Week 5 - Patterns

Week 5 = Cataloging Patterns
Day 1 = January 29, 2014

 

 Elephant from my Stampeding Elephant Scarf

     Last week was supposed to include patterns, but the week was filled with many books and magazines. So, I decided that this week I will do a thorough organization of the patterns I have printed and saved on my computer.



     I've spent about 4 hours today alone, organizing the patterns saved on my computer and downloading patterns from Ravelry.com. Now, I know what any non-knitter would say, "4 hours... are you crazy?" Well, no I'm not! I used to just save all knitting patterns under whatever name popped up in the name field. This was not a very good idea, because I had no way of knowing what type of item it was, much less the name on the piece. So I have spent many hours today and on Monday fixing and adding to my library.

   
  When doing this, a few questions came up about how to categorize my vast array of patterns. I decided to start with what the item was, followed by the pattern name. For example, Gloves - Musica Fingerless Gloves. Not all pattern names are like this one with the item described in the title. Using this method to categorize my patterns worked beautifully... but led to a much bigger issue:
    

How far did I want to break down the categories? 

which led to...

How do a sweater, a poncho, a pullover and a cardigan differ?

which lead to ...

How do a shawl, a wrap, a shawlette and a caplet differ?

which lead to...

How do a blanket, an afghan and a throw differ?

which led to ...

How do a hat, a beanie and a beret differ?

which led to ...

CONFUSION

 

     Being ever the student, I got out my handy dictionary that lives in a basket next to my desk. With a little page turning, actually a lot, I figured out the differences and, in some cases, the similarities to all my questions.

 

     So here's the categories that gave me problems and their definitions according to Webster's New World Dictionary, fourth edition, published in 2003. There were a few that were not in my handy dandy dictionary so I referred to www.wikipedia.com for the rest which are italicized. Capelet and Shawlette were not listed in either source so I made up my own definition for you.

• Hat = a head covering, usually with a brim and a crown
• Beanie = a cap made from cloth joined by a button at the crown and seamed together around the sides
• Beret = a flat, round cap of felt, wool, etc.

• Blanket = a large piece of cloth used for warmth, esp. as a bed cover
• Afghan = a soft blanket or shawl, crocheted or knitted
• Throw = a spread for a bed, etc.

• Sweater = a knitted or crocheted outer garment for the upper body
• Pullover = a knit garment intended to cover the torso and arms
• Poncho = a cloak like a blanket with a hole in the middle for the head
• Cardigan = a sweater or a jacket, usually knitted and collarless, that opens down the front

• Shawl = a cloth worn as a covering for the head or shoulders
• Wrap = an outer covering or garment
• Capelet = a short shoulder covering with a hole in the middle for the head
• Shawlette = a small shawl

      With my questions answered, I chose the following:

• Hat for any thing covering the head
• Blanket for anything that covers a piece of furniture or a lap
• Sweater for long-sleeved, closed front garments
• Cardigan for any open front garment long or short-sleeved
• Shawl for anything that covers the shoulders and neck area

     When you are as ambitious and have ADD as I am you build up quite a portfolio of patterns. Plus I have a tendency to go overboard for one particular reason... You'll have to wait until tomorrow to find out.

 

     I did promise you a surprise yesterday so here it is...

                        100% Cotton       Wool-Nylon Blend           100% Wool

                        194 yards                 462 yards                   252 yards

                        DK/3                          Finger/1                   Worsted/4

     Yes you've seen it here first... my Indigo dyed yarn is dry and wound into pretty balls. So now, all I need to do is find a pattern for each yarn. Oh wait... I'm going through my patterns this week. Two birds, one stone!

Question of the Day

What crossover definitions do you find confusing?

Defining Knitting,

Victoria