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Hands Occupied

Contemporary yarn crafts by Heidi Gustad. Knitting, crochet, latch hook and macrame.

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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, an author, yarn craft designer and content creator specializing in knitting, crochet, latch hook & macrame. My work unapologetically features primary colors and vintage-meets-modern style. My first book, Latch Hook: 12 Projects for the Modern Maker, is now available!

Professionally I’m most known for: advanced intarsia knitting design & modern latch hook design.

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handsoccupied

Craft book author & content creator in love with primary colors & vintage vibes. / #latchhookbook out now!
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knitting, crochet, latch hook & macramé

Heidi Gustad 🧶✂️
Happy Wrestlemania weekend, folks!!! 🎊 It’s c Happy Wrestlemania weekend, folks!!! 🎊 It’s coincidentally International Punch Needle Rug Hooking Day today, so I’d be remiss not to share a first look at this project finished JUST in time to wear while I watch some rasslin’ on a pirate ship in a football stadium in Tampa! 💪🏻 I’m excited to watch tonight’s women’s matches the most. Eee!
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Pictured: A blond woman in a denim dress and glasses wearing a giant belt made with punch needle. The belt is made with wool in primary colors and was inspired by the WWE Universal Championship title belt. 
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This is just a preview - after jab 2.0 tomorrow (feeling grateful 🙏🏼), I’ll be editing together a vlog about the design process for this wooly waist cover. Sometimes it’s hard to know how to make some of your wilder craft ideas come to life. Stuff you’ll never find a pattern for, you know? I’ll finish editing that ASAP, but I might take a few days to edit if I feel like trash from 💉 and only want to watch wrestling and wrestling YouTube for a day or two. 😂
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#ipnrhd #punchneedle #wwe #wrestling #championshipbelt #wool #yarn #handmade #universalchampionship #universalchampion #rugmaking #wrestlingfan #wrestlemania37 #wrestlemania
A look at the halo on the back of my wrestling-ins A look at the halo on the back of my wrestling-inspired punch needle project! It’s interesting to see how fuzzy the handspun beige yarn is compared with the primary color sections of @knit_picks Wool of the Andes Bulky. ❤️💛💙🤎 
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Pictured: The back of an in-progress punch needle project. A wooden punch needle tool sits on the work.
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#punchneedle #woolrug #rugmaking  #kpambassadorsapr21 #sponsored #griefproject #handsoccupied #wrestlingfan #universalchampion #yarn #yarncraft #wool #needlepunch
Happy Easter / One week til Wrestlemania! Finishin Happy Easter / One week til Wrestlemania! Finishing up the punch needling part of this crazy @wwe inspired project by tonight. 💪🏻🧶 Anybody else have crafty plans for this fine spring day? 
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Pictured: A blond woman sits, smiling and holding an in-progress punch needle project inspired by the Universal Championship belt. Houseplants are in the background and there’s lots of sun. 
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#punchneedle #griefproject #handsoccupied #heidigustad #wrestlingcrafts #wwe #universalchampion #universalchampionship #wool #wooloftheandes #primarycolors #oxfordpunchneedle
I'm finally starting to get some of my energy back I'm finally starting to get some of my energy back from the past few weeks, and as I dip my toe back into production mode, the long-promised seamed sweater knitting YouTube series is at the top of my list. I've got FOUR versions of a simple sweater I've been playing with since last JULY to feature as a free pattern for folks who want to knit along during the series. Pictured is the first prototype for the series, knit in 2 colors of @knit_picks Mighty Stitch yarn. I imagine this soon-to-be short sleeved number will come in handy as an emergency Waldo costume or Christmas sweater. 🌲 
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I've got my own list of topics I think folks would like to see in a series like this: things like tips for construction, working with vintage patterns, how to seam as invisibly as possible, and more, but as always, I'd love to hear from you: What scares you about knitting seamed sweaters? What would be helpful to cover, especially since we'll be doing more long form video content. I get so much positive feedback on my series of 20 minute+ intarsia tutorials, so I'm using those as a starting point as I produce this series. Seamed sweaters using vintage or self-improvised patterns are one of my favorite things on the planet, so I'm eager to share some seamed sweater skills with y'all super sweet folks. 😉 
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Pictured: A red and white striped, short sleeved sweater knit in pieces that have yet to be seamed. They are laid out on a yellow and orange colorblock background and one sleeve is yet to be bound off. 
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#handsoccupied #seamedsweater #kpambassadorsmar21 #sponsored #knitpicks #waldo #waldosweater #wip #yarncraft #yarn #knitting #knittersofinstagram #heidigustad #vintageknitting #sweaterknitting
Work continues this evening on my absurd punch nee Work continues this evening on my absurd punch needle pro wrestling inspired championship belt project. I’ve finished most of the front pretty quickly thanks to the @knit_picks Wool of the Andes Bulky yarn I’m using. For now, I’ve got a couple more weeks until Wrestlemania, & I’m on track to finish this in time! 
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The biggest question I have is what to do with the “plates” - the open circles in the picture. Should I try to closely replicate the Universal Championship belt or go rogue and make it wool themed? Please advise in the comments. ☺️🧶🙏🏻🐑 
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Pictured: The front of an in-progress punch needle project. A wooden punch needle tool with navy yarn running through it rests on top of the work. 
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#kpambassadorsmar21 #sponsored #knitpicks #punchneedle #rugmaking #primarycolors #punchneedlerughooking #punchneedlelove #wool #wip #yarncraft #yarn #yarnaddict
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