Hands Occupied

12/01/2023

Meet Yarn Citizen, a new line of sustainably sourced and affordably priced yarn from Jimmy Beans Wool. This yarn is made from ends leftover from the process of milling fiber into yarn, diverting them from landfills. At the same time, the low cost of these ends allows today’s review yarn (Yarn Citizen Harmony Worsted) to retail at under $15 per 100g skein at the time of this writing.

Check out this week's blog post for a brief review of this yarn for both knitting and crochet, and enter to win a kit featuring a sweater’s worth of Harmony Worsted yarn!
https://www.handsoccupied.com/yarn-citizen-harmony-worsted/

11/14/2023

Intarsia knitting often leaves us with a few (or a lot) of ends to weave in. Weaving in an end incorrectly can leave you with little eyelet-looking holes where new colors are joined. And weaving in an end in the wrong place can result in a too-bulky appearance on the right side, affecting the appearance of the finished design. Check out this week's blog for my best tips and tricks to weave in your ends while knitting with Intarsia.
https://www.handsoccupied.com/weaving-in-ends-tips-for-intarsia/

11/02/2023

If you feel anxiety when it comes to knitting intarsia, you’re not alone. This week's tutorial, which includes a video demonstration of the tips and concepts covered, should help assuage that anxiety. Today is all about how to knit better (cleaner, crisper, more even) intarsia joins. Check out the blog if you're ready to dive into a new skill!
https://www.handsoccupied.com/better-intarsia-joins/

10/31/2023

It can be time-consuming and frustrating to have to re-count rows over and over again as you knit, especially over long stretches of stockinette stitch and with hard-to-see yarn. In this week's blog, I'm sharing 3 easy ways to keep track of your row or round count in knitting. The best part: none of these involve a Post-it note!
https://www.handsoccupied.com/counting-rows-in-knitting/

10/12/2023

The Spiral Hill Sweater Vest Knit Along giveaway prizes have all been assembled. That means it’s time to reveal what they are and how to enter to win this awesome package, worth about $225. Check out the blog for details about what’s included and from whom, and find the giveaway entry form at the bottom of the post. Good luck!
https://www.handsoccupied.com/spiral-hill-kal-giveaway/

10/05/2023

Are you excited about the Spiral Hill Sweater Vest Knit Along, but brand new to the Intarsia knitting technique? Never fear, this most recent blog post has rounded up the videos & written (blog post) tutorials that might come in handy as you knit the Spiral Hill Sweater Vest. There are 10 videos, 7 about intarsia, plus a bonus 11th video, the first video of this knit along.
https://www.handsoccupied.com/10-tutorials-spiral-hill-sweater-vest/

10/04/2023

We’re starting the Spiral Hill Sweater Vest Knit Along with a lesson in gauge, everyone’s favorite subject in knitting! Check out the blog for tips on how to knit intarsia that doesn’t look squished, stretched, or otherwise suspicious. https://www.handsoccupied.com/understanding-gauge-in-intarsia-knitting/

09/28/2023

As announced last month, I have a new intarsia pattern available called the Spiral Hill Sweater Vest, inspired by the Nightmare Before Christmas’ iconic landmark. You can find the vest pattern in the new book "Disney Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas: The Official Knitting Guide to Halloween Town and Christmas Town". To celebrate this release, and help teach knitters more about intarsia colorwork, we are doing a knit along (KAL) from October 1-29. Check out the blog for all the knit along details. https://www.handsoccupied.com/spiral-hill-sweater-vest-kal-details/

09/21/2023

MANOS DEL URUGUAY SAMI & MARLA – DOUBLE YARN REVIEW AND GIVEAWAY

Get to know two new sister yarns from Manos del Uruguay, Marla and Sami, and enter to win a skein of each to try for yourself! See details on https://www.handsoccupied.com/manos-del-uruguay-sami-marla/

09/07/2023

New on the blog & YouTube! Learn how to knit a right-lifted increase (RLI) and left-lifted increase (LLI), and what type of projects they work best in. Video and photo tutorials included.
https://handsoccupied.com/lifted-increases

05/31/2023

New post & video today! Learn about the magic loop method for knitting in the round. Using the magic loop allows knitters to work in the round with a single, long circular needle at a range of circumferences. This post features a video tutorial as well as information explaining the technique, how and why to use it, and when it came to be. Enjoy!

https://www.handsoccupied.com/magic-loop/

05/04/2023

Sweater knitters, listen up! Learn how to knit a buttonhole over the course of a single row of knitting, a.k.a. a one-row buttonhole, with a new video tutorial: https://www.handsoccupied.com/one-row-buttonhole/

04/17/2023

Join two pieces of garter stitch knitting invisibly with the kitchener stitch. Learn how to work garter kitchener stitch in a brand new tutorial with video: https://www.handsoccupied.com/garter-kitchener-stitch/

03/23/2023

Have you ever tried Norwegian purling? For continental knitters, it can help with tension issues and lets you keep your working yarn at the back of your knitting at all times. Find a brand new photo, animated GIF & video tutorial on the blog/YouTube: https://www.handsoccupied.com/norwegian-purl/

02/15/2023

New on the blog & YouTube! Learn how to fix common mistakes in your knitting: https://www.handsoccupied.com/common-knitting-mistakes/

01/19/2023

It’s time for the annual Hands Occupied new year update, and for the first time in years, I feel like I have some clarity about I’m doing next. Find the update on the blog: http://bit.ly/3ZHvSwB

08/09/2022

New on the blog! This former librarian recommends three late summer reading titles written with makers in mind! Check out my reviews, and enter to win a copy of the book Knitstrips for yourself: https://www.handsoccupied.com/summer-reading-for-makers/

02/23/2022

Love a good mood board! One of the coolest things about being a pattern designer is gathering inspiration. Take a look at what’s got my wheels turning this year, today on the Hands Occupied blog: https://bit.ly/3sXoy06

One of the coolest things about being a pattern designer is gathering inspiration. Take a look at what's got my wheels turning this year.