For some reason, documentation of knitting projects is suddenly a thing. Or possibly it has always been a thing, and I just didn’t notice. Whichever, how you plan your knitting and document your projects while they are in progress and after they are done is currently a big deal.
Ravelry is, of course, one of the major ways that people make notes both for themselves and to share with other interested parties. I often make notes about projects, especially when I feel like there is something tricky about a pattern, or when I deviate from a pattern in a way I think others might find interesting. But I don’t always. And certainly a lot of other people don’t bother, for whatever reason.
What I do always do is keep notes in my notebooks. Here is my current, super-fancy note keeping system.
Mostly what is in those notebooks is page protectors that I have the printed out, folded, written on pattern, a gauge swatch (when I did one), ball band from the yarn, and any notes or other relevant info. This is actually more helpful for remembering what I did than you might think. I always highlight my size information on patterns, so I know which size I made. I also write down the needle size and work it into the swatch. So this is fairly helpful, but somehow I feel like it could be more efficient. I don’t know how – maybe an archive for things I will never knit again?
Anyway, this is currently coming up because all of a sudden, bullet journals are a thing. I had vaguely heard of this style of journaling before, but in the past couple of weeks it is all over the place. Mason-Dixon Knitting is selling one, as is Kate Davies. Webs had one that sold out. Jimmy Beans has a sort of low-key set of knitting journals that seem to be really laid back bullet journals. And Etsy is just awash with the things.
I looked over a number of bullet journaling website and blog posts, and it seems fairly straightforward. But I don’t know. Am I ready to move away from my fabulous 3 ring binders into the world of washi tape and cute stickers? I don’t know. On the one hand, people seem really enthused about it. Am I missing out? On the other hand, my notebooks seem to be working out just fine so far. If I do try it, will I find I’m just falling the hype and it’s just another notebook system?
How do you plan and document your projects? Do you use a bullet journal, and if so, how do you like it?
I don’t document my knitting as well as I’d like to, and sometimes it causes me problems. I am game to try the bullet journal!
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They do seem intriguing, don’t they?
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I started a bullet journal last year and as the time has gone it has less things included in it. I don’t use it to track knitting or spinning like I do on Ravelry, but I do find the Future Months planner, monthly list planner and daily I do record achievements and appointments. At the end of the month I write a monthly summary and it’s a snapshot of positive things achieved or done. On Pinterest and elsewhere you will see all this beautiful writing and pictures and different formats that look really pretty…what I found was this lasted 2 months for me and then it returned to just normal writing and no pictures and no pressure to make it look pretty.
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Sounds like it is helpful to you! The drive to make it pretty is one of the that is a putting me off a little, honestly. It’s good to know it is useful even when you don’t decorate it all up.
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I used to take super detailed notes on my projects but now it’s just Ravelry and the blog. I have gotten lazy enough that my tracking notes (so I know where I am when I pick a project back up) are scribbles on the pattern.
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But if it works for you, then that’s good notes! And also, you keep good track of things on your blog as well, so that can definitely be helpful!
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I keep track of my projects on Ravelry. But. I also keep notebooks full of (page protected) patterns with my notes on them (if I bothered….). It’s also one of the reasons I decided to blog, it’s a way to keep track of things! 😉
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Blogs are a good way to keep track too!
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If I get half of it entered into Rav I am good. LOL! I do keep a FO listing in Numbers, but don’t list the needles, just yarn and yardage used, dates and recipient. It works for me.
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I only really record the needles in case I need to step away from a project for a while, or if I ever make another one, so I know what I did. But you are keeping pretty good track on your blog too!
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