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Hands Occupied

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

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Fall/Winter Workshops!

October 16, 2017 2 Comments

Knitting in a car
Last month I took the time to reintroduce myself to you all, and I promised you some great stuff starting this month! Right now, the biggest and best Read Along Knit Along yet is underway, and Hands Occupied had a facelift a couple weeks ago. We’ve got a beautiful new logo (shout out to the brilliant Ink +Mortar!), the site has been updated to be even more user friendly, and there’s now a shop you can use right on the website! First thing’s first with this brand new shop – knitting & crochet workshops! 

I’ve been doing creative work online for 7 years now – maybe my 7 year itch with Hands Occupied has taken the form of (finally) taking the leap into expanding? Whatever the cause, I’m so so happy with where Hands Occupied is right now – I feel like I know you readers better than ever, and I want to keep that going. With that – let’s take a quick look at our new logo, and keep reading to find out all about the new workshop schedule!

Hands Occupied logo by Ink + Mortar
 

Workshops!

In the brand spanking new shop, you can sign up for the first-ever knitting workshops & private lessons from Hands Occupied! For now, all of the workshops are scheduled in Chicago, where I live, but I’m working on booking more workshops beyond Chicagoland too. PS: If you have any favorite shops or potential workshop venues in your neck of the woods, let me know! You can comment on this post, introduce me to the owner of the place if you know them, or reach out over email at heidi-at-handsoccupied-dot-com. You know your ‘hood more than I do, and I’d love to come visit!

Learn how to count garter stitch rows with this beginner friendly knitting video tutorial.

Learn to Knit

Saturday, November 18, 1-3 pm at Fleur in Chicago
Skill level: beginner
Cost: $75
Picture learning to knit in an uber-chic flower shop environment! I know most of you already know how to knit, so this particular workshop might not be for you. If you’re local, this workshop is a great gift to give that friend who’s been wanting to learn to knit forever (and you don’t want to have to teach them yourself). I’ve taught beginning knitting to people of all ages, including a group of 17 teenage boys in a 15′ x 15′ meeting room at my old library job. If I could get those dudes to knit (seriously – I had teens making full-length scarves in the first day!), I can hook you up.

Click here to sign up – space is limited! The $75 class fee covers group and one-on-one instruction, refreshments, plus a kit featuring everything you need to make your fist cowl or scarf from scratch: knitting needles, yarn, scissors, a yarn needle, and a hand printed project bag to keep it all organized.

Eliminate needle size confusion with this handy conversion chart, showing you what US/UK/mm knitting needle sizes are equal to each other!   Eliminate hook size confusion with this handy conversion chart, showing you what US & mm crochet hook sizes are equal to each other!

Private Knitting & Crochet Lessons

Skill level: any
Cost: $40/hr.

Get one hour of focused, individual help with your knitting or crochet from a professional! This is the perfect thing to sign up for if you’ve got a project that needs some emergency help, if you’re having trouble understanding something in a book or pattern, if you’d like to learn more about a technique covered in a group workshop, or if you want to simply improve your technique. You can also work with Heidi on tailoring your lessons to specific questions you have that aren’t listed here!

Private lessons are booked & scheduled with each individual. Learn more & sign up: knitting lessons / crochet lessons.

Funkasonic Cowl by Heidi Gustad (available 12/1/17)

Learn to Knit Brioche

Sunday, December 10, 2-4 pm at Firefly Fiber Arts in Chicago
Skill level: intermediate to advanced
Cost: $65
For all you knitters looking to level up, this one’s for you! Brioche knitting is really fun, and with so many contemporary knitting patterns featuring this sometimes-intimidating technique, now is the time to master it. We’ll start with one color brioche basics, how to fix dropped stitches in brioche, and then tackle two color brioche in the round. You’ll walk out of the yarn shop with the confidence to queue up brioche projects galore.

Sign up on the Firefly website. The $65 class fee covers group and one-on-one instruction, plus a kit including a handprinted project bag, 100g of premium yarn, and the Funkasonic Cowl pattern designed by yours truly especially for this class! The only thing you need to bring or buy at the shop is a pair of size US 8 (5 mm) circular knitting needles with a 16″ – 24″ cable.

How to do a provisional or invisible kitting cast on

Cast On Clinic

Sunday, January 7, 2-4 pm at Firefly Fiber Arts in Chicago
Skill level: intermediate
Cost: $30
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. This workshop will be just a week into the new year, so it’s a great time to level up your skills!

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.

Filed Under: Workshops & Events Tagged With: brioche, cast on, craft classes chicago, firefly fiber arts, fleur, knitting classes chicago, knitting workshop, learn to knit

About Heidi

Heidi Gustad is a craft book author, designer & creator specializing in yarn crafts like knitting, crochet, latch hook & macramé. Her first book, Latch Hook: 12 Projects for the Modern Maker, is out now.

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Comments

  1. Valerie

    October 16, 2017 at 2:18 pm

    Looking to do some workshops near *eyebrow waggle* Ann Arbor, MI?

    Reply
    • Heidi

      October 18, 2017 at 9:30 am

      Yes, but only because of your eyebrow waggle! ;)

      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), a craft book author & pattern designer specializing in knitting, crochet, latch hook & macrame. Really anything with yarn! ❤️  My work combines vintage and modern design elements, featuring bold colors and graphic motifs.

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handsoccupied

Craft book author, designer & creator specializing in yarn crafts like knitting, crochet, latch hook & macramé
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Heidi Gustad 🧶✂️
Nobody panic. This is just the back of an (admitte Nobody panic. This is just the back of an (admittedly insane) intarsia project. One day, this will be a seamed sweater, but today is not that day. 🧶 
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Have a good weekend, everyone! 
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Yarn: @universal_yarn’s Fibra Natura Cobblestone in Antarctica & Dragon’s Breath 
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#handsoccupied #intarsia #intarsiaknitting #wip #knitting
Here’s how to work a Norwegian purl stitch for e Here’s how to work a Norwegian purl stitch for easier continental style knitting. With this purling method, the working yarn says tensioned (held) at the back of your knitting at all times. For many knitters, always holding the yarn at the back helps with tension issues, as well as feeling a little more comfortable. 
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Have you ever encountered this style of purling before? If you’ve tried it, have you found it helps with your purl tension and knitting speed? I’m curious.
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For a written tutorial, visit handsoccupied-dot-com. For video, you guessed it, You2be. Both of these platforms allow for longer, more in-depth versions of this tutorial, including full transcripts, alt text & the ability to pause, slow down or speed up at will. (Like if you really want to learn this, I recommend using a platform that doesn’t keep your hands occupied. Thinking of putting this in all my captions these days tbh - shout out to you if you made it this far. 🙌🏻😂)
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#handsoccupied #learntoknit #continentalknitting #howtoknit #norwegianpurl #norwegianknitting #knit #knitting #knitter #knittersofinstagram #knittinghack  #handknitting #handknit #norwegianpurling
Have you ever tried this style of purl? . All thi Have you ever tried this style of purl? 
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All this recent talk about throwing vs. continental style knitting made it clear many people struggle with purling in continental knitting. Turns out that Norway may have the answer! In Norwegian purling, the working yarn stays tensioned at the back at all times, helping with speed and tension. 🤯
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Head to the bl0g (🔗 in bi0) for a more in-depth look at how to work a Norwegian purl stitch, including a photo tutorial with animated GIF & a video tutorial. Wrapping your mind around how to work a stitch you’re familiar with in a totally new way can be confusing, so I tried to give a few options for clarity. 🤙🏻 Video is also on You2be. 
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#handsoccupied #norwegianpurl #norwegianknitting #norwegianpurling #continentalknitting #howtoknit #learntoknit #knitterofinstagram #knitters
It’s been a hot second since I showed my face or It’s been a hot second since I showed my face or reintroduced myself, so here goes! I’m Heidi Gustad, a craft book author, pattern designer, and tutorial creator who specializes in yarn crafts. Lately, I’ve been focused on releasing quality knitting videos and related blog posts to help teach things like the difference between provisional cast ons and how to fix common knitting mistakes. Next week I’m shooting requested crochet and latch hook videos, so h👀kers, your time is coming! And if you ever have tutorial requests, please let me know. ☺️
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TLDR: I’m Heidi. I design & teach yarn crafts. You can find tutorials on my blog (est. 2010) & You2be. I also have several knitting & crochet patterns + a book about latch hook available. / All of these can be found on my website, the 🔗 is where you’d think. 
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#handsoccupied #fridayintroduction #heidigustad #knitting #knitter #knittersofinstagram #yarncrafts #latchhookbook
Are you a picker or a thrower? Do you knit Contine Are you a picker or a thrower? Do you knit Continental or English Style? Here’s a quick overview of the differences between the two most common knitting styles, including a side by side comparison. (A good one to save for future reference. 👍🏻) 
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There’s more on the differences between picking and throwing in my latest blog post & You 2ube video - the l1nk is where you’d think!
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#handsoccupied #learntoknit #knittingstyles #howtoknit #knittersofinstagram #knitter
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