Ever considered bullet journaling as a supplement to your crochet practice?
Bullet journaling can enhance your organization and reduce your stress whether you have a related business, or just do it for fun.
I love the organization–but I’m not gonna lie, I do it mostly as a secondary creative outlet. Many people make gorgeous art out of their task lists and logs and inventory. I’m no artist…but I find the list-making and hand-writing to be very creatively satisfying.
There are thousands of bullet journal examples for you to gather inspiration from.
But I wanted to share some ideas specific to crocheters.
Reference Pages:
What’s the letter size for a 5.00mm hook? Can I substitute I Love This Cotton for Bernat Handicrafter Cotton? I can’t remember how to do that Mixed Cluster stitch!
These are all examples of questions crocheters encounter on a daily basis.
One of the great ways to use your bullet journal is to create reference pages you can go back to time and again.
My favorite element of the bullet journal system is the index. Indexing your pages makes it possible for you to quickly find them again. Which is what makes it possible to easily use the reference pages you create.
Crochet reference pages might include:
- Hook conversion chart
- My favorite yarn substitutes
- Specialty stitches I love
Just a thought–if you think you’ll want to transfer your reference page to future journals, consider creating it on a separate piece of paper and adding it as an insert into your journal.
Making Goals:
Even if you aren’t making a business, you likely still have goals. Making gifts for loved ones. The occasional craft fair. Even just finishing a long term project that’s been lingering in your WIP pile for too long.
Journaling helps you break down those goals into manageable pieces and track your progress.
Here are some examples:
- Craft Fair Goals
- Design ideas
- Blog planner
- Christmas Gifting Plans
For example, I’m about to do my first craft fair and I REALLY want to make some money. In my bujo, I’m tracking my expenses, creating an ideal inventory, and tracking what products I’ve made so far.
Writing it, seeing it, and continually updating my progress are all ways to remove stress from the process and add some peace of mind.
Lists:
There’s something inexplicably therapeutic about making random lists. I have lists of favorite movie quotes, favorite books, favorite kinds of tea…
Some bujo list ideas for crocheters might include:
- Favorite bloggers
- Favorite patterns
- Yarn I don’t want to work with anymore
Note, your list might also turn into a reference page. Or it might just be a one-time, fun brain exercise.
The beauty of the bullet journal is how it works not only to help you be more organized but to also give you exercise your creativity.
Trackers:
Trackers will connect to your goals. If you’re working toward a craft fair, you’ll want to track your progress to make sure you meet your deadline.
You can also track:
- Craft Fair and Gift inventory
- HHM patterns you’ve made
- Money made crocheting
- WIPS
When I first joined Happily Hooked Magazine, I wanted to make sure it was worth my money to continue with my subscription.
So I began tracking each pattern I made. I kept track of several pieces of information:
-Whether I would make the pattern again
-If the pattern would make good craft fair inventory
-If the pattern would make a good gift
-How fast it was to make
I figured if I made at least two designs out of each magazine that fit some of those criteria, then it would be worth my while.
Morning pages:
If you haven’t read The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron I encourage you to drop what you’re doing and read it.
I’m not even going to try and distill all the great pearls of wisdom in that book…
But one thing I do want to share with you is the practice of writing morning pages.
This is essentially a traditional journaling. But you’re not supposed to think about it or edit yourself. You’re supposed to set a goal–I believe it’s 3 pages–and just write without stopping. Whatever comes out.
Through this process, you unburden your mind and you also learn more about yourself. It’s an important practice for any creative person.
How do you incorporate bullet journaling into your practice?
These are just a few examples of one woman’s journaling practices. There are way more beautiful and amazing pages to be found on the Internet.
What ideas do you have for using a bullet journal to supplement your crafts?
Leave us a note in the comments!
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