Storing Patterns

Over a year ago, I started organizing my recipes that I print off or tear out of a magazine.  I was tired of shifting through all of them I had collected and wanted a way to protect them.  What I ended up doing was taking my stack of papers and inserting them into plastic paper protectors and popping them into a 3 ring binder.  They are now stored away in one location and when I get my binder out to cook I don't have to worry about spilling something on the paper and ruining a good recipe.

What started out in my kitchen then spilled on over into my crafts.  I had found some reliable patterns to crochet on web-sites that I had printed off but they too had started stacking up.  After awhile, I was afraid of them wrinkling, getting torn, or just getting lost.  What then struck me was, why not use the same idea I used for my recipe book and apply it to my craft patterns?

I have to tell you how nice it has been to keep all my paper patterns in a binder.  Now they are protected and waiting for future use.  I have also been able to just grab my binder when leaving for a trip and know that all my patterns are there if I have time to crochet while away.  I now know where they all are and don't have to waste time while rushing out the door.

I do want to offer a tip for the paper protectors.  Some patterns are more detailed then others.  Keeping track of where you are on the pattern requires you to use a paper and pencil to track your stitches.  Have you ever thought about using a dry erase marker on your paper protector?  All you have to do is write on the plastic.  When you are done, just use a tissue to clean it off.  This saves paper but also ensures you won't loose the paper while working on your project.  Just a thought...