A weird thing happened out of nowhere last fall. Weird, but super exciting! I got three emails in a span of two weeks from magazines wanting to work with Hands Occupied in 2014. Finally last weekend, months after those initial emails, I opened my mailbox to find a surprise. A hard copy of my first magazine feature in “the UK’s bestselling knit mag,” Let’s Knit! Visit the full post for a piece I wrote for them on the time I thought I’d never knit again.
Knitting & Crochet
Cross Body Phone Case Pattern
This design was inspired by summer days at the beach, by vacations spent riding bikes in flip flops. Those amazing days when all you need is a little pouch for your phone, money and keys that wears close to the body to stay out of the way. I made this pouch with one t-shirt’s worth of DIY yarn, and it came together in no time.
Worldwide Knit in Public Week
Happy Worldwide Knit in Public Week! Did you even know that was a thing? It’s been around since 2005 and takes place the second Saturday in June. It originated as a single day to bring knitters together, raise awareness for how awesome knitting is as a community building activity, and how widely it’s been adopted by crafters of all ages.
How to Make T-shirt Yarn
Is it just me, or is jersey (t-shirt) yarn all over the place this summer? Don’t worry, I’m totally into it! Jersey yarn is perfect for summer, and can work up into fast, fun, chunky projects. Jersey yarn is also super affordable, especially if you make it yourself. Here’s how!
Little Sprout Baby Hat
This super simple spring-inspired baby hat is a great way to eat up the leftover sock yarn. I was inspired to make this, of course, during the Knit Along as I played around with some test patterns and love its little sprouty top. This hat is super perfect for newborns coming home from the hospital.
I hope my onion model makes you smile, by the way! You’ll have to excuse it subbing in for a real baby, since I don’t have one of those lying around to exploit for photos, lol. I think onion baby is so cute, and the only crying I have to worry about is if I cook with it. ;)
Shorty Socks / Knit Along Wrap Up
It’s been real, folks, but the first Hands Occupied knit along has come to a close. :( I had so much fun sharpening my knitting needles skills, making some new friends and finishing a couple pairs of socks during this process. Pictured today is my new Shorty Socks knitting pattern, made using the exact techniques shared in each step of the Knit Along.
Easy No Slip Hangers
I have a couple of dresses I really love, but they’re always falling off their hangers. And like a lot of knitters & crocheters, I also have a LOT of scrap yarn laying around. With scrap sock yarn in particular, it can be hard to find a good use for the leftovers. Two problems? One solution – a simple crocheted band of yarn for my slippery dresses to latch on to. Plus, this DIY hack takes about 10 total minutes. Win, win, win!
Knit Along Day 5: The Toe!
We’re in the home stretch, knitters!! Today I’m going to show you all how to do a toe decrease, which, surpriii-iiise!, is way easier that the parts of sock knitting you’ve already mastered. Aren’t you excited?
Knit Along Day 4: The Gusset
This is a gusset. While is has one of the weirdest names in knitting, the gusset isn’t all that weird. Gussets actually appear in other parts of clothing to help make them fit over the many curves of the human body. In socks, the shape being addressed is just the part of the foot that gradually narrows from where your ankle meets your foot to the size it should be to fit your arch.
