Staying Organized

Karen offers a tip and asks a question: "I found a great trick that I want to share: I tend to scribble on my knitting patterns as I work, to mark where I have left off, or to indicate small adjustments for size or personalization. After using the same pattern a couple of times, I was faced with such a mess on my page! I have started keeping my patterns in plastic sleeves (page protectors) and writing on the page protectors with a marker. I can wipe my notations away at the end of a project and have no more messy patterns. This also allows me to store my patterns neatly in binders, organized by project type, and I can grab one at a time without having to lug around a binder or a book when I knit on the go.

"And now my question: I have started to designing my own knitting patterns. I started off with small items and have progressed to a sweater. I am having a hard time keeping track of what I am doing that works and doesn't work. For instance, I tend to write something down on my paper, and then realize that it doesn't work in practice and try something else. A few times I couldn't figure out what I had done that worked successfully! How do other knitting designers keep track of the steps they've taken to complete a project?"

How about it, knitters? Perhaps you have the answer to Karen's question. Please let us know how you handle this dilemma. --Editor

Send feedback!

Fill out the easy feedback form and let me know your thoughts, questions and ideas. I may feature your letter in an upcoming issue of Creative Knitting newsletter.