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Hands Occupied

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

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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 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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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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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 🧶✂️
A new YouTube tutorial is live today covering how A new YouTube tutorial is live today covering how to knit the Little Butterfly Stitch (aka Bowknot Stitch). It adds so much cute character to simple stockinette. Only a little funky to knit, and it packs a huge visual punch! 🦋 
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Find the video & written stitch pattern on the blog and YouTube, links are in bio. 
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#kpambassadorsfeb21 #sponsored
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Yarn: @kelbournewoolens Germantown in Baby Blue via @knit_picks. Needles: Prism Interchangeables, also from Knit Picks. 
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Pictured: a light blue swatch of Little Butterfly Stitch knitting on a pink background. A skein of yarn and a few stitches of knitting are nearby.
“You’re telling me words can be pronounced in “You’re telling me words can be pronounced in different ways and mean the same things?!” 👀 Posting this here, just to make it clear: when anyone says skayne, skeen, or skyne, it can be safely assumed we’re talking about a bundle o’ yarn,  a SKEIN. It’s not necessary to shame someone for using a word that is known to have MULTIPLE common pronunciations. 🧶
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Can you plz comment sharing how you say SKEIN and where you learned it? The OED happens to say SKAYNE, but it’s not a personal attack if someone says SKEEN and you say SKYNE or even Saskatoon. I’m legitimately curious. We don’t all knit or crochet the same way, and craft evolves a bit like language - it is passed on. There is so much value in having conversations about & embracing these variations! ✌🏻
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Pictured: A blond woman holds a skein of mustard yellow yarn up to her head like a phone, looking shocked. She’s wearing glasses & a knit sweater. 
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#handsoccupied #heidigustad #skein #yarn #yarncraft #knit #crochet #yarnaddict #knitincolor #soldotnacrop #language #englishisweird #oed #oxfordenglishdictionary
Sometimes my weekend projects involve hair rather Sometimes my weekend projects involve hair rather than yarn. Here’s the latest mediocre-but-improving result of my slow quest to learn to set vintage inspired curls. 💇🏼‍♀️ I’m hoping to be able to wash my hair less using a regular vintage set, but we’ll see if it ends up being practical. 😆 Hair frustrates me so much more than crafts! 
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Do you also style your hair using vintage methods? If you have any tips for vintage hair styling or good resources to share, please do!
I suppose this is one way to decide what yarn colo I suppose this is one way to decide what yarn color suits your pooch. 😆 Navy really might be Woodrow‘s color - what do you think? 
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Pictured: A medium sized, brown, senior dog asleep on a green bed. For some reason a donut ball of navy wool yarn sits on his head.
The first stitch tutorial of the new year is live The first stitch tutorial of the new year is live on YouTube! Diamond Brocade is a great knit+purl only stitch for beginners or anyone wanting a classic look for their knitting project. Find the video with a written stitch pattern on the blog or head directly to the video on YouTube. Both are linked in bio. ✌🏻 
#kpambassadorsfeb21 #sponsored
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