Or whatever you want
to find more time to do.
This series is about discovering time you already
have that maybe you just aren't using as wisely as you could. I decided to do this series because I've
learned some things that work for me, some things I'd like to improve upon, and
some things I still need to learn!
Whether you want more knitting time, or time to spin,
crochet, paint, or read. There are sure
to be some tips and techniques you can use for better time management.
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| Laceweight Yarn in a basket |
Resources: assets
to help you complete what it is you want to create.
Clutter: a confused or disorded state; when the
assets become so numerous and disorganized they are a burden instead of being
useful.
Keeping your tools
(assets) organized makes them immediately usable and available.
Take some time to
set up a system that is:
1. Maintainable : Somewhere
between "stuff it" and "tagged and sorted 14
different ways".
- Simple : The simpler and more intuitive your system, the easier it is to maintain over time.
- Flexible : Yep, cause let's face it. What are the chances you won't be buying more yarn?
- Personalized : Work to your own strengths. If you love having your yarn out where you can see it, use beautiful baskets or open containers. If you want a clean, streamlined look, use a closet, drawers or opaque containers. The choice is yours, and it should make you happy.
Limits
Pick a container or
containers to hold your yarn and/or fiber.
This can be a bag, a basket or baskets, box or boxes, a closet or an
entire room. The choice of container is
up to you and your idea of how big your "stash" should be.
If you are trying to grow your stash, then plan accordingly. If you have more yarn than you need already, give yourself a finite amount of space, get rid of some yarn and use the limit of your space to help you control your stash (instead of it controlling you).
If you are trying to grow your stash, then plan accordingly. If you have more yarn than you need already, give yourself a finite amount of space, get rid of some yarn and use the limit of your space to help you control your stash (instead of it controlling you).
If the idea of
having more yarn than will fit in your grandmother's antique dresser freaks you
out, then that's your "stash limit."
If you can foresee an entire wall of yarn, you have a bigger "stash
limit." Be true to yourself and
your own limits.
Having said that, I
know it can be helpful to see what others actually do. My system may not be the perfect fit for you,
but it might give you some ideas and it works well for me. It's pretty simple and straight forward:
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| The shelves in my craft room hold yarn, books & magazines, & accessories |
Contain it in one place
I have 90% of my
yarn in baskets that sit on my shelves.
It's simple, it's easy and it works for me. The other 10% is in a bin under my craft room
worktable. I'm not a "tiny
stash" sort of girl, but as I get older, I prefer my stash to be smaller
rather than larger. Whatever you do,
try to keep your yarn in one place. My place is my own craft room (a room of my own is a big luxury, I know that).
Sort it
 |
| Yarn bin under my craft room worktable. The other bins under here hold sewing supplies, fabric and quilting magazines. |
Choose your favorite
way to sort: color, fiber, weight,
company or itch factor...whatever works for you.
I sort my yarn
mostly by weight: sock yarn in one
basket, laceweight in another, dk & worsted in a couple more. My exception to this rule is my handspun. All my handspun yarn is in one spot. All of these baskets are in my craft
room.
My one exception is a bowl of about 3 or 4 beautiful skeins that sits on a cabinet in our living room.
My one exception is a bowl of about 3 or 4 beautiful skeins that sits on a cabinet in our living room.
My spinning fiber is
in one place, my grandmother's cedar chest.
Needles -
I have 2 sets of
Knit Picks options interchangeable needles, which are kept in the binder that
came with the first set (very compact).
I have one mason jar with straights (which I rarely use), and another
basket (!) holds my dpns (which I use a lot).
 |
| Basket full of DPNs. Simple, easy to maintain and use. |
Patterns/Books/Magazines
-
My loose patterns
are mostly stored on my computer and/or Ravelry library, where they are printed
as needed. I do have one binder of
printed patterns (a lot of which I've already knitted) sorted by category: socks, shawls, hats, mittens, etc. It's hard for me to
conceive of keeping binders and binders full of printed patterns in this day
and age, when you can keep an online library, or at least folders on your
computer.
Books and Magazines
are all on one shelving unit in my craft room.
It's very easy for these to get away from you in short order. There are always new books that are
"must haves" and regular magazine subscriptions showing up in the
mail. Decide right now to have a zero
increase system. If a new book or
magazine comes in, an old one goes out.
Yes, really. I know it's hard,
but decide to do it. If it seems
impossible, consider buying CDs of back issues or scanning older issues onto
your computer.
 |
| Knitting books (top shelf) Fingering weight yarn, Knit Picks Options needles, handspun & dpns (2nd shelf) |
I have a couple of pouches that hold my small knitting accoutrements. They both have several kinds of stitch markers, a needle gauge & ruler, a tape measure, small scissors, a pencil, a highlighter, a small notepad, tapestry needles, and a kitchener cheat sheet. One stays by the chair where I do most of my knitting, and one is ready to go into my knitting bag or my purse (or wherever).
Other small items
(cable needles, duplicates of stitch markers, scissors, needle gauges, etc.) go
into a...you guessed it, basket!
I keep my blocking
squares and blocking wires in the closet in my craft room. My ball winder and swift stay out on my
worktable.
Your reward
Imagine how it would
feel to know that your yarn has a place, it's
in its place, and you know exactly where that spot is. You can put your hands on any skein of yarn
in your home within 30 seconds. Your
needles are all categorized and in their place.
Ditto for accessories, patterns, books, etc.
Getting your
knitting "stuff" organized frees up not only your physical space, but
it releases your mind. You don't have to
spend 1/2 an hour searching for that skein of gold silk laceweight that you
just found the perfect pattern for, because you know right where it is. You don't end up frustrated, mad at yourself
and out of the mood to knit. You're just
...ready to knit. Which is the whole
point, right?
Keep it up
- Use the "10 minutes a day" rule to keep everything where it should be. Don't let things sit and gather.
- Clear off your desk / workspace / table every night. This gives you a fresh start every morning.
- Don't be afraid to let go of things you no longer need or want. Get it out of your life and off your mind.
Now, go conquer the whole house!
You can use these
concepts for other areas of your home:
the kitchen, bathrooms, garage, and closets.
- Bundle "like" things
- Use containers appropriate for the job: open & accessible, or streamlined & clean
- Don't keep what you don't use...seriously, DON'T
- Have duplicates of regularly used items
- If something new comes in, something old goes out
Take 10, 20, 30
minutes to tackle one area at a time.
What are your
favorite organizing tips? Do you have a
system that works great for you? Share
your ideas.
There is a lot of information here, so I'll break this point up into 2 posts, this one for clutter control and next week will cover projects.
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