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Hands Occupied

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

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Warm Up with In-Person Events this Winter!

January 3, 2018 1 Comment

Warm Up with In-Person Events this Winter from Hands Occupied
It’s a new year, and there’s so much to celebrate! A lot of us have cold temps as a great excuse to spend time hunkered down with needles and hooks, but if you’re looking for a cozy place to warm up in January or February, I’ve got a few ideas. For Chicagoans, there are two knitting workshops, private lessons, and a brand new monthly knit and crochet meet up to entice you out of your hibernation nest. Read on to learn about all of the fun yarny things you can do with fellow Hands Occupied fans this winter!  

One quick thing before I give you the run-down on what’s coming up. If you’re not in Chicago, never fear! I promise I’m working on expanding my reach to other cities. To help me know where to plan visits and workshops, you can leave a comment on this post or drop me a line at heidi[at]handsoccupied[dot]com. I’d love to know where you’d like me to visit and teach! You can also sign up for or edit your current sign up status to start receiving email updates when workshops and events are added to the calendar. Here’s the signup page.

Learn six different ways to begin knitting projects in a Cast On Clinic with Heidi Gustad, the Knit & Crochet Designer behind Hands Occupied.

Cast on Clinic

Sunday, January 7, 2-4 pm at Firefly Fiber Arts in Chicago
Skill level: intermediate
Cost: $30
Prerequisites: Know how to work at least one knitting cast on.
Attendance: 3 person minimum, 12 person maximum.
Workshop includes: Materials to practice cast-on techniques
How many cast ons do you know? Most knitters master a few and then keep using them forever and ever, not thinking much of it. This class teaches you 6 different cast ons, and helps you understand when and (importantly) why you would want to use them in your knitting. Making a sweater that you want to fit over your head? Something stretchy might be a good idea. Working something super delicate? You might want to go a subtle route. The first week of a new year is a great time to try something new!

Sign up on the Firefly website. The $30 class fee covers group and one-on-one help, plus a handy reference for each cast on to take home.

Heidi Gustad excitedly talking to a knitter at Nina yarn shop in Chicago.
photo by Tennile Sunday 

NEW for 2018! Hands Occupied January Meet Up

Tuesday, January 23, 5-9 pm at The Walk In, 2727 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, IL
Cost: Free, but bring money for drinks and tips!
I have been thinking to myself for YEARS that there should be a regular Hands Occupied meet up in Chicago, where I’m based. Well 2018 is finally the time, folks! Come hang out with fellow knitters & crocheters at The Walk In bar in Logan Square. It’s conveniently located within a block of the Logan Square Blue Line Station, and there’s a Milwaukee Avenue bus stop right outside the door.

No pressure to come right at 5, btw! The bar we’re meeting at has an amazing happy hour that runs until 8, so I’ll be there right at 5 pm for $5 beer drafts and cocktails. ;) Pro tip: They don’t have much in the way of food at this bar, so you might want to toss a granola bar in your bag along with your WIP if you’re coming straight from work.

RSVP & invite your friends on Facebook!

Mark your calendars! The February meet up will be Wednesday, 2/21 with location TBD.

Learn how to knit brioche from Heidi Gustad, the Knit and Crochet Designer behind Hands Occupied.

Build Up Your Brioche

Sunday, February 18, 1-4 pm at Firefly Fiber Arts in Chicago
Skill level: intermediate
Cost: $70
Prerequisites:
An understanding of how to knit brioche rib flat in one color. If you want to practice working 2 color brioche rib flat in the weeks leading up to this workshop, you won’t be sorry. 
Attendance: 3 person minimum, 8 person maximum.
Workshop includes: 3 hours of instruction & a Funkasonic Mittens Kit.
Supplies: You may bring your own size US 3 & US 4 circular or DPN knitting needles, or you can purchase them at the shop.

Take your brioche beyond the basics with this workshop! We will tackle knitting brioche in the round, changing colors in brioche rib, and how to fix mistakes in brioche knitting. Class size is capped at 8 students maximum to allow for tons of one on one help from yours truly!

Sign up on the Firefly website. The class fee covers group and one-on-one help, plus a useful guide to walk you through next-level brioche knitting.

Learn all about Mountain Meadow Wool's Alpine yarn and enter to win a skein to try for yourself!

Don’t forget! Private lessons are available.

Cost: $30/hr.
Skill level: any
Get individualized instruction on any knitting or crochet technique, or get help if you’ve knit yourself into a corner or crocheted your project into knots. I’ve done private lessons in coffee shops, bars, yarn shops and even hospital rooms. Let’s talk about what works for you!

