Making Copies

I learned the hard way never to carry my original pattern around with me. Forget that it gets messy, the real problem is that since I carry my knitting everywhere I have on occasion lost my book. Don't you just hate when that happens. Very often the pattern that I am knitting is older and no longer available.I collect knitting patterns. It may be at the compulsive level. I collect patterns for everything and anything that I think I might ever one day knit, should I all of a sudden find that I have lots of free time, ha! ha! The advantage of my habit of collecting and saving is that I often "discover" just the perfect project when I browse through my pattern collection. Some of the vintage books that belonged to my mother have the best pattens. I keep all my knitting magazines too. I actually thought about that this winter when there were fires in California and on the news the people were loading their cars in case they had to evacuate. I know that if I was in that situation I would have to pack some of my knitting books and yarn into my getaway car.Anyway my solution is making a photocopy (or several) of the pattern I am working on and never carry the original. When I travel I pack a spare copy in my suitcase. Once I left my pattern on a plane and recently a friend left her pattern at the hospital whenshe went in for surgery and took her knitting with her. When she returned home with her unfinished project and the pattern gone, I hated to say I told you so but I did. I am a real preacher on this subject. For me loosing my knitting pattern if I don't have a spare with me equates to me being really unhappy. I can't be without knitting. So back to the copies. I buy those plastic sleeves in a stationery supply store and then make the copies and tuck each one into it's own sleeve. I then can write on my copied pattern and will always have the original nice and neat. I circle the numbers for the size I am knitting and make notes in the margins for increases in length and write down what yarn and needles size I am knitting and my gauge. I find this helpful because I often knit the same sweater, especially for my grandchildren. When I am finished I put the copy with my notes together with the original pattern as a reference incase I do knit the same pattern again. The next thing that I do I really find helpful is that when I put my knitting down for the day (which often turns into months) I make a note where I stopped, like 4th increase in the pattern. I write this in the margin and if I am really good I put down the date. This is fun to see especially when days turn into months (or longer!).