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Hands Occupied

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

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What’s up, 2020? (No seriously, what is going on?)

April 4, 2020 Leave a Comment

What's up, 2020? Check out this brand new blog post about what Heidi has been up to on Hands Occupied hiatus, and plans for the rest of the year to come, including some surprises!

It’s been awhile, friends, and I have missed you! For those who may not remember, I’m Heidi Gustad, and I am an artist working in yarn crafts (knitting, crochet, latch hook, macrame, punch needle, etc.). I got my start when I launched this blog in 2010, not intending to become a full time creative, but here we are. 😊 I draft this post from my makeshift home studio space in Chicago during my state’s extended shelter-in-place order, so it feels like a great time to share where I’ve been and why. Don’t worry – this is a story with a happy ending!

My life went on pause a couple months before coronavirus, along with this here Blog. On January 6, I shared my annual blog post reflecting on the past year, saying I was taking a break. Since then, I’ve been fairly quiet, posting here and there on social media, and even taking a break from my podcast, The Very Serious Crafts Podcast. Why?

I wrote a book, folks! 😱 A new guide to latch hook for modern makers, set to publish this fall!

The teaser image for Heidi Gustad's new latch hook book, publishing fall 2020 with Leisure Arts
Image credit: Jason Masters, Photographer / Lori Wenger, Stylist

I was only recently able to announce the book, and I’m so excited to be able to share this teaser image with you here now too. My book is a contemporary take on latch hooking, and it’s being published by Leisure Arts this fall (2020). Ta DAAAA! That’s all I can say for now, but I hope it’s exciting news. Check out the Book highlight in my Instagram profile to view the very earnest video I made to announce the project, enjoy!

What to expect in 2020!

Ok, in addition to writing a book and designing a shawl (and y’know, living my life) these past few months, I’ve been taking the time to zoom out and think of what I want to do in the coming months with Hands Occupied:

*email newsletters every other week
*picks of the week every other week, opposite weeks from emails
*fewer blog posts, but more than when we were on hiatus
*more YouTube by very popular demand!
*more Instagram, showing you more of my process
*The Very Serious Crafts Podcast episode every other week with Patreon-only bonus episodes on off weeks
*fewer independently released knit & crochet designs

It’s really important to me to keep evolving as a designer and artist, and to do that, I need to make room for it. I have begun to develop a new artistic project that I realized I want to pursue after going through the process of designing my book. My entire background is in crafting, but after executing an entire collection for the book, I realized that I have a lot of ideas to explore through slower making. I’ll share more on this developing idea when the time comes.

On What I’m Doing Less…

I’ve been wanting to commit to blogging less for awhile. After almost ten years running this very blog, I’m really burned out on putting together long-form tutorials. After writing my book these recent months, I’ve realized that I’ve evolved a bit creatively and a lot as a person, and I need to be careful about spending my time on things that energize rather than drain me. Blogging will still happen with Picks of the Week returning every other week, inspiration round-ups, and yes, the occasional free yarn craft pattern & project tutorials.

As I get older, embarking on a new decade with so many things up in the air, particularly as a now-seasoned, self-employed creative, I just want to be more gentle with myself emotionally and physically. Maybe getting more in touch with my feelings during my hiatus has made me a little more woo woo, but I think it’s made be a better artist and happier person. So I’m going to try transferring my energy to a space with more growth potential and more challenge for me -what can I say? I’m a glutton for punishment, but also, I keep getting video requests from readers here and new folks on YouTube itself. It seems like that’s the direction the wind is taking me.

Arthritis & Knit Design
A big part of what threw me into a serious bout of depression last year was figuring out how to move forward in my creative career with an arthritis diagnosis. I am not a doctor, but am lucky enough to have access to one. She had to give me a talking to regarding taking care of my body and understanding that with the joint deterioration I’ve already experienced at just age 32, I simply have to do less if I want to ensure long term quality of life. This was also a wake up call about my addition to work and that there are real consequences to pursuing too much at once. Simply put, my arthritis escalates too rapidly if I’m designing knit and crochet patterns all the time. (Please don’t email me solutions to or recommendations for my arthritis. I have had major repetitive stress issues since the age of 14 and prefer to discuss my personal situation with my doctors exclusively.)

More YouTube
I’ve had a channel since almost day 1 of Hands Occupied back in 2010, but I always found the platform intimidating. Turns out, though, that all the video work I’ve done for clients’ social media pages over the past 5 years has resulted in some fans of my video teaching style I didn’t realize I had! (A very humbling surprise for which I am grateful.)

On YouTube, there will be knit & crochet tutorials despite my arthritis issues because they often only require a swatch, not huge finished projects. Also, I am aware I’ve got a lot of knitting and crochet knowledge to share, and my background in public librarianship has armed me with the ability to explain things in accessible ways.

I plan on expanding the Hands Occupied YouTube channel to include all yarn crafts, i.e. latch hook, macrame, punch needle, etc. I’ll keep in touch with the YouTube community as I go to see what people are interested in. I’d love to experiment with making videos like the one embedded below featuring a Colorado yak ranch. There are so many interesting corners fo the yarn craft world to visit, and I’d love an excuse to share them with you if you’re interested! As a content creator, half the time the hard part is guessing what viewers and readers want to see, so I’m excited to put together a video/tutorial request form on my site as YouTube grows and expands.

That’s all for now!

And with those calming yaks, I have to say that’s a LOT, so thank you so much for reading this far! The last thing I have for you all is a little treat – there’s a giveaway this weekend on my Instagram for a 4-skein knitting kit from Zen Yarn Garden, featuring a knit design I completed during my hiatus, the Chrysler Arch Shawl. Thanks again for being an internet friend and have a beautiful week!

Designer Heidi Gustad models the new Chrysler Arch Shawl, a knitting pattern designed with Zen Yarn Garden yarn.

Enter the giveaway on Instagram. / Find the Chrysler Arch Shawl pattern on Ravelry. / Find Chrysler Arch Shawl Kits here.

Filed Under: Life, Yarn Crafts Tagged With: creative career, heidi gustad, latch hook, latch hook book

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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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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