My System

This Saturday is Flash Your Stash Day, and last week I solicited advice re: What Is Stash?

The reason I cared was not because I necessarily am that organized, but because I carry around a PDA everywhere I go, and I store a lot of worthless info in it, which I peruse during times of boredom. This worthless info includes Projects I'd Like to Make (in a detailed Excel spreadsheet, of course), Works In Progress (with subheadings To Be Frogged and On Hold - which don't really count in the total WIP count), Works In Waiting, and Works I Desire. These lists all facilitate daydreaming about knitting when the actual act is impractical or impossible. So basically, the more stuff I can enter into my PDA, the better I am able to "manage" my knitting activities no matter where I am. For example, having nearly finished the Ribby Cardi, I can look at my WIW list to see what I can make next, instead of getting the box out from under the bed and trying to remember what everything is meant to be. I can also see if that list (or any of the others, for that matter) is getting a bit long, and nothing is inadvertently forgotten.

I wanted to add a list for stash, since I am forgetful about it, but I wasn't sure if I should re-classify the WIW, and what to do with the sock yarn.

I'm sure you'll all be fascinated to know that I am going to keep the WIW status. I think the possibility of mind-change is valid, but since I'm evaluating this list on a regular basis (i.e. frequently bored), I'm confident that no yarn will be lost in a WIW purgatory. If I decide I no longer want what it was intended for, I will move it to Stash. And I plan to have a separate list for sock yarn. While I do intend to make it all into socks one day, it will be nice to refer to when a new pattern comes along and I wonder if I have anything appropriate. Both the Stash and Sock Yarn lists will be in Excel.

I'm not the first to observe how ironic it is that technology is so vital to my ancient hobby.