Knitting/Crochet/Sewing Journal

Dear users,
Bookstores carry books that are specifically designed as journals for crafts. Have you ever tried using one, or do you prefer to keep your journal online here at Crazypatterns?

Well, Josefa, there are some very organized people who always write everything down so they can look it up later. That’s certainly practical, but it’s not for everyone. There are also gardening journals you can keep. Then you can say exactly that you planted these seeds on Day X last year or that the fruit on the apple tree was ripe on Day Y. But that’s all a lot of work.

Personally, I don’t need that because I usually take photos of everything I knit or crochet—including the yarns, color numbers, needle sizes, and gauge. Those are permanently saved on my computer, and since the files automatically record the date, I can also tell when that was. So I’m more of a modern person who keeps all the necessary information stored digitally. That’s why I don’t need a paper journal for my crafts.

Best regards, Ina

Not exactly a journal, but I do print out the patterns. I make notes on them when I’ve made changes, and I usually take photos of the finished pieces and attach the pictures to the patterns—then I put everything in a thick binder so I can actually recreate everything exactly the same way.
I also still print out regular photos and stick them in photo albums. First of all, I think it’s really nice as a keepsake—I stick in things like admission tickets, pressed flowers, or things like that. And secondly, I’ve heard more than once from friends that after a total system crash, all their photos disappeared from their computer.
Nah, I’m old-fashioned, and paper is so wonderfully patient.... :-))

A journal about crafts—that would be an idea, but unfortunately I don’t have time for it.
That’s because I usually have to steal time away from my other activities to do crafts.
I might give it a try this winter. In the summer, my animals and garden come first.
But I did once embroider a large picture of Germany—about 15 years ago, when I was living alone—and I wrote down every hour I spent on it. I posted updates about it repeatedly on a forum. That’s how I got the support I needed to finish the project.
It took exactly 144 hours of embroidery.

Wow, what a great photo. 144 hours was a lot of evenings....

Since 2020, I’ve been keeping a spreadsheet of what I’ve finished and how much yarn I used for it. I also note down what yarn I’ve bought. 

I also document everything online with a photo and detailed material information. It includes which knitting needles I used, and I often link this to my blog when I’ve written a blog post. 

I have a bit of a thing with journals—no matter what kind: I start them (if at all) with enthusiasm and then eventually let them gather dust in the corner.

Since none of us has an infinite amount of time, we always have to weigh our options and decide how to use it. And over time, we let go of the things we deem non-essential—no matter how strong our initial resolve was. In the end, what remains are the things that matter most to us—the things we choose to fill our time with. For some, that’s the crafts themselves; for others, it’s gardening, flowers, animals, or keeping journals (whether on paper, online, or on a computer). Everything takes time, and we have to decide what to spend it on—what’s important to us.

Best regards, Ina

@johansi
You’ve embroidered a lovely, intricate piece. And it’s still beautiful today. It must have been worth 144 hours of your life back then; otherwise, you wouldn’t have done it.

I generally feel the same way about journals as CreatOwl does :-)

I do document my projects in some way, but I don’t really need planning or statistics. I’ve also never bought fabric and then forgotten what I was supposed to make with it or anything like that.

I use an app to save crochet patterns and count rounds/rows, and another app to share photos once I’m done and get inspired by other projects. I only kept track of my fabric stash for a little while at the beginning.

I think keeping track of time would just stress me out. I’d rather lose track of time while I’m completely absorbed in my work.
Johansi’s embroidery is totally impressive, even without considering the time it took to make it.

Hey, that embroidery of Germany is amazing. You actually finished it. Kudos.
I have something similar—an embroidery of all of Norway—that I’d been meaning to stitch to have a memento of the wonderful time I had there. Unfortunately, I don’t have the time for it right now.

In the meantime, I’m still working on a diamond painting for my mom, which I gave her as a birthday present (she can’t do it herself—it’s too fiddly). It still needs to be framed.

As I mentioned above, I print out important, beautiful patterns; I have some on my computer. I really should back them up to an external hard drive. Some of my old craft patterns are gone (my computer broke, and everything was lost).

As a former secretary, I, too, prefer the tried-and-true paper format. What you have in black and white…
I have 4–5 small A5 diaries full of handwritten patterns (crochet and beadwork) that I find online and like. I’ve also bookmarked them on my computer, but sometimes I can’t find them anymore. Then I look in my trusty notebooks, and… there they are.
I jot down patterns on scraps of paper while watching videos, then neatly copy everything in my notebooks in my best handwriting. I’ve always enjoyed writing by hand, even back in school. No problem with that. I even paste in little drawings, crochet charts, or crochet swatches.
That way, I can quickly grab a little notebook to take on vacation instead of my whole computer.