I have wanted to knit a bulky area rug for my office for years, and I finally found the right combo of yarn and needles to do it. What’s so great about this design is its beginner-friendliness. You only need to knit and purl to make this room-warming 5×7′ rug.
Knitting 101
We've all been there. Whether you're a first time knitter, just getting back into it after awhile, or can't quite remember how to work that bind off, Hands Occupied has you covered. This section of the site features beginner-friendly tutorials & patterns to that help you improve while making something you can actually use!
Chunky Ribbed Cowl & How to Knit Rib Stitch
Spring has almost sprung, but that doesn’t mean cowl weather has left us just yet. Knit yourself a quick and easy chunky cowl to help keep a stiff spring breeze off your neck with this beginner friendly Chunky Ribbed Cowl Pattern.
Knewbies | How to Purl
Learn how to master the second most important stitch you need to know in knitting, the purl stitch.
Knewbies | How to Bind Off
Casting on, learning a stitch or two, and binding off are the three skills you need as a knitter to do a project from start to finish on your own. Check out this tutorial for how to knit a basic bind off.
Newbie Fringe Scarf Pattern
This absolute beginner-friendly pattern is knit entirely in garter stitch, which means you only have to know how to do a basic cast on, knit stitch, and a basic bind off.
Knewbies | How to Read Yarn Labels
Long time knitters know that you need to understand your yarn labels to know how to make & take care of the things you knit. Even beginning knitters need to know what all the little symbols and weights and dye lots (etc.) mean to be a successful knitter. Today I’m going to go over what to look for in your yarn labels, whether you’re looking at big box craft store yarns or indie handspun & dyed yarns.
Knewbies | How to knit
Also known as the first day of your knitting life, the day you learn how to do a knit stitch is an important one. Just like anything else, it takes a bit of practice to get it down, but once your muscles memorize the rhythm of the knit stitch, basic knitting will become the knitting-is-the-new-yoga type of relaxing that you hear people talk about.
Knewbies | Learn to Knit from Scratch!
A beginning knitting series is something I’ve been thinking about doing on Hands Occupied for awhile, and I decided it’s time to take the plunge!
Chevron Sunglasses Case Knitting Pattern
What says summer knitting better than a quickie little sunglass case pattern? Grab a nice little ball of yarn leftover from one of your winter cowls, a couple of needles, and you’ve got yourself the perfect single-sitting beach knitting pattern. Or if it’s a rainy day, pop in a movie and you can make this start to finish in an hour or two. AND you can immediately use the finished case since it’s still summer. Like I said – summer knitting perfection. ;)
