Take a peek inside my notebook.

I wish I could tell you that I have always loved keeping detailed notes about my fiber experiments, but the truth is, it’s taken practice. As my ideas race ahead, I find it disruptive to stop and write down all the important information I need to reference later.

About ten years ago, I began developing a record-keeping method for my work as a way to capture fleeting color combinations and pattern ideas, while keeping no-fuss, accurate spinning samples. Eventually, my notebooks started to look like the image above. Finally, I had a system to make it fun, make it fast, and push my work forward.

These three-page sets are great for keeping track of all the little details you think you will remember, but…

---

What to jot down in your notebook:

• What wheel or spindle did you use?
• What pulley (whorl) did you use to spin and ply?
• Roving or top? Punis or batts?
• Did you use a woolen or worsted draw? Something in-between?
• Final yardage spun and total weight of fiber. Did you have enough yarn for your project?
• Keep samples of unwashed and washed yarns to see how they change during finishing.

---

I’m excited to have several Creativity Notebook workshops on my teaching schedule again, and these notebooks and refill pages are now available in my online store.

March 30‒April 2, 2017 Interweave Yarn Fest – Loveland, Colorado
Creative Focus: Building a Spinner’s Idea Notebook (3-hour workshop)

April 28-29, 2017 Iowa Federation of Weavers and Spinners – Des Moines, Iowa 
Color and Creativity for