| Managing Favorite Stitch Patterns
 -: Happy Summer! :-
Years ago I hoped to try every stitch pattern. Then I learned it would be impossible! Not only is there an infinite number of them, new ones are invented all the time.
I'm in the midst of optimizing my crochet archives for storage space, safety from hurricanes, and digital indexing. Here's how I manage a massive amount of stitch patterns and years of swatching details.
If I've swatched it, it gets its own page in a big binder. I'm so glad I went to this system. You can see all the room I need for a stitch pattern. Here's an overflowing page that dates from 2006 when I designed the Satin Ribbons Ponchini for Caron/Crochet! Magazine.
The first things I write on the page (when I remember to!) are the hook size, yarn used, and date. Also important are what my swatches look like, how I changed the pattern, and where I've seen it, if I didn't invent it myself (more on this below). You can see here that I also added a variation I found at a Russian site for inspiration, and my steeking experiments.
Organizing images of swatches is much easier than actual swatches. My smartphone's camera puts a quick photo of it into my computer so that nowadays I can print out a binder page with the swatch image already on it. I did that with the "Little Pyramids" binder page in the right column. The actual swatch gets stored in a stack of other swatches.
Making mini photocopies of stitch patterns has really worked well. Long ago I photocopied my stitch dictionaries at 50% reduction to make them portable. (I used a different paper color and thickness for each book to help me remember the source.) Later, I cut out each stitch pattern. If I swatch it it gets taped to the binder page.
Other benefits of having the mini photocopies are that I can regroup them and find variations on a theme. I've also seen how diagrams of the same stitch pattern can be drawn differently among books.
 
Here's an example of a stitch pattern I found in two different books. After swatching some rows of it I wondered what it would be like to put a hole in the middle of each "egg". (See the upper rows of the peach-colored swatch?)
Sometimes trying different things with a stitch pattern is such a pleasure that I can't stop, and the swatch grows into a full-size design. That's what happened with what I call a "tri-puffs net" pattern. 
It's from a book that shows the patterns only in wool, so swatching it in Lotus was a surprise. 
Then I wondered about starting it in one corner with beads! Now I have two new designs at the finishing stage (see right column).
That's it for #85! If you know someone who would enjoy this kind of newsletter, please forward this to them so that they can subscribe. (Click here to subscribe: ) If you have any comments or suggestions, please email me. Thanks! --Vashti Helpful links:
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