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Hands Occupied

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

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Weekly Reader

January 31, 2014 5 Comments

This month is like a dream for anyone who loves seasonal DIYing as much as I do! We’ve got the Super Bowl, Groundhog Day, the Winter Olympics, AND Valentine’s Day coming up. This means that the homemakey internet has roughly a billion ideas for unique and fun takes on party snacks, sweetheart gifts, jewelry and home décor! Check out my faves of the week below.

But first, I want to let you know about a couple changes to Hands Occupied. First, in case you mostly read me offsite (I follow my favorite blogs via RSS, I totally get it), we’ve got an updated site design! The new look prioritizes pictures and is a bit sleeker. I hope you like it!

A New Look for HandsOccupied.com

The other tweak to Hands Occupied includes how you’re able to follow the site via email. Until now, you’ve been able to sign up only for an email that gets sent the day a new post goes live, featuring the new content. Starting today, I’ve added a weekly option to email subscriptions. You can read about all the new email subscription options, and sign up for or change your email subscription preferences here.

Thanks for reading! Now back to your regularly scheduled Weekly Reader… 

Weekly Reader 01.31.14  + A couple announcements | Hands Occupied

images via sources below

this was awesome

crafts, decor & more

mini washi tape chocolates box -lia Griffith
groundhog & its shadow plushie -wild olive
vegan & gluten free chocolate peanut butter footballs -she wears many hats
neon hanging macramé planter -a little birdy blog
faceted concrete heart necklaces -fall for diy
fun felt bracelets -Johanna Rundel
apple butter spiced rum -radical possiblity
paper heart garland -lil mrs. tori

read/watch/listen

I finished Hawkeye Vol. 2, Little Hits. There was a story about Hurricane Sandy, and even a story told from a dog’s perspective. Amazing! / Why I didn’t watch Frances Ha sooner, I’ll never know. / I just discovered how much I love my Rdio “Heidi” station, so I’ve zoned out listening to my college walking-to-class essentials all week.

in case you missed it…

  • Chicago is in yet another polar vortex, which means my dogs are stir crazy.
  • I’m wishing it were summer, so my heart-shaped sunglasses got a summery embellishment.

Filed Under: Weekly Picks Tagged With: crafts, diy, felt bracelets, football snacks, groundhog day, heart necklaces, inspiration, plushie, spiced rum, valentines crafts, weekly reader

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.

Previous Post: « Easy Friendship Bracelet Sunglasses
Next Post: Staggered Holes Baby Blanket Knitting Pattern »

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Comments

  1. johannarundel

    January 31, 2014 at 4:18 am

    Hey Heidi!
    Thank you for sharing my work!
    All the best from Germany
    xoxo Johanna

    Reply
    • Heidi

      February 1, 2014 at 3:06 pm

      You’re welcome! The bracelets are so cool!

      Reply
  2. erin elizabeth

    February 1, 2014 at 3:20 pm

    I’m new to Hands Occupied, but excited for the new set up. You have such great ideas! Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
    • Heidi

      February 1, 2014 at 6:03 pm

      Aww, thanks, Erin! I’m so glad to have you :)

      Reply
  3. Francesca Stone

    February 2, 2014 at 1:10 pm

    The new design looks great! And thanks for featuring my concrete heart pendant tutorial! :)

    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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Latch Hook by Heidi Gustad

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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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