Are Your WIPs Out of Control? Five Steps to Tame the Chaos.

It is almost January ... again ... have you started making resolutions for the New Year? Do any of them involve your crafty projects? How about your crafting space? If yours is anything like mine, I'm guessing it's looking a bit "well used" right about now.

The other day I sat down to write out some intentions for 2026 and had a complete "If you give a mouse a cookie" moment. Here's how it went:

I wanted to plan out some series for my social media, so I created a calendar in Canva. Then I printed out the calendar and looked for my Social Media Planning binder to put the new pages into. That binder was full of patterns I'd printed off and class lists I'd tucked in there "for safe keeping" so I emptied the binder. I knew I had another binder where I was keeping all my class lists, which meant I had to find it. It was also full of various papers, so I emptied that one too and started organizing it. It needed dividers to separate the class categories so I grabbed a tab punch, some scrap paper (pretty patterned paper that just happened to be sitting out on my desk after working on a completely different crafting project earlier in the week) and made some tabs. There were class lists missing so I searched my website to make sure I had them all and they were in order. Then I realized I'd probably put them in the binders I keep for specific classes ... you get the idea.

Next thing I knew I had 6 binders strewn on my desk, my lap and the floor, to say nothing of the stacks of papers all over my desk, my printer, my laptop ...

Once my class list binder was sorted, and my social media pages were in their binder, I could tackle the stacks of patters and other resources I'd unearthed. Cue the need for more binders! This time it was the ones for patterns I've made and patterns I want to make, and another hour to sort through, organize, cull, and put away.

At this point, my laptop had gone to sleep, and I was left wondering what I'd been doing before that little side organizational quest began!

Does this feel like you?

You get all gung ho to clean up a space and end up creating messes in 6 other spaces!

The struggle is real.

How does all this relate to crochet and knitting WIPs (or, let's be honest, any type of crafting WIP)? Unless you are one of the rare Unicorn Crafters that only works on one project at a time and only buys the supplies for one project at a time, you will likely face some form of the "give a mouse a cookie" rabbit hole when tidying and organizing that I just related to you.

I'd like to help you minimize how deep that rabbit hole is, and how chaotic your in-between time is, so I've come up with 5 steps for tackling your WIPs. Hopefully it will keep yours more organized than mine! There is a FREE DOWNLOAD on step three and if you are on my email list, you'll have received a different freebie that relates to this process too. When combined, both downloads can make a huge difference in both the organization of your unfinished projects, as well as getting them moved into the "check out what I just made" category.

1. Gather Everything in One Place

If you're reading this then I'm going to assume you're not one of those Unicorn Crafters who can just grab their one and only project bag and give me an up to the minute report of the progress of their one and only WIP. That means you are a bit like me - probably not to the extreme of deciding to run an online yarn shop out of your garage, but you know, with multiple projects stashed all over the house.

This first step is going to involve a bit of detective work. This is a safe space, we won't judge you, but to make this work, you need to dig out ALL of your projects and have them in front of you. Dig out the bags of yarn from under the bed, the ones you hid in the back of the laundry room, the ones masquerading as 'donation items' in your bedroom closet ... you know what I'm talking about. Oh, and find your project bag (and your back up project bag) and add those to your pile too.

I will address what to do with all the yarn that you bought because it was pretty or on sale another day; today we are just focusing on works in progress. These can include ones that haven't started yet though so keep that in mind as we work through the next steps.

2. Divide and Conquer!

The photo above shows you just the projects that are currently in my office. There are many more in my garage and there are even more bags and bins of yarn waiting to become projects, but the sake of this post, let's focus on this chaos shall we?

First thing to do is to empty out all of your project bags and lay everything out where you can see it. Now you can separate all your different WIPs and by this I mean, physically separate them so you can see each one as it's own entity. Some you can group together (like the two in front that both need frogging and restarting) but resist the temptation to put them into the same bag or basket ... yet.

Next you need to identify briefly why they are unfinished. I love using sticky notes for this step. In the example above where I grouped two projects, I've put a different post-it on each - one is a sample for a class down the road, and the other is just for fun. (How fun is it to work for hours and hours on something only to discover you've gained about 8 stitches and the only thing you want to do with it now is throw it across the room because while you could 'fudge' things, it already had mistakes that were bugging you and this new problem feels like one too many mistake to keep going? ... but I digress).

Once you are able to give each project its own space, you can more easily assess your progress, establish what else it needs to be done to call it finished, and also, decide if it's something you want to continue working on. Because, yes, that's always an option! Whether you've jotted notes onto paper like I did or you mentally assessed each WIP, now is the time to dig a little deeper.

3. Write it Down

If you are anything like me, making mental notes just doesn't cut it anymore. If I don't write things down now, it just disappears. It gets forgotten. Totally and completely. (I blame the perimenopause!) While sticky notes are great and can in theory move with your project through these next steps, in reality they tend to get lost. The sticky isn't so sticky any more and boom, suddenly you're left not knowing why this was a WIP in the first place!

So I created a WIP Tracker to help myself, and all of you, out.

This has spaces for you to add up to 18 WIPs - the first 12 are numbered and then there are 6 blank spaces at the end. Remember how I said this was a judgement free space? I got you!! The numbers aren't intended to be a ranking, but if you want to, you can use them as such. We will talk more about that in the next step.

Here are some helpful things to write down in the notes section:

• Pattern you're using and who designed it (and the size you are making if applicable)

• Yarn you're using including colour and dye lot (trust me, get into the habit of keeping this information either in written form or by keeping the ball bands. There will come a time when you realize you need "just one more ball" and you won't remember what the yarn was or the specific colour and then matching dye lots will be a complete crap shoot!)

• Crochet hook AND hook size you're using. Why should you write down what type of hook you're using? Unless you've only got one style of hooks in your collection, each different type of hook, while advertised as the same size, will work up differently. Nothing is worse than picking up a half finished sweater and suddenly your tension is totally different. Was it the hook? Was it the hook size? If you've kept track of that information from the beginning then it is less likely to be a factor.

• Date started and when you last worked on it

• What still needs to be done to complete this WIP.

You'll notice that down the side are some status options for you. One of those is 'will not finish'. It's okay to look at a project you've started and realize that you have completely lost interest in it. Or maybe the circumstances have changed and the person you were going to give it to no longer needs or wants it. Or has outgrown it!

What are your options if this is the case?

To answer that, you need to ask yourself a few questions. Do you like the yarn, and can you think of another project for it? If so, consider frogging the original project and repurposing the yarn into something new. If you don't like the yarn anymore then bag that puppy up and donate it! There are organizations out there like the Loose Ends Project that finish other peoples knit and crochet projects, or you can try reaching out via local Facebook Groups to see what options are available in your area. But if you were to include the pattern, I'm guessing your local thrift store would be able to sell it.

One of the other options is 'in time out'. If that's the case I recommend making notes about why it's in time out, how long it's been in time out, and decide if you're ever going to finish it or not.

4. Plan it Out

Now that you have a better handle on what projects you need to finish, and you've physically touched each and every one, it's time to commit to "gittin' her done'. This step involves some planning, a bit of scheduling, and some self-discipline.

Did I just lose you all? Hear me out.

I am a firm believer in keeping lists. Notes, notebooks, day planners, calendar apps, you name it, I've likely used it at some point. We used to have a giant "mom" calendar in the kitchen so we could keep track of all the girls' activities, my husbands days off, my work shifts, etc. Once my husband and I got smart phones we transitioned to a shared family calendar. I can not tell you how many times I've missed something (and then been blamed for it) all because it wasn't in the calendar! "If it's not in the Calendar, it doesn't happen" was my mantra for years.

The same holds true for my notes app. I used my notes app all. the. time! I'll be out walking my dog and get an idea, or remember something important and out comes my phone and into my notes app I go. I love a To Do list and keep multiple here. If I have a big event coming up, like Knit City, I keep running lists in my phone of all the tasks that need doing. It is so satisfying to check that little box off! Our family uses shared notes for things like Christmas and Birthday wish lists. It's such a time saver!

This step is all about finding what method works for you so that you can plan when you're going to be working on a WIP, and which WIP you're going to be working on. Is one of your unfinished projects a blanket for a baby that is due in 3 months? Spend a little time working backward - [how long does each row take you] x [how many rows do you have left] = how long you need. Now be real about how many hours you get to crochet or knit a day and you can easily figure out how many days it'll take you to finish your blanket. Add that to your calendar or notes app. Use your reminders app to prompt your daily crafting time.

I know the idea of scheduled crafting time may seem counter intuitive to the 'makers flow', but if you are drowning in WIPs then it's in your own best interest to use the tools at your disposal to help you check those projects off your To Do List.

Here's where assigning your WIPs a priority status can also come in handy. Using our baby blanket example again, when assigning priorities (unless you've got something more urgent) push that WIP to the top of your list and physically place your project basket where you normally craft. Projects with deadlines get ranked by their individual deadlines, while other projects get ranked lower.

Do you need help with any of your WIPs? Is that why they got stalled? Figure out who can help you, when they're available and then make plans to meet up so you can work together to get to past the problem spot. This might involve coming to one of our Drop-In nights - check the website for a current list of when those are happening.

The point is, don't shove your WIPs away into the back of closet to be forgotten about until next January! Unfinished projects, whether big or small, take up both physical and mental space in our lives. Take a few minutes now to order them so you can be successful completing them.

And remember, once they're off your plate, you've got room for new ones!

5. Tidy it Away

Now comes the tricky part - putting all your WIPs away!

As I said above, the temptation may be to shove them all back into the dark corners you originally found them in, but resist that temptation! You've spent all this time gathering, sorting, assessing, and prioritizing your unfinished projects, and now you're going to repay all that hard work by hiding them away again?

No my friend, that is not the answer.

Place the projects that either need to be finished first, or the ones that you want to work on first, somewhere you can see them. Out of sight, out of mind as they say. If you don't already have cute baskets and bags for your projects, find some. Look around your house and see if you can repurpose something. Head to your local thrift store and see what they have available. Or visit your local Dollar Store or Homesense and find a cute new basket for your project.

Do you only get to work on your project when you visit a Drop In night at your local yarn shop? Pack your project bag with the WIP you most want to work on and keep it somewhere you can easily grab it as you head out the door.

Is one of your projects needing fixing or frogging? Like the two projects I talked about above. Before you shove them out of sight because you're mad at them (or as Fiona likes to say "they're being mean to you") take the time to fix what needs fixing, or frog what needs frogging. Once that step is done, go back to your Tracker and update it. Assign it a priority and then place it in the appropriately close or tucked away spot depending on that priority. In my case, the scarf will get tucked away in my Knitting WIP bag. This is the bag that goes with me to Knit Nights and knitting classes that I'm not actively participating in.

For the rest of your WIPs - you know, the ones with lower priority - dedicate a space to store them. If you have a craft room like I do, pick a spot, a shelf, or a drawer and neatly place each WIP inside. If you store your projects in the living room or bedroom, same thing. Pick a spot and keep them all together. The quickest way to forget about a WIP is to 'hide' it away in a random spot!

Don't forget to keep your patterns with your projects and make a note on your WIP Tracker as to where this WIP is located.

Now that you're all set to start 2026 off on the right foot and get some unfinished projects off your list, your mind, and your conscience, let's get started! Our first WIP Wednesday is January 7th. See you in the classroom!