Sign up via the online shop for knitting or crochet, or shoot me an email at heidi[at]handsoccupied[dot]com to start a conversation. 

Filed Under: Workshops & Events Tagged With: brioche workshop, cast on, chicago, hands occupied, hands occupied meet up, heidi gustad, knitting workshop

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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Comments

  1. Daniel

    January 17, 2018 at 1:41 pm

    Hello my name is Daniel and I just started to knit a few weeks ago and love it! I live two blocks from the Walk-In and would love to join! I don’t have a Facebook account, can I still RSVP? Including my email with this post ,

    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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handsoccupied

Knitting & yarn crafts designer helping makers untangle various techniques with a blog & YouTube channel
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Stay up-to-date 💌 & shop new patterns ⤵️

Heidi Gustad 🧶 knitting & yarn crafts
Meet Yarn Citizen, a new line of sustainably sourc Meet Yarn Citizen, a new line of sustainably sourced and affordably priced yarn from Jimmy Beans Wool. Enter to win a kit featuring this yarn in the November yarn review & giveaway on the bl0g!
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Yarn: @jimmybeanswool Yarn Citizen Harmony Worsted
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Review & entry form 🔗 are where you’d think. 😉 
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#handsoccupied #yarncitizen #yarncitizenharmonyworsted #yarnreview #knitting #knitter #knitinspiration
Happy with how the mini Nightmare Before Christmas Happy with how the mini Nightmare Before Christmas sweater vest turned out! Now my dog and I can go on walks in matching seasonal fits 😂
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1. I knit this bottom up with scraps and ran out of black yarn. If the vest consistently drifts down her chest upon wear, I might extend the collar or redo the chest panel at a smaller size. If you’ve read this far, what do you think? As a designer, I so rarely get to improvise a knitting project, and I’m having fun working with fewer rules than usual. 🧶
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2. June has a grooming appointment this weekend. She’s currently the mayor of scruff town, I know. 🫡
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Pattern: Chart is from the Spiral Hill Sweater Vest pattern by yours truly in the official Nightmare Before Christmas knitting book 
Yarn: @brooklyntweed Imbue Worsted
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#spiralhillsweatervest #spiralhillsweatervestkal #handsoccupied #intarsia #intarsiaknitting #nightmarebeforechristmasknittingbook #dogknit #knitsfordogs #handmade #brooklyntweed
I finished June’s doggie version of the Spiral H I finished June’s doggie version of the Spiral Hill Sweater Vest & it’s so cute! 🥰
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Do you think June appreciates the fact that she now has a sweater made with @brooklyntweed yarn? 😂 
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#handsoccupied #dogsweater #dogjumper #intarsia #intarsiaknitting #spiralhillsweatervest #spiralhillsweatervestkal #handmade #brooklyntweedimbue #brooklyntweed
Squeezing in some stitching on a selfish sweater t Squeezing in some stitching on a selfish sweater this Saturday morning 😋
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Pattern: Fruit Stripe Pullover with some intarsia mods on the front panel 
Designed by Rachel Brockman for @universal_yarn 
Yarn: Fibra Natura Cobblestone in Dragon’s Breath & Antarctica 🧶
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#handsoccupied #knitting #weekendknitting #sweaterknitting #universalyarn #fibranaturacobblestone
As a yarn craft designer and former librarian, rev As a yarn craft designer and former librarian, review copies of craft books get sent my way from time to time. It's awesome, but I'm always looking for new, quick ways to share them with you. Today's experiment: a mini review of the new crochet book Hooked on Shakespeare: Crochet Projects Inspired by the Bard. A review copy was provided by the publisher. 
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Book: Hooked on Shakespeare by Gurinder Kaur Hatchard  @yay_for_crochet 
Publisher: @herbert.press / @bloomsburybooksus 
Number of projects: 15
Hardcover, 128 pages
Retail price $22/£14.99
Uses UK crochet terms, not US. My copy came with a conversion table (pictured).
Good for: literary enthusiasts, amigurumi crocheters
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Overall, this is a really cute book that would make a wonderful gift. Each of the 15 Shakespearean works covered features patterns for a few characters from the story. The styled photography is fantastic, with whimsical backgrounds highlighting each pattern. Includes some step-by-step instructions with photos and how to crochet tutorials at the back. I'm highly on board with the name of the last pattern in the book, "Wooliam Shakespeare". 👏🏻 
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If you made it this far, thanks for reading! I'm always trying to figure out the best way to share these new titles, and this is a first try at a new format. So if you have any feedback (if I should include more/less detail, more photos, video, etc.), please let me know. 
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#handsoccupied #bookreview #craftbook #craftbooks #crochet #crochetbook #crochetersofinstagram #crochetinspiration
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