this post was submitted on 27 Mar 2024
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Knitting

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Anyone else make spreadsheets for their projects? (i.imgur.com)
submitted 3 months ago by [email protected] to c/knitting
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Started a shawl in late January, and it needs to be finished by July. Which, for most people I'm sure that's nothing but I am a very slow knitter, really!

The pattern is lacy and complicated and mistakes will be really visible, so it's no good to work on while watching TV or doing anything else and I'd just not been putting time aside to properly concentrate on it.

The solution: A spreadsheet to keep track of how far behind I am, and a graph so I can watch myself (hopefully) catch up.

There are very few problems in life that can't at least be a bit improved with a spreadsheet, and I reckon that applies to knitting just the same πŸ€“

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[–] lath 3 points 3 months ago (1 children)

No, because I'm not a masochist. I consider hobbies to be a method of relieving pressure. Adding spreadsheets and statistics instead seems to add to the pressure of meeting targets and promoting growth. Gotta get those numbers up!

If spreadsheets relax you, then knitting likely isn't the actual hobby that gives you joy.

This is just an opinion. If I'm wrong, then that's great and I'm happy it's working out for you. Keep at it.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 3 months ago

Hah, don't worry I don't do this for everything! But I need this one finished by a certain date, and having the hard numbers is very motivational :D

[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Actually no. And it kind of would fly in the face of what I get out of the activity.

I don’t knit or crochet to any target, I just like the experience of the activity. It’s soothing. I have a few different projects on the go that give me different kinds of experiences.

When used to sew clothes for myself, I would parcel out the expected hours for the specific type of project if I needed to have something done for a particular event, but not with knitting, crochet or needlepoint.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 months ago

Most of the time I'm with you, luckily I've got plenty other projects on the go without a time constraint!

[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 months ago (1 children)

If I had a firm deadline I’d definitely track it either in a spreadsheet or a goals app. I have a socks spreadsheet where I’ll put in my gauge and it’ll give me the stitch counts for me and my family at 10% and 15% ease.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 months ago

Yes! Knowing your way round a spreaddie is so useful for working out stitch counts and especially if you're designing something from scratch.

I have a terrible habit of knitting things at an entirely different gauge to the pattern and needing to change up stitch counts accordingly so it's definitely a handy skill to fall back on πŸ˜…

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago (1 children)

@thegiddystitcher I have a Notion board!

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 months ago

ME TOO! 😎

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 months ago

I am also a slow knitter!

There are very few problems in life that can't at least be a bit improved with a spreadsheet

I agree and that sentence makes me happy.

Although, when I first clicked I did not think this was going to be a progress tracker. Figured it would be maybe a personal project log, tracking start and end date, how much fun you had doing it, personal notes, etc. Or using the cells to make a knitting chart (the visual patterns).

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 months ago (1 children)

@thegiddystitcher

I've been known to do that ... Every once in a while. To keep track of stitch count and yarn used at each step.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 months ago

Yes, you understand! Sometimes I just need to see the numbers πŸ˜