Some steady progress this week but nothing much to show for it. I’ve been working away a few rows at a time on my Ogopogo sock (I find cables on socks very fiddly and I really can’t get the hang of cabling without a cable needle). I’ve also finished spinning the second set of singles for the fourth skein in my five skein 3-ply sweater spin (did you manage to follow that?). This will be the largest project I have ever spun for and I ‘think’ I’m keeping things pretty consistent.
Of course I only ‘think’ I’m being consistent because I’ve not actually kept notes. Not properly. Not helpful notes. I found the notes I did write down, for example I wrote down that I was spinning it on my largest ratio, but this is not helpful when I have subsequently bought new whorls with larger ratios. Which was my largest ratio when I started? When did I start? It tells me I’m spinning from the fold. This is good, this is great in fact, but it also tells me I’m spinning it ‘LBD’. What does this mean? I don’t think it means anything except Little Black Dress and I know I’ve not been spinning in one of those. The best I can come up with is it meant long backwards draft, which isn’t even a thing, so I don’t know if I meant long draw or short backwards draft. Anyhow the upshot of all of this (and the fact it’s one of my pieces of homework for my spinning class), is that I have to think about a system for managing my spinning notes and samples.
Essentially this combines all of my yarn hobbies with my inner stationery nerd. Add in a smattering of basic preservation knowledge (because although I reckon I’ve got about forty more years left in me at best, my project notes must survive for a thousand years) and there’s a good chance I’ll never make anything again as I’ll still be perfecting my project note system!
Ring binders seem the obvious choice. They’re flexible, can take extensive notes as well as small sample skeins/fibres, they can combine paper, card, wallets etc. I think I’ll end up going forward with this although I’m not a big fan of binders. I find them too large for sitting on the sofa leafing through my projects with a cup of tea and a piece of cake.
A card index system could work, and I have an old library card catalogue unit for this (it’s currently used for my spindle and pocket notebook storage). Or maybe these and a storage box for them for portability? I have a feeling though that I’d lose lose cards and they’d never end up back where they should be.
I’ve used Happy Planner in the past for my planning, and something based on their disc binder system could work and would function a little like a binder. Or maybe scrapbooking or photo albums with stiffer pages could work where I could punch the paper and tie my sample yarn in, paste in any notes and then cross reference with samples skeins kept in another box?
I’ve still got a lot of thinking to do on this but I’d love to hear about how you store your crafting notes.
Ceulan Fibres 
LBD – I laughed out loud. You are hilarious. Love your socks. I definitely see that pattern in my future. You have a library card catalogue??!! I vote for that!! Rubber band multiple cards for the same project together. Or hole punch and use yarn to tie a card “set” together. Yeah, I get the problem of losing any set you pull out by not being rigourous in putting back. Notice my ending up with a digital system because I constantly would misplace my paper notebook and start a new one.
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I’ve briefly tried digital systems but I just don’t get as much pleasure out of them. I guess because knitting and spinning is such a tactile thing I feel it deserves lovely paper, fountain pens, and samples of fluff! I do like the ease of caluculatong stats from digital records though.
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Oh, those socks are gorgeous. I feel better knowing I am not the only person that can not cable without a cable needle. As for keeping notes………Since I do not design or spin I am no help to you. Any notes I have on patterns I make are on the patterns themselves. My patterns are all in a couple (maybe 3) 3 inch binders. They sit on top of my yarn cubbies and are easily accessible for me. LBD…………..cracked me up!
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Thank you. I’m increasingly leaning towards the old school binder approach, I think it’s worked so long for very good reasons.
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The socks are lovely – I too have trouble with cabling without a cable needle. I can do it but I much prefer using it!
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Even though you need an extra hand to use a cable needle with socks, it feels like you need an extra three to not use the cable needle!
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The socks are gorgeous, but yeah that would be very intense with a cable needles. My notes are all in electronic format, but i don’t think that would work with spinning notes if you wanted samples!
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Thank you! I have a couple of places I keep digital notes, like here and Ravelry, but I tend to be very bad at updating digital notes. Because I’m such a stationery nerd I think I’m much more likely to have a notebook or index cards by me as I spin. That’s the idea anyway!
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I love your socks but they do look complicated…good for you! As for notes, I don’t really take any but I have jotted things down on patterns. I keep binders with plastic pages that I slip my patterns into but I am not a spinner so not sure if that would work for you. I hope you find a system you l ike.
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Thank you. I’m loving how the socks are knitting up but I do remember saying I’d never do another cabled sock after the last time.
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Your socks are coming along beautifully. I adore those colors.
I have to admit that I’m not very good at keeping notes but when I do I either have an insertable page in a disc-ring planner to make notes on. (I know they aren’t in the UK, but Jane’s Agenda here in the States has some printables and maybe browing their collection of pages might give you an idea?) I’ve become intruiged by online journaling/notetaking. There are a ton of templates available and you can drag and drop photos in and I feel like if I had something on my phone that I haul around with me everywhere, I might be more inclined to include a note when I’m working on something in the now, and not expect (my increasingly faulty) memory to retain until I dislodge the lap cat, find a pen, find the journal and write something down.
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I can see how I could fall down the Jane’s Agenda rabbit hole, I love planners. I’ve tried some digital planners but I never really got on with them in the same way. I have an app for marking up my PDF patterns and I find that useful, but my brain definitely needs the tactility of paper to fully engage, I find it the same with e-books vs paper books. I’ve got a great image of you stumbling around the house dislodging cat flaps and trying to remember why you’re looking for a pen now!
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Long backwards draft I have written down on loads of my spinning…so if that doesn’t exist oops haha! Popcorn and crocodile do a lovely note book that I use for my spinning. It has labels, lined pages, blank pages, check pages, hole punches you can attach threads you’ve spun to and write notes, plastic pockets. Its about A5 size and I use that and Ravelry and that seems to work ok.
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Oh I’ve not heard of those, I’ll take a look. So is LBD the same as long draw for you, so it’s woollen? I couldn’t find where I’d picked it up from so assumed I’d made it up and I actually meant a short backwards worsted draft.
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For me it’s when I’ve spun from a rolag and done long backward draw from those, long as in the length of my arm away from the wheel behind me. Woollen prep and woollen spun.
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Mine is the £18 one that is out of stock I notice. I recommended to another friend and she bought a more expensive version and loves it too. https://www.popcornandcrocodiles.co.uk/shop
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Long backwards draw sorry is what I have written
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Thank you, I think maybe that’s what I meant it as!
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I love your socks and such a lovely colorway! I use a knitting journal for my notes called Yarn It. https://www.amazon.com/Knitting-Crochet-Journal-Natural-Brown/dp/0999507990 I really love it and I also keep a photo journal to go with it.
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