Keeping Track, Part III

Keeping track during a project can be simple, such as using a stitch marker on an increase row and no stitch marker on an even row. Or making a tally mark on a  notepad for each row or round worked.

When I began to work on garments, I found that I needed a different method.  There are more things to keep track of when working on a garment.  So I sat down with a spiral notebook and my pattern.  I have found that breaking projects into smaller sections or tasks works well for me. I have 2 girls in elementary school and my schedule seems to be in spurts rather than long blocks of time. Smaller tasks make me feel productive rather than frustrated.

Most patterns begin with the Back, so I label a page in my notebook as Back, drop down and make a bullet point, and write out the first step, usually "Cast on X number of sts with Y needles and work in ribbing for W number of rows".  If there is a tricky stitch pattern, I jot that down, and if there are increases or decreases, I jot down the number of stitches I should have when finished.

The next section of the back ususally involves working in a stitch pattern for a certain number of inches or repeats, and may include decreases for waist shaping.  I put my bullet point, and a brief description of what I should do, and then I fill in numbers for each row that I should work.  I underline the rows that require decreases/increases.  Sometimes, I put the number of stitches that I should have as a superscript over each row.  At the end of the section, I put the number of stitches that I should have before the next section starts. 

As I work, I put a slash through each row.  After I've run to the bus stop for the girls, I know which row I did last and which row I should start with next and whether it is a decrease/increase row.

I do the same planning for each section of the pattern--waist to armhole, armhole shaping, neck shaping and final bind off.  This planning phase gives me the chance to visualize the work I'm about to do, and to know whether I understand all of the instructions.  It also helps me plan my time better around my fits and spurts of time.  If I need uninterrupted time to work on a section (such as the heel of a sock) and it's time to be Homework Mother, then I know I need to put that off and work on something that keeps my hands busy, but not my mind.

Another benefit of planning is to identify pattern errors.  I know that publishers and designers work hard to keep patterns error-free, but sometimes it happens.  As I was planning the sleeves for a cardigan, the stitch counts just wouldn't work out. Finally, I realized that there must be an error.  I logged into Ravelry and did a search for the pattern and found that others had experienced the same problems.  I was able to adjust before working and then having to rip back.

I'm including a picture of a planning/working page for a cardigan I've worked on.

I'd love to hear about any tracking ideas that have been useful for you.

More on Keeping Track

In my last post, I talked about the importance of keeping track of your work in progress.  Do I always keep track?  No, of course not?!

I keep track when:

• multiple pieces (such as a garment) are involved and all pieces will need to fit together
• there is a row repeat that is longer than 2-3 rows
• I make socks (Sock #1 and Sock #2 should be the same length from cuff to heel and from heel to toe)
• I am following a graph with colorwork, or intricate stitch patterns

How do I keep track?  Hmm, let me count the ways . . .

1. The simplist way to keep track is to make tally or hash marks on a slip of paper.  I have used small pads of paper that I can tuck into my project bag or that can sit neatly and indiscreetly on the table near my workplace.
2. Another simple way to keep track is to purchase a counter.  I bought a package of 2 for a small amount at my local hobby store.  They are designed to fit onto knitting needles, but I put a small bit of yarn through the middle and hung it on my sock with an interlocking stitch marker.  At the end of each row or round, I turn the dial to add a row.  This also works well when knitting 2 socks at once; a recent project had a 10-row pattern repeat and I used the counter to keep track of which pattern row I'd just completed.  Because I was working on 2 socks at once, I wasn't concerned about the total number of rows I'd worked from cuff to heel or heel to toe.
3. I love working with color and textured stitches, and I usually work those kinds of project from a graph (such as the Mosaic Diamonds Rug), so I keep a copy of the graph close by and check off each row as I complete it.
4. I also make good use of my iPad and use the KnitMinder and Tally apps (also available for iPhone or iTouch). Both apps contain multiple counters which can be advanced (or ripped out) with a touch of my finger. 

I find that garments are more complex and thus require more complex methods of keeping track.  I'll focus on my methods of planning and keeping track next.

In the meantime, I'd love to hear about any ways that you have of keeping track of your WIP.

Keeping Track

You've selected a pattern and yarn for your next project . . . now what?  Keeping track of your work as you go is a useful habit to develop.  But, there's no denying that many of us are "seat-of-the-pants" creators, and planning and writing down "stuff" hampers our creativity and takes the joy out of the process of crochet or knitting.  I love to get my hook or needles and get that luscious yarn wrapped around my fingers and flowing through my hands. The feeling is right up there with a chocolate high.

For years, I sailed along with a small notebook or pad of paper by my side, making tally-marks after completing a row or checking off a row on a graph. I survived by looking at my work to determine where I left off in my last session or by counting rows completed.  My projects were primarily home decor or purses; items which required little shaping and were not expected to fit a body or fit to another piece. 

Eventually, I began to take on more complex projects, such as the Mosaic Diamonds Rug, the Adirondack Socks and the Honeycomb Socks.  For these types of projects, my notes were useful for making sure that I worked the same number of rounds on the cuff or foot on sock 2 that I did on sock 1. I made the Day to Evening Shrug in the May 2009 issue of Crochet! magazine, and my notes became more involved because I tracked the number of stitches that I should have after each increase or decrease row, as well as tracking the number of rows on the fronts and back. This project was worked with a 4-row repeating pattern, so I also needed to know which row I'd worked last.

 Basically, I used my notes to keep track of where I'd been so I could go to the same place on another piece.

And I was happy.  I was well-adjusted.  I was successful.

And then I began to knit more often.  Knitting did not come as easy to me as crochet.  I felt all fumbles with TWO needles and all those live stitches (but that is a post for another day).

The projects that I knitted were garments, so each piece had to fit together with more pieces.  In addition, I was not as quick to decipher the knitting language of patterns. Counting the number of rows worked was and is still harder for me with knitting than crochet.  Confusion and frustration were in abundance.

Quite by accident, I discovered the value of what I call Planning Your Project. I had decided to make a top for a second time and my notes were all ajumble. I sat down with a spiral notebook and began to put the pattern instructions into bullet form for each section of the garment.  Essentially, I built a road-map for where I needed to go.  The cool thing is that this road-map also served as my tool to keep track of where I'd been.

I see you nodding your head in agreement, but I can tell by the look in your eyes that you don't see the value in this Planning thing. 

Planning removed much of the confusion and frustration for me because I made myself really read the pattern or pattern section before I started stitching.  Like an athelete, I could visualize each section before I started it.  If there was a part I didn't get, I knew up front.  This saved me time because I could work out the kinks before I started stitching or stitch along merrily until I got to point X when I knew I needed some help. It also saved me time in ripping out work that was incorrect.  My stitching time was pleasurable again because I could really just stitch and not worry.

Planning also saved me lots of headaches on a cardigan I did this year.  I had knit the back and fronts and was ready to work on the sleeves.  As I plotted out my rows and decreases, I noted that the stitch counts were not matching those printed in the pattern.  Finally, it dawned on me that there might be an error in the written instructions, so I signed into Ravelry and found that others had had the same problem.

On another day, I'll talk about when I track and how I track. 

Thanks for reading!