How do you schedule your crochet time (or do you)?

[StitchLuva]

While reading another post, I realized that some of you actually schedule your crochet and projects. I mostly just fit it in whenever I have some free time or at night when everyone else is sleeping. But it makes a lot of sense to me that I could probably accomplish a lot more if I actually had some sort of time schedule and a project plan. I got in over my head this Christmas and I am now about to start working on the birthdays and would like to feel like I have some control. Also, I have been getting a lot of requests from people that I have given gifts to and they want to buy stuff from me. So I really should get my s... together!

 

I am just curious as to how you all handle your crochet time and projects. Some of you seem to accomplish quite a lot of beautiful projects, in addition to the kids, house, jobs, etc. Maybe I can learn something.

[kad2mgd]

I do mine like you, whenever I have a spare minute, I crochet!! It's an interesting idea, though.....

[Kiki]

I try to do it during nap time and after dinner, mostly after 8pm, when the baby goes to bed! Otherwise, it is a stitch here and a stitch there!

[grrlsmom]

I had never thought of myself scheduling time, but I guess I do. I generally use crochet as a 'reward' for myself, so I will hurry and get other things I need done finished up, then sit and crochet.

I also try to plan 'big' projects for when I know we are going to be driving a lot - nothing beats being in the car and crocheting! I have tried to plan getting small/medium projects done when dd3 was hospitalized, but have never had any success in working on them - I prefer to walk or sit-and-stare, I guess!

I really, sincerely wish I was the type of person who could actually schedule time for things and stick to it. Alas, I am not, but serendipity is a wonderful thing!

[threeolivemartini]

here are some tips for you ..

 

 

i do this for a living..soo.. yarn .. knit and crochet are my life.. but i do have a household to run.. i don t have kids but i do have 5 animals and they tend to demand time .. i wont say as much as kids cause they dont but they still take some time out of your day .. so anyway here are some things i do

 

i rotate projects.. i am not a sit and do one thing til its finished type of girl.. i plan a large .. a medium and a small project.. i work two hours at a time on the large.. move to the medium .. then to the small .. two hours each .. and what happens is this .. by the time i have the large project finished on this schedule.. i have 3 to 4 mediums done and sometimes as many as a dozen smalls completed.. you dont get bored and you feel uber productive...

 

i make a list.. to get my holiday things done this is a MUST.. since i have things to do for business as well .. i make my list january 1st.. i plan my projects and add them into my business project rotation .. i do about 2 a month this way and usually am finished with Holiday things by October.. also i plan for birthdays and things of that sort accordingly so i have the item complete usually a month in advance.. i also throw in a few misc projects .. say dish cloths and small household items for that "just in case" moment of a house warming or bridal shower or whatever..

 

so here is how my day goes.. i get up .. take my shower .. take care of the animals and whatever chores need done around the house.. then .. i sit and consult my list and schedule and take off for the day .. to be honest.. i get more things done late at night when the animals have bedded down .. the phone has stopped ringing and that sort of thing..

 

i know not every one can do this ..i know there are jobs invovled as well as kids .. on that note .. keep a project in the car for those times that you have to wait unexpectedly.. sometimes you can get a full half hour work time in when you didnt think you had the time.. i always have a small project at hand.. if its nothing more than a snowflake or charity square.. that way i can do something and carry a small bag or have it in my purse .. i hate having idle hands..

 

THEN i schedule my week .. i set one day aside for charity.. one for dyeing .. one for market then i do the schedule of my other projects the other 4 days. ( i also take things to work on at market.. that is an 8 hour day so i get small things done) also dyeing doesnt take a full day so i usually have a half day "bonus" or "free" time if you will to do what i like ..

 

i know it sounds like alot but its really not.. if you take the 15 minutes or so to plan .. then the rest of your time works out better.. being prepared is the best way to get in as much as you can .. i use a calendar program for my computer so i get a week on a page with plenty of room to write .. if you need more room just take a note book and make a page a day .. when i take commissioned orders .. i am ALWAYS realistic about my time..i always give myself a full day of fudge factore.. if some one asks if i can get it done sooner i say no.. i would rather lose a sale than to stress myself over an unrealistic time goal and upset the rest of my schedule

 

I feel i have written a novel .. maybe i have helped ..

[donnalynn2]

I kind of do... For example, when working on an especially daunting project I'll break it down...

 

Let's say I'm making a sweater, I'll look at the instructions and see how many "rows" there are in the total project. Then I'll think, ok I need this done in a month... So I'll divide the number of rows by 30 and that's how many rows I need to finish in a day to finish on time... This is as close to "scheduling" as I get...

 

Since I am fortunate enough to work alone in a small office with not much foot traffic, I can crochet most of the day off and on throughout the day. I almost always crochet for at least 30 min to an hour after dinner and any other time I can sneak it in...

[pb&j]

Clearly, I need to do what Elizabeth is doing but...I don't really schedule time but like a creature of habit I usually have certain times of the day free from other tasks and responsibilities that I can sit down and crochet.

 

That said, I most always crochet in the evenings during my hour (or three) on the couch and usually in the afternoons when the kids are home from school and doing homework.

[mudpie]

Wow, Elizabeth, you certainly sound well organized. I do one of the things you mentioned. I rotate projects, or as we less organized people say, “I gotta lotta stuff going on!â€, LOL. I tend to get bored with large projects (I must say, as I get older my attention span is getting longer, though), so I usually have 4 or 5 in the works. Usually 1 or 2 large projects, with everything in a huge canvas bag, so I can take it with me on car trips, etc. I usually have something dinky, like a doily or scarf going that I can carry in a ziplock baggie in my purse for those times when I can’t afford to carry the bulk (standing on line at the P.O., etc.), and a couple in between. I agree with Elizabeth – it makes you feel really productive to get something small or medium sized done while you’re working on that large project.

