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Hands Occupied

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

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Weaving in the ends on our first RALCAL

May 1, 2018 4 Comments

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!
With over 150 posts in the Ravelry Group, 164 favorites for the Worker Bee Bag pattern on Ravelry, and almost 500 pattern downloads, the first Read Along Crochet Along was definitely a success! I’ll admit I was a little scared to split our fall and spring Read Alongs into knitting for the fall and crochet for the spring. What if the folks who are knit-exclusive felt excluded? What if the crocheters weren’t into the concept? What if people wanted to strangle me with my own yarn for including a challenging stitch? In the end, it all worked out, and we had a blast reading, crocheting, and sharing tips for success during the first crochet along on Hands Occupied.

A look at the first Read Along Crochet Along!

One of the best things about each fall and spring read along is looking back on the moments of friendship that happened while we all worked and read and learned together. Ok, maybe that sounds a little Pollyanna, but I mean it! Every week at the Read Along IRL* and every day in the Ravelry Group and on social media, there’s inevitably a fun moment. Sometimes it was someone sharing success in crocheting our Worker Bee Bag. (Ahem, the struggle was real for all of us with the bees. As usual, I swear I’m not a monster, but I fully understand if you cursed my name the first time you tried the Worker Bee Stitch.) Sometimes it was sharing a super adult moment in person after a couple glasses of wine or too much candy. I really, really just love getting to know you all during the Read Along every time! Read on for a look at some of my favorite shares from this RALCAL.

*By the way, I promise that we’ll incorporate a live stream with the fall Read Along IRL, so everyone can participate! I just have to figure out logistics and set myself a reminder to actually do it. ;) 

Supplies to crochet the Worker Bee Bag.

Janice was the first to gather & share her Worker Bee Bag supplies & copy of The Beekeeper’s Apprentice with the Ravelry Group.

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!

Mariah & Mannvitha’s Worker Bee Bag WIPs!

Crochet oval bag base from the Worker Bee Bag.

Mary’s beautifully-tensioned Worker Bee Bag base, shared in the Ravelry Group.

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!

Crocheters compare notes at Read Along IRL. 

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!

One of the most popular posts of the whole RALCAL was this beauty from @fireflyfiberarts. 

The crew at Read Along IRL, spring 2018, at Firefly Fiber Arts.

The Read Along IRL crew from week 3 of RALCAL.

A closer look at the Read Along Crochet Along prize pack on Hands Occupied, featuring a Darn Good Yarn yarn bowl, bag handles from Jul Designs, a Love & Leche lotion bar, and yarn from Why Knot Fibers.
PS: Don’t forget to tune in to Friday’s Picks of the Week post to find out if you won the prize pack!

Thank you so much to: Why Knot Fibers for providing yarn support for this design. Firefly Fiber Arts for again graciously hosting our Read Along IRL. Jul Designs, Love & Leche, Why Knot Fibers, and Darn Good Yarn for providing prizes for our wonderful giveaway.

Filed Under: Crochet, Knit Along Tagged With: cal, ralcal, read along crochet along, worker bee bag, worker bee stitch

About Heidi

Heidi Gustad is a craft book author & content creator in love with primary colors & vintage vibes. She specializes in knitting, crochet, latch hook and macramé, and her first book, Latch Hook: 12 Projects for the Modern Maker, is out now!

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Comments

  1. Bernadette

    May 1, 2018 at 10:37 am

    Thank you for such a beautiful & contemporary crochet design. I knew I had to make it the moment it appeared on Rav. And it lead me to the whole RALCAL experience which has been great. I look forward to seeing more crochet designs from you and what book you choose next.

    Reply
    • Heidi

      May 1, 2018 at 1:09 pm

      Thank you, Bernadette! I love how excited everyone was about this design. Now on to brainstorming the next one! <3

      Reply
  2. Cindy G

    May 1, 2018 at 6:24 pm

    This month totally got away from me! I’m about 2/3 of the way through the book, but haven’t picked up my hook all month. I just love how the finished bag looks, so I’m glad that I’ve had the chance to do a bit of lurking. I’m sure i’ll get my bag done by the end of the summer! Thanks for hosting a crochet version of your CAL! I’ll try to keep up better when the next one rolls around.

    Reply
    • Heidi

      May 3, 2018 at 12:37 pm

      Awesome! WIth all CALs, it’s totally understandable if something doesn’t quite get done. You’ll get there! :)

      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), 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

Yarn craft designer & author. Into intarsia knits, latch hook, color & vintage-modern style.
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Heidi Gustad 🧶✂️
Sneaking in a few stitches in the shade. 😎 Sneaking in a few stitches in the shade. 😎
Another morning of filming! One of the knitting vi Another morning of filming! One of the knitting videos I’d like to release soon is a big overview of how to swatch and why - if you have any questions or favorite tips, let me know. 
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To be honest, I want to be able to link to this video as a resource when I get angry gauge questions, so please don’t hesitate to share your best tips. Together, we can tame the knitting Karens. 😆
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#stopswatchandblockit #handsoccupied #knitting #knittersofinstagram
A big issue I've had in the last year is putting t A big issue I've had in the last year is putting together new design work but not doing any independent releases of them. Chalk it up to anxiety, burn out, or whatever but here we are. 
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Last week I turned 35, so in honor of that here’s 3 things: 
❤️ a picture of me at my most stylish 
💛 a little glimpse at some of the design things I've recently been working on
💙a promise that I will be releasing some of the pictured designs this year. Getting back in the swing of things after taking it easy is hard 😆 - wish me luck!
Like a riding a bike! June guarded the neighborhoo Like a riding a bike! June guarded the neighborhood while I shot a new crochet tutorial today. With any luck, editing will go smoothly & I’ll be posting new videos to YouTube regularly soon! Got any requests for tutorial topics? 
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#handsoccupied #crochet #studiodog #crochettutorial
This yoke deserved a mid-blocking closeup, don’t This yoke deserved a mid-blocking closeup, don’t you think? ❤️💛💙
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Pattern: modified #soldotnacrop sweater / yarn: various from my stash
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