How I use Trello to Organize my Knitting Projects

Sometimes when I sit down to knit, there are big questions. What do I do first? How will I feel about my other projects when I'm knitting on this sock I'm enjoying? Shouldn't I speedrun that gift I still need to finish?

I often look over my (massive) queue. By default, gift knits and deadline knits go straight to the top. This works, but I sometimes have trouble deciding which one to work on. Or should I prioritize what I am enjoying most? As someone with ADHD, what I enjoy most can shift rapidly. Sometimes all I care about in the world is that sock, or that sweater, and sometimes it's nothing. Or everything. It can be difficult to decide what to prioritize when there are so many competing projects.

I use Trello to organize a lot of things. It is a website you can use to make boards for various purposes, such as for grocery lists, project management, planning, learning, or really anything else you could think of. It uses cards you can separate into lists, and with each card you can add any information you want as well as images, checklists, and deadlines.

If I didn't use any planning tools, I would be a complete disaster. It already feels like every time I take a step forward, things fall out onto the ground like when trying to move a pile of socks from room to room. For knitting it's less dire to go this far into planning, but for someone like me who typically has many WIPs going at once and makes plans well in advance, Trello is fantastic. 

Below, I'll show you how I use Trello for my knitting.

Disclaimer: not sponsored in any way. I just like organizing. I use the free version of Trello.

First off, here is what my whole workspace looks like:

On the far right, I've included a key because I very much enjoy using color to categorize things. 

Important: These are projects that are intended as gifts and/or have deadlines. I may put a project into this category if I just really want it done soon.

Not important: Anything I am actively working on that has no obligation tied to it.

Crochet: The placement of this acts as a divider so I'm not looking at my queue so much, and I don't want to forget there are some things I want to crochet when I get the bandwidth.

Planned or Have Yarn: These are projects I have assigned yarn to. 99% of the time I already have the yarn and they are projects I found after I purchased the yarn, though occasionally there will be a dream project in there that has the yarn picked out already.

Misc. Pool: I have a lot of interest in these projects, but they do not have a home yet. This is more of a wishlist than anything planned. It's very handy to have if I buy yarn without plans for it. (I don't do that often, but sometimes it just happens)

Hiatus: I do not currently have the bandwidth to work on these projects at all, so this is my way of setting them aside for when I do.

The items on these lists move around a lot as I change my mind about projects and assign yarn. You may notice that my "important" list seems a bit long. I recently committed to making four different tiny amigurumi cats for friends, so it's a lot less than it looks. I am mostly focusing on my own designs while churning out socks.

As far as my WIPs go, I would like to have: 1 pair of socks, 1 garment, and 1 misc item on the needles maximum at one time. I have recently accepted that I prefer mindless knitting, so I decided to color-code projects and plan those thinking projects for when I have the bandwidth.

So, there you have it. My desire to put things in order helps calm my disorganized brain.