I LOVE the idea of adding the needle size right in the swatch!! I'm incredibly absent minded and forget these things all the time. Hmmmm, Now I just need to practice all the numbers :P

I disagree that the complicated (albeit more organized) solution is more brilliant - I think the easy, and therefore repeatable idea is best, and most brilliant! you GO! I think I will have to steal your idea ;)
-Meg

Any hope of getting the Lise booties pattern before Christmas
Margaret

Any hope of getting the Lise booties pattern before Christmas
Margaret

that whole journal things sounds like much work to me. you get the gold star in my book. love the numeracy tool idea too.

The problem i always run into with the yarn overs or knots or other things is with the pesky 10.5 needle size.... also harder to knit into a swatch. It happens to be my most favorite size to knit with too.....

Darn, I thought I had an original idea! Yours is much more thought out though. If I ever actually swatched properly, I came up with the idea of kitting 6 purls, 8 purls, etc. into the stockinette to correspond with the needle size.(apparently, I'm not that original). Knots in the tail. I love that suggestion. That's even simpler!

Darn, I thought I had an original idea! Yours is much more thought out though. If I ever actually swatched properly, I came up with the idea of kitting 6 purls, 8 purls, etc. into the stockinette to correspond with the needle size.(apparently, I'm not that original). Knots in the tail. I love that suggestion. That's even simpler!

I LOVE this idea! I am constantly forgetting which size I used... it really is quite brilliant :0)

it _is_ brilliant. I am the same, I don't do tags (what's the use, need to put into washing machine before measuring the second time around anyhow). So here is my solution, thanks!

Brilliant -- and a learning tool for Tadpole! I believe it was in a Lily Chin class where it was suggested to do a series of yarn-overs in an early row, the number of which would correspond to the size needle being used.

That is a really good idea! I lose my swatches a lot too.

brilliant! if only i had the patience to make swatches big enough to fit in a number ...

I like that - it makes the swatch much more interesting to knit. I hope you can get that little sweater done before it's too small! :)

I hear you on the swatches. I don't usually swatch but I did for one of my current projects - and the only record I have of what needle I used is on my blog. Which I'm not sure I trust. And I'm knitting away thinking this doesn't look like the swatch.... Very frustrating.

What's great is that when your daughter gets older you can use the swatches as sort of counting blocks. :)

A similar keeping-count idea is to make yarn-overs to correspond to the size of needle. Assuming you're using US size needles, of course.

I put the swatch, ball band and notes in a ziplock and write needle size on the bag in sharpie. They get thrown in a basket with no attempt at organization.

I feel the same way about felting. I very much want to make a new knitting bag--just like the utilitarian canvas one I've got, but you know, prettier. But the concept of designing it AND doing the felting part AND having everything come out right when I've never felted anything at all? Kind of intimidating . . .

And, that is a good idea for the swatches. I know people who tie a certain number of knots in the yarn tail, but that never seemed permanent enough to me. I've always liked knitting in a certain number of pearl bumps down near the bottom--yours is visually easier, though!

It's brilliant to me that you just sit there and make a thing that we can see on your swatch! I see the 6 perfectly. :)

So how much does Tadpole weigh now? Lila just had her 9mo visit and she's 19lbs. Small compared to my other kids at the same age.

Another way to label stockinette swatches is to: in one row, purl the number of stitches equal to the needle size.

so, you remember what yarn it is? that's brilliant, then.

i like that idea. i also like the knot tying one too.

Ah, I've got a good swatch labelling tip for you. On th tail end that hangs down from the cast on, I put a series of knots forthe needle size. so, size 6 needle would get 6 knots. Works great!

I do a little designing for a LYS (after my day job and my kid goes to sleep...) I swatch a lot. I've even grown to like it! I knot the tail to record the needle size. (Size 8, tie 8 knots in the tail.) After blocking, washing, and general abuse, I eventually throw the swatch(es) and the yarn label into one of those plastic sheet holders (easily obtained at your local office supply store). If I tried out a stitch pattern, my cheat sheet for the stitch pattern goes into the sheet holder along with the swatch and the yarn label. I'd like to say that the plastic sheet holders are organized neatly in a three ring binder, but actually they end up piled up in a box next to my knitting chair. Still, more than once I've avoided having to redo a swatch!

So many different ways to solve the same problem! Yours is more artistic -- but I think remembering to do the number pattern would interrupt my mindless swatching groove!

Personally, I love your solution. It's very knitterly and creative.

I saw an epi of Knitty Gritty where (Lily Chin?) said she makes a row of yarnover holes in her swatch to indicate needle size - six holes for a 6 or whatever. I think your idea is much prettier! But I have taken to doing the yarnover thing and it helps SO much.

Fnatastic idea- one I had heard suggested in the past. Unfortunately, I'm not a prolific knitter as of yet, so when I swatch, I immediately make the object for which I am swatching. Swatches aren't usually something I ever need again- unless I run out of yarn and need that yarn to finish. That MAY have happened before. Maybe.

I've also heard of putting a knots in the tail to indicate which needle size you're using. Requires even less thinking! ;)

That really is VERY brilliant! I love it! MWAH says I!

I'm too disorganized for tags as well, so I just poke a hole in any scrap of paper or a post-it (on which I write the needle size and type, because for me a swatch on Addis and bamboos aren't always the same, and string one of the tails through the hole.

Very clever, really a great idea.

I can see the 6 but not the 8. You really are brilliant you know. ;-)