This week we are going to focus on or Works in progress (WIP's) and Unfinished Objects (UFO's). This may be harder for some than it will be for others. Some people like focusing on one project at a time while others have several projects going at any given time. 

Take some time and go through all of our WIP's & UFO's, figure out what you want to finish,  frog or even trade. Take out all of these projects and really think if or when you plan on finishing each one. 

• If you decide that you like the yarn but aren't happy with the way it is turning out in this particular project, give yourself permission to let it go and frog it so you can use that beautiful yarn on something you will love. 
  
• If you like how the item is turning out but are stuck on a part in the pattern, make a plan to figure it out. You are welcome to come ask a team member at Chix or visit our weekly knit groups (the talented ladies are always happy to help). You can also search You-Tube or Ravelry for tutorials & advice. 
  
• Say there is a project that you started for your darling little niece when she was 3, she is now in middle school and you don't know what else you would do with the pastel pink yarn. Consider trading the WIP with one of your fellow knitters/crocheters for a project they have lost interest in. 
  
• Do you have a bunch of squares that you dread stitching together? Make a plan to sew (x) amount per week or month and give yourself a deadline or see if you have a friend that loves stitching them together and ask if there is something you could do for them in trade. 
  
• If you are happy with all of your projects and want to complete them all, than lets get them organized, put in a place where you know they will be ready and waiting for you.  
  

Now that you have figured out which projects you want to keep, which you want to frog and what you might want to trade there are a few things to help get the keepers organized.

1. Free up your needles/hooks. Transfer live stitches to stitch holders or lifelines for knitting. You can place the live stitch of your crochet project on a locking stitch marker, paperclip, safety pin or a piece of waste yarn. Now you will be able to put your needles, cables & hooks with the rest of your tools (we'll organize those later) and they will be free to start even more projects! 
2. Take excellent notes about any project when you begin and as you work your pattern. Mark where you've ended when you put your project down. You will save yourself time and headaches by doing so, you will know when you put that project away that in 6 months, or even a year down the road you can pick up right were you left off. Use these WIP Notes to help you; all you need to do is print them out (front side notes, back side care instructions), cut them, punch a hole at the top, fill it out and attach it to your project when you are ready to store it. If you are a digital kind of person, you can keep all of your notes in Ravelry's Projects section, here is a great tutorial on how to use it. Take a minute and fill out the notes for the projects you've decided to keep or trade.
3. Keep swatches with your project. You can take the swatch with to the yarn store if you need more yarn. It would also be handy to have just in case you needed a little extra yarn for that last row.  
4. Find your WIP storage solution. You can store them in anything that works for you, but try to keep your projects separate from each other. Some examples are: hanging closet organizers, shoe boxes, plastic drawer system, an upright tower, milk crates, tote bags hanging on the wall or in a closet, you could even recycle those little clear boxes that salad mixes come in. Below you will see some examples of great project storage ideas.  Click on the images for the full stories on all of these organization ideas. Pinterest is another place to find good storage solutions!
   

Please let us know you are participating in our challenge by posting a comment below. Share with us how you plan to store your WIP's &UFO's and let us know any helpful tips you may have. 

Do you get overwhelmed when you sit down and start to organize your yarn stash? It is hard to know where to start so we are going to have a fun Stash Organization Challenge! We will help you get your space in tip top shape one week at a time.  We will host a yarn swap at the shop and at the end of this challenge there will be a prize for the most organized space!

To take part in this challenge you need to: 

• visit the Knit-Bit's blog weekly & perform the given tasks
• join in the discussions by posting comments
• email before & after pictures (during photos if you would like)
• take part in the before & after vote

With this cold weather we are all staying indoors to keep warm and trying to find ways to keep us from getting chilled when we have to be out in the elements. Well have you thought about Thrumming? 

What is Thrumming you ask? This is a technique traditionally used in Northern Newfoundland, it creates a fleece lining in your knitted garments. It is mostly used in mittens, headbands and hats, but can be added to just about anything. We have found a great tutorial that demonstrates just how to do this simple technique. Can you imagine how cofmy and cozy a pair of  thrummed slippers would be?!?! We offer a variety of merino fleece at the store, so come on in and we will help you find a color that will match perfectly with your projct! 

Have you ever been nearly to the end of your long tail cast on and run out of tail?!? I believe we have all run into this problem and it can be so frustrating! Here are a few great tips so that this will never happen to you again:

1. Loosely wrap the yarn around your needles 10 times. Pinch and hold where the 10th stitch ends and pull the wraps off the needle. You then multiply that length by the number of stitches needed to cast on. (I also like to add a couple of extra inches just to be safe)
2. Multiply the width of the final project by 3 then add 6 inches for the tail. This should give you the correct amount of yarn needed to cast on your project. For example: If you are working on a project that will measure 10" wide when finished multiply 10x3+6= 36 inches
3. Wynnknit.com has posted a great document that gives estimations on the length of tail needed based on yarn weight and needle size. 

New to long tail cast on? Here are a couple of great videos to help you get started:
Knit Picks: Long Tail Cast On
New Stitch A Day : Long Tail Cast On

We will soon have Plymouth's Gina Yarn in a variety of colors! This self striping yarn is 100% wool, single ply yarn that has the colorways that all knitters clamber about. Let the colors do the work while you enjoy seeing your yarn create a masterpiece of art.

Contents:  100% Wool / Hand Wash, Dry Flat
Yardage: 109 yards
Weight: Worsted

Click here to view other beautiful patterns using this yarn.