 

 

I work full time. No kids, but my grandson is at my house a lot (to my delight). I actually get out of bed an hour earlier than I need to so that I can have some “me†time before the household wakes up. Until very recently my husband and I commuted together most of the way to work and I really miss that knit/crochet time. But you’d be surprised how much you can get done even during the ride to a grocery store, or on the way to church. And I’m really too stupid to get to bed at a decent hour, because I just want to sit and stitch until I can’t hold my eyes open any longer.

 

 

I love to give and even when I don’t have a specific person in mind as a recipient, I like to make some things that I can put aside for gifts, such as baby blankets and layettes, scarves, etc. I have a barrel that I keep them in, so that when I know I’m going to need something and I might not have the time to complete it, I usually have something done up ahead (makes people think I knit/crochet really fast!).

[Katie45694]

Whenever the opportunity presents itself is when I crochet. LOL! Usually I can manage an hour or so (sometimes more!) of an evening once all the "daily chores" are finished. Like Elizabeth, I rotate my projects around, working on several at once. I ALWAYS keep a small "to go" project, motifs, or mile-a-minute, and carry that to class with me, on car trips, visiting family, etc.

 

 

Katie:cat

[Kiki]

Great tips, Elizabeth. I tend to plan everything in my life, EXCEPT my crocheting, and then I end up feeling left out of life. So I think I will plan for myself as well! Thanks!

[Ennovy88]

I try to crochet anytime I have free time...and since I have a crochet marathon of orders...I even crochet during my lunch break at work. Most of the time I will squeeze in an 1/2 hour before getting ready for work....40 minutes while on my way to work....1 hour during my lunch break and 2-1/2 hours after dinner..whew:eek

[croschet03]

The only planned schedule I have is doing most of my crocheting after the kiddies go to bed (9pm). I usually only have one project at a time going. (I get a little torn between which one to work on.) I might hurt the projects feelings. HA

[susandoty48]

Whenever I sit for some reason I always pick up my hook, I just can't sit empty handed, got to be crocheting on something. Even when I'm sitting here at the computer I sometimes crochet...

[kittin1982]

well....i do it whenever i can..unless the project is going to be a gift. then i have to make sure that i am done a few days before hand..just to make sure that i did it right.

[Katchkan]

I am trying to do this with the idea of replacing my existing job with my crocheting. (We can Fantasize Right?) I am lucky that I already work out of the home. I don't leave the premises to do my job. I give riding lessons and have a small boarding operation. I have to work my crocheting around the lessons and the time I need to clean stalls, feed etcetera. I am lucky I do not seem to need a lot of sleep so I get up when my Dh does and get about 2 hours of crocheting in before feeding time. then I clean house, do stalls and whatever needs my attention. The afternoons and evenings are dedicated to the lessons. But I normally have time between lessons to fit some crocheting in. When everything is done for the day then I can normally fit in three to four hours more of crocheting before bed. I am not a telivision watcher so I fill my hours with crocheting. I normally have 2-3 projects going at a time. I tend to work very steadily on a project though. I use the other projects as a relief as needed. But I am a compulsive person and I tend to want to see a project done as soon as possible. So I don't schedule persay but I do have a routine that seems to work for me and gives me lots of crochet time.

[StitchLuva]

Wow, thank you all for the great tips, especially Elizabeth. You have given me great ideas and inspiration. I plan to start the new year with a plan. I like to write things by hand, so I am going to get myself a big planner tomorrow. I am actually excited to get started.

 

When you think about it, life in general would be a lot easier if I could plan things out in advance. Then I won't feel so overwhelmed when something screwy gets thrown into the mix.

[kariholtz]

i know it sounds like alot but its really not.. if you take the 15 minutes or so to plan .. then the rest of your time works out better.. being prepared is the best way to get in as much as you can .. i use a calendar program for my computer so i get a week on a page with plenty of room to write .. if you need more room just take a note book and make a page a day .. when i take commissioned orders .. i am ALWAYS realistic about my time..i always give myself a full day of fudge factore.. if some one asks if i can get it done sooner i say no.. i would rather lose a sale than to stress myself over an unrealistic time goal and upset the rest of my schedule

 

I feel i have written a novel .. maybe i have helped ..

 

I just printed off your post Elizabeth, some great ideas for scheduling! Thanks.

[Empress Busy Bee]

Good grief no, I don't schedule it. LOL

I do have a toddler and my life revolves around her and her daddy. I've always crocheted for fun so I do it when I'm in the mood and have a little time. Otherwise I'd feel like it was a chore and I'd soon resent it.

Good thing too because this summer I broke my finger making it impossible to crochet for months and even now I still can't use that finger but have managed to make a few small items. Just think where I'd be if I had a schedule that I needed to stick by where I'd be. Up that creek without that paddle, that's where. LOL

I'm lucky that I don't depend on my stuff for a living which helps a lot. Heck I don't sell any of it, it's all gifts.

So basically I pick a project that appeals to me and work on it in the evenings or sometimes during the day. I always take something with me to doctors or other appointments. Heck I've even taken it to movies I knew I'd have a long wait for.

I stick with one thing, usually but not alway, until it's done or I get too many things going and nothing gets done.