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Hands Occupied

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

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Yarn Swatch Wall Art

August 4, 2014 3 Comments

This shop is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® Elmer’s and Wet Ones, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #CraftandCleanUp http://my-disclosur.es/OBsstV

Yarn Swatch Wall Art at handsoccupied.com

Since I apparently can’t get yarn off my brain at any given time, today’s DIY wall art idea is inspired by the yarn swatches you’d knit to test the gauge of your yarn before casting on a new project. This would make a great gift for any knitting lover in your life – it’s back to school time, does your kid’s teacher have a yarn addiction? Or maybe their librarian… ;)

I am a Librarian at a public library, and I work with teens. Of course, I do a lot of craft projects with my teens, but there’s not always a ton of time for prep and cleanup before and after DIY nights. When I discovered this Elmer’s/Wet Ones combo pack at Target, I immediately felt like someone had teachers and other professional folks like me in mind.

Elmer's / Wet Ones Combo Pack, Available at Select Target Stores | handsoccupied.com

PS: You can find this Wet Ones and Elmer’s combo pack in select Target stores’ back to school sections. 

Before every library program I do, I take the time to wipe off the dirty handprints from our program room tables. A lot of the littler kids stop by the library in the middle of playing outside and/or eating hot cheetos, so the tables are usually a bit gray when I get to them. Then I gather the supplies for the project we’re doing.

Supplies

cardboard or art canvas(es)
paint brush
acrylic craft paint
cotton swabs
Elmer’s School Glue
Wet Ones for cleanup
hair dryer (optional)

Yarn Swatch Wall Art at handsoccupied.com Directions

Double-checking that your canvas or cardboard is dust-free, draw a series of V’s that look like knit stitches, making sure to have the same number of stitches every row. If I were working with the teens right now, I’d show them my yarn swatch example, but let them do whatever design excited them the most. I’m sure I’d get lots of logos or hashtags or their favorite bands. :)

Yarn Swatch Wall Art at handsoccupied.com

Next, you’ll let your glue dry for several hours (or use a hair dryer on low if you’re in a rush like we’d be at the library). When all of the Elmer’s is completely dry, it will be clear instead of white. Then you’ll paint over the whole canvas/cardboard with a layer of acrylic paint. The trick to get this to look like a knitting swatch is to not use too much paint. Too much paint coverage will flatten the 3D effect of the glue, rather than giving it depth and texture like a swatch would have. The darker canvas and brown of a piece of cardboard are good here because they’re harder to cover in a single coat of paint, causing more depth.

Yarn Swatch Wall Art at handsoccupied.com

See the difference the paint’s thickness makes?

Yarn Swatch Wall Art at handsoccupied.com

After your paint dries (again use the hair dryer if necessary), all that’s left is the cleanup. When I do DIY nights for teens at the library, we usually finish somewhere within 30 minutes of closing time. Since we have a small staff at my branch, that means that many of us are rushing around getting ready to close, and I’m on my own (and on a tight time frame) for craft cleanup. That’s where Wet Ones become a necessity in my professional life. Just a few swipes on my program room tables, and I’m good to go without holding up my coworkers!

Yarn Swatch Wall Art at handsoccupied.com

Filed Under: Back to School, Giveaways, Reviews & Sponsored, Home Decor, How-to, Knitting & Crochet Tagged With: back-to-school, canvas, elmer's, knitting art, wall art, wet ones, yarn swatch wall art

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. Rebecca

    August 4, 2014 at 4:15 pm

    This is super cute! What a neat idea, I love the texture the glue gives. It could be used so many different ways too for different patterns. I can’t help but think cross stitch!

    Reply
    • Heidi

      August 6, 2014 at 8:39 am

      Oh totally! I love that idea!

      Reply
  2. Alyssa

    August 11, 2014 at 10:23 pm

    Correction: “Hot chips” :)

    Love the simplicity of this. Might even become a first grade project this year!

    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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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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