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.
WEEK TWO CHALLENGE
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.
- 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!
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
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