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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 (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. 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), 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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