need to walk away from one’s chosen path. You’ve inspired me to expand my network, and continue to educate myself on what resources may be available to me.
    Cheers!
    Arlene

    Reply
    • Heidi

      February 11, 2018 at 12:46 pm

      I’m so glad to hear that, Arlene! What’s your shop name? I’d love to check it out.

      Reply
      • Arlene Dolan

        February 15, 2018 at 9:58 am

        Happy Thursday, Heidi!
        My Etsy shop’s name is SplitCedarSeasonals – you’re always welcome :))
        Best,
        Arlene

        Reply
  3. Idy Kiser

    February 11, 2018 at 8:26 am

    I am glad you found the courage to venture out.

    Reply
    • Heidi

      February 11, 2018 at 12:45 pm

      Me too! ;)

      Reply
  4. Abby

    February 11, 2018 at 8:28 am

    Great to hear your story! I’m a 73 year old knitter who can’t seem to ever put down the needles and love reading your blog. Thanks for sharing all you do.

    Reply
    • Heidi

      February 11, 2018 at 12:45 pm

      Thank you for reading! :)

      Reply
  5. Shirley

    February 23, 2018 at 12:38 am

    Thanks so much for sharing your story, Heidi! I just discovered Hands Occupied a little while ago, and I look forward to tuning in! Your blog is beautiful, as are your patterns, designs, and photos – it’s all the more impressive to know that the project came together organically and unplanned over time. I’m a Chicago-area knitter and crafter, and I can’t wait to read & learn more from your site. Cheers! ~ Shirley

    Reply
    • Heidi

      February 23, 2018 at 11:08 am

      Thanks for the kind words, Shirley! A bunch of us local-to-Chicago people (me & friends & other folks Ive met through blogging) do a monthly knit & crochet night at different locations around the city – the next one is in March & you should come join us if you can! :)

      Reply
      • Shirley

        February 26, 2018 at 11:36 pm

        Sounds lovely, Heidi! I’ll keep my eyes peeled for the next one. :) Happy crafting!

        Reply

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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), and I’ve been helping yarn crafters untangle various techniques on the internet since 2010. I got my start here, as a blogger, and since then I’ve shared more than a few tutorials here and on YouTube as I’ve grown as a pattern designer. 🧶 

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Heidi Gustad 🧶 knitting & yarn crafts

handsoccupied

Knitting & yarn crafts designer 🧶
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Stay up-to-date 💌 & shop new patterns ⤵️

POV: Showing you how my new Bevelled Tank pattern POV: Showing you how my new Bevelled Tank pattern fits with no ease vs. 4” of positive ease. There’s a bit more length to the cotton (brighter color) sample, but both are cropped and feature shoulder seams designed to sit an inch back onto the shoulder instead of on top, giving it a little swing. Length is easily adjustable for folks looking for less of a crop. 
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Pattern: Bevelled Tank by @handsoccupied for @pompommag x @hobbii_yarn summer 2024. Available for free from Hobbii at the 🔗 in my profile.
Yarn pictured: @kelbournewoolens Skipper and Camper. 
Dress form is adjusted to a 36” chest and ~5’3”ish in height. 
Human has a 40” chest and is 5’5”.
Both skirts are vintage.
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#pompomxhobbiisummer2024 #handsoccupied #intarsia #handmade #knitting #colorwork
Let’s talk about fit and ease! . During the Beve Let’s talk about fit and ease!
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During the Bevelled Tank design process for @pompommag, I knit 2 samples using 2 different @KelbourneWoolens yarns. One was in Skipper (100% cotton, second photo) and the other was in Camper (100% 2 ply wool). The Skipper sample was knit for a 36” bust, which measures in at 40” with 4” of positive ease. And I knit the Camper Sample for my 40” bust with a 44” finished measurement. (BTW, I’m 5’5” for folks that find that measurement helpful in visualizing fit.)
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Based on the size chart for the Bevelled Tank, that means I knit one size 3 sample and one size 4. As designed, I conveniently fit a size 4 as intended with 4” of positive ease. When I wear the 3, there is no ease at all because the garment and my body are both 40” in size. Comparing the 2 garments, you can see how the fiber content (cotton vs. wool) and fit (no ease vs. 4” of positive ease) makes a difference in the look and feel of the finished garment. 
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These samples are a great way to compare what ease looks like on different bodies. While I can fit both a size 3 and 4, the garment with no ease feels more like pajamas or a bralette when I wear it. On the other hand, when I wear the one with 4” of positive ease, I feel comfortable enough to wear it to work, even as a crop top. Plus, it leaves me with enough room to layer it with a nice button down if I’m not feeling the cropped look one day. 
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I’m curious - how would you style this tank? Would you modify it with a few stockinette rows for added length? I’m so curious now that this pattern is finally out in the world. :) 
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#pompomxhobbiisummer2024 #bevelledtank #handsoccupied #knitting #intarisa #handmade #kelbournewoolens #croppedsweater #summerknits
After a 6 month hiatus, I am happy to say I’m ba After a 6 month hiatus, I am happy to say I’m back with a brand new pattern in 9 sizes, and it’s FREE as part of @pompommag x @hobbii_yarn’s summer design collection! (Link is in my bio.)
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In my December newsletter, I announced that I was soliciting test knitters for a pattern that had originally been selected for the summer ’24 issue of Pom Pom Quarterly magazine. However, the magazine ceased publication after its spring ’24 issue, leaving in-progress designs unpublished. (It happens.) As a result, I’d begun the long process of editing, testing, and photographing the pattern for independent release through the Hands Occupied pattern shop and Ravelry.
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Before I was done with that process, Pom Pom Quarterly’s former editors reached out with an exciting proposal for the pattern. Post-magazine, they’ve begun to partner with yarn companies to produce high quality pattern collections. They wanted to include designs from the would-be current issue of Pom Pom Quarterly in a new collection for Hobbii yarn, including my Bevelled Tank. I worked with the same technical editors I would have for the magazine on this one, and as you can see from the photos, Pom Pom’s team did an amazing job of styling the garment to the beautiful standards they’re known for.
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You can learn more about the pattern on my blog and get the free pattern from Hobbii yarn - links to both in my profile. I’ll post sizing info in the comments for quick reference too. 🧶
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#pompomxhobbiisummer2024 #knitting #intarsia #sponsored #colorworkknitting 
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Photos: @dianascarrunz 
Model: @angel.jade_
Here’s a nice throwback for you: my take on a vi Here’s a nice throwback for you: my take on a vintage knitting pattern from 1938 called the Fernlace Pullover. A pattern so nice, I knit it twice.
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Yellow version 💛: knit with Despondent Dyes’ Vintage Vixen Sport after attending a @squidneyknits vintage knitting retreat in 2019 & learning *so much*. Paired with a self-drafted circle skirt pattern. 
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Blue version 💙: knit with @eweeweyarns Ewe So Sporty in Sky Blue. Paired with the 1940s Boardwalk Duet sewing pattern from @decades_of_style 
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Head to my stories for 🔗🔗 to the handmade wardrobe blog posts I wrote about each take on the Fernlace Pullover, working with a vintage pattern, where to find vintage patterns (including the one I used), & some thoughts on sizing. 
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Image descriptions available in alt text. 
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#handsoccupied #handmadewardrobe #fernlacepullover #vintageknitting #vintageknittingpatterns #knitting_inspiration
Frogging is a word in the knitting world that mean Frogging is a word in the knitting world that means to rip out your knitting. It’s called frogging because frogs say “ribbit,” and when you’re tearing out your knitting, you will “rip it” out, and that sounds like ribbit. No really. 🐸 Did you know this fun fact? 
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P.S. I did like this design concept, but to make the pattern more knitter friendly as well as more wearable, I am making some tweaks to the construction. Excited to share when it’s ready! 🥰🧶
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Yarn: @blueskyfibers Woolstok North in Morning Frost & Highland Fleece 
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#handsoccupied #knitting #frogging #blueskyfibers #knittersofinstagram #blueskymakers #knittingvocabulary #bsfmakers #knitdesign
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