http://blog.yarn.com/31-days-to-get-organized-using-and-reorganizing-your-ravelry-queue/
Day 17: Using and Reorganizing Your Ravelry Queue
Today is all about your Ravelry Queue. I don’t use my queue much. When I was a ravelrynewbie I found the queue function first, so there were pages and pages of patterns there. I have since added the patterns to my Favorites, and mostly cleared out my queue.
There are currently four patterns in my queue:
1. The Men’s Basic Hat – Of which I’ve already completed one; but as I need to complete one WITH my knitting class – it will stay at #1 until we start on it).
2. Retrofit – This looks like the perfect hoodie. Except it’s not a hoodie at all. So I want to make the pattern for Hubby and add a hood.
3. Cozy Cable Hooded Cardigan – I have wanted to make myself one of these for a looooong time.
4. Serenity Illusion Scarf – I want to get into illusion knitting, so this will probably be my first attempt at it.
You can add tags and deadlines to queued projects, so it is a good way to keep yourself on task if you like to set goals for yourself. I don’t use this feature. I have started to set goals, like this year’s principle goal is to complete 12 projects. That works out to one a month, which I think is completely doable. I never set WHAT projects to work on, as I like to keep myself open to the possibilities. Personally- I think if the Queue is supposed to be the most important function- it would be first in your notebook, and your projects would be second.
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http://blog.yarn.com/31-days-to-get-organized-digital-patterns/
Day 18: Digital Patterns
I am forever losing paper copies of patterns (but only the patterns I am using at that time). Never patterns I just buy at an LYS (local yarn shop) on a whim. Because of this- I love digital patterns. I keep a copy of EVERYTHING on my portable hard drive, all neatly divided up into categories. Then I keep a copy of the pattern I am currently using on my smartphone, on my Kindle, and on my desktop at work.
If I buy the pattern somewhere else (not ravely) – I try to add the pattern to my favorites, then make a note in the tags that I own it and where that pattern is located (portable hard drive or pattern binder). If that pattern is in my pattern binder, and I want to use it- I will make a copy of it, and put it BACK in my pattern binder. (Because again- I have a talent for losing physical patterns.) What I NEED to start doing, is scan the pattern I’m using and make a pdf of it, so I don’t have to panic when I lose it later.
Good idea, me!
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http://blog.yarn.com/31-days-to-get-organized-keeping-track-of-your-pattern-library/
Day 19: Keeping Track of Your Pattern Library
This post is about what to do when you have patterns that aren’t in Ravely. Again- I have my pattern binder. However- it’s not like I go flip through the binder, when I want to start a new project. I’m more likely to ‘flip through’ my Ravelry Library or Favorites. So what I need to do is sit down with my pattern binder and go through looking for those patterns in Ravelry. If they are there- I’ll add them to my Favorites, and tag them so that I know they are in my binder. If they aren’t in Ravelry’s database AT ALL… then I might have to start some projects, just to add them. Let’s hope it won’t come to that.
That is my project for today. Get as many binder patterns marked in Ravelry as possible, then come up with a game plan for the ones that aren’t.
Duck And Cover 
I just started doing this too! Ravelry is such a good organiztion tool, I’m going to fully make use of their favorites features to sort everything out and purge as I go. I’m not sure how to use the Library – I think that’s where all the free patterns that I’m interested in, and the stuff I purchase on Ravelry will go. But like you I am trying to eliminate any other patterns outside of said organization system, which ought to set some limits on how many I have on there.
It’s kind of weird since I need/want different shawl patterns for a charity I’m knitting for and then there is the whole sock technique exploration thing I’m doing for Sock It To Me Thursdays, so that makes things a bit complicated, but you’ve inspired me to keep at it (it just makes more sense when some one else says it) and hopefully, I can get everything to a manageable level.
Thanks for posting about all your organization, it’s helping me not to fall into bad habits.
The Ravelry Library is where you not only keep track of all your digital patterns, but also your physical books and magazines. Say you just bought Interweave Knits Summer 2015. Click Add Item and put the title in there. If the magazine’s cover is already in Ravelry’s database, it will show it to you. If that is the correct cover, click to add it to your library. Once the magazine is in your library, you can kind of surf through the patterns in that magazine without physically opening it.
Of course you will have to open it to read the actual pattern, but just seeing the pictures from a magazine you already own? It makes you want to work up a project from that pattern. Or at least it makes ME want to do so. You’re just making your entire collection of magazines, books, and physical patterns MORE searchable, so you’re more likely to use what you already have.
Okay, I’m really, really embarrassed, but I’ve never looked at a physical source for a pattern – well that’s partially because I just worked up the nerve to work with patterns in general. I felt really intimidated by fit, abbreviations/not knowing how to do stuff, so I just stuck with free on line stuff but perhaps it’s time for a trip to the library – no. Must. Resist. More. Patterns. I just got to under 200, I need less not more 🙂
lol Don’t be embarrassed. You’re fine. See- I’ve been knitting since 2003, and the only way you could get a pattern back then was in a book or magazine, or go to your yarn shop and buy a physical copy. So I still have a lot of those. That, and there are great books that just deal with stitch patterns or edgings, and you figure out how to work it into your project yourself. It gives you the freedom to design your own stuff.
That’s so much better! I’d been thinking about getting a book of stitches and basic how-to stuff for knitting, so maybe once I have a couple of patterns under my belt, I can start making my own…
Hi, I’ve nominated you for a Sunshine Award. No pressure to get to it immediately, I know you’ve got a lot going on, but the details are here:https://projectaccomplished.wordpress.com/2015/08/21/sunshine-award/
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