Getting Organized with Labels

As a spinner, crocheter, knitter, designer, etc I like to keep track of my projects so I can remember things to pick them up again later or repeat a project. 

Tracking notes for my many projects can be a challenge. I’m still working on that system. I keep notes about projects in a written journal, on Ravelry, in my notes app, and Word documents.

Another component of many projects includes keeping track of samples of yarn I’ve spun or crochet designs I’m working on.

Recently I went through some of my samples and threw out some information I didn’t think was helpful any longer.

I found these dye sample cards that are helpful. In the future, I’d like to have more detailed notes on how much yarn went into the dye bath, how much dyestuff, and how long they were in the dye bath.

The hardest part of labeling samples is having all the necessary tools and accessories to make it work. So I finally put together this basket to keep all things together in one place.

Here’s what it holds from the back to the front:

The upper left section holds scissors, an X-acto blade, hole punches, permanent markers, and pens. I want to add pencils too because sometimes I prefer using a pencil.

The X-acto blade is a new addition to this setup. However, I realized it’s a must today, so it’s easy to find when I need to cut up more notecards.

Three sizes of bags I like to have on hand

I’ll use the bags to tuck some samples inside so they don’t get all tangled up in storage.

The smaller bags are stored in the upright sections to the right of the pens, scissors, etc. The larger bags are folded and placed in the long slot.

The green bin on the right holds a variety of yarn, Tyvek labels, and washi tape.

Tyvek Labels

A variety of scrap yarn to tie labels to the samples.

I like having a variety of colors because sometimes I tie different colors around yarn or crochet samples so I don’t get the samples confused while finishing or blocking them. I note the yarn color I used on the label, or I note it in the project journal.

I don’t use the Tyvek labels as much as I used to. The nice thing about them is you can keep all your information on a sample even when you wash it. I’m keeping them handy, just in case.

How cute is this washi tape! I use it to tape down anything onto a sample card as needed.

The blue bin on the left holds precut cards to write down my notes for spinning and crochet projects.

The upper left are blank note cards, the upper right are spinning card notes, the lower left are pre-cut control cards, and the lower right are notecards for future crochet samples.

Most of my note cards are card stock. I like cutting my spinning control cards out of something sturdier. I used 100lb Bristol Paper for these.

You will see that the dye sample cards are missing. I’m not doing much dyeing these days. If I do start again, I’ll add them to the bin.

Sometimes I use the premade cards, and sometimes I don’t. I’m still working on the best note-taking system I can do consistently. So I like having both.

I printed the crochet sample information on regular paper, and if I keep using them, I’ll print them on card stock in the future.

This was an older simple system used in the past. However, I wish these had mentioned the project they intended for or if they were sampling for sampling's sake. I do know they are for a crocheted scarf project. I’ll add that information later today!

Blank note cards help track crochet design samples. This notecard and the samples are tucked into a plastic bag and stored in a crocheted sample bin.

What tools do you like to have handy for keeping notes on projects? Let me know in the comments.