Thursday, March 12, 2009

The UN-organized Knitter

Its already March and I have yet to compiled a list of projects like I was planning to. I always envy those that I read blog posts about or listen to podcasts and they have spreadsheets and lists of projects that match up with their stash. I don't have such an enormous stash that I don't remember which project I bought yarn for, so its not that big of a deal. I would feel better though if I were a little more organized ... because sometimes I do find something in there and think ... what did I buy this for?!?! Also, one thing that I would like to deter is buying yarn for a specific project, forgetting, and then using it for something else and then remembering which pattern I had it set aside for AFTER I cast on something else with it!

I keep a three ring binder with working copies of patterns in it that I know I will make. This way I don't have to go back through a bazillion magazines or books and try to find the pattern for a yarn that I have in my stash later ... plus I doubt I would remember which pattern I had intended to use anyway, LOL! Ravelry is great for keeping track of my stash since I can post photos and see the yarn and not have to make a mess of a pile digging through plastic tubs in my basement.

First of all I would really like to finish up some UFOs from last year before I start any major projects this year, I guess the smart thing to do would be to create that list first. I have also come to the conclusion that sometimes you need to rip something out and either find a new project for the yarn or start it over so that the gauge ends up uniform.

In no particular order:


Reversible Cable Scarf
Ultra Alpaca
Notes: The scarf is almost done. I didn't realize that the original pattern called for enough yardage to make a 6 ft scarf ... and I substituted with something else so I actually have more yardage than that. I am planning on using the last skein to make a matching hat, then incorporate whatever is left over at the end of the scarf to use it all up.



Diagonal Baby Blanket
Cotton Ease
Notes: This is something I was making for someone at work when she was pregnant ... well the child is about 6 months old now and this woman got fired a few months ago, so I guess it doesn't matter now, LOL! I do have friends with young children so I can find someone to give it to. There's no pattern I was just made something up on my own.

Tank Top
Tartellete
Notes: I am going to rip this out and start it again - maybe I'll even get to wear it this summer! Its been sitting for so long and the last time I picked it up I noticed that I didn't even have the right number of stitches anyway, so what's the point of continuing here when I don't know where I went wrong. This is not a huge project so starting it over isn't a big deal. Also, I have come to the conclusion that bamboo needles don't work for everything, so I am going to try this one again with metal and see how it goes. I think the reason it was sitting for so long was that the yarn was sticking too much to the needles and it was no fun to knit.


Christmas Stocking
Notes: Would be nice if its done by this Christmas eh?

Hooded Scarf
Shetland Chunky
NOtes: For my mom ... I believe it was supposed to be a Christmas present for 2007 ...

Faux Dr. Who Scarf
Various DK weight
Notes: For my boyfriend. He wanted a scarf like the original Dr. Who, I didn't want to do something in plain stockinette so I found a pattern for a wide scarf and will alternate colors, etc. from there to make something reminiscent of Dr. Who.

Back to icky needles. I decided to invest (which isn't much of an investment since they are so reasonably priced) in some Knit Picks interchangeable needles. I ordered 2 cable sets and one set of needle tips for a project I plan on starting in the near future. As I go along I will order needle tips as needed for projects. While looking for some size 8 needles today I found two size 7 of the same exact kind ... probably couldn't find them before and purchased another set. Or had a project on the needles already and went out and bought another pair.

Moving didn't help my unorganized state. While I tried to organize things while packing, that worked for about 5 boxes ... then time started to elude us and I just started throwing miscellaneous things in boxes together and now everything is all over. I am working on creating a list of what needles I have by type, length and size so that in the future I can just refer to a list instead of trying to dig through bags and boxes of stuff ... would be helpful to organize the needles in some particular fashion too ... maybe someday, LOL!

1 comment:

Anita said...

Ha! We should all be so organized! I think those super organized people are lying! LOL
I do have a huge assortment of stash yarn & I have totally forgotten what some of it was for. :) But then, when I go & look at some of it I seem to change my mind every time about what to do with it, so what good would a list do me? That's my excuse anyway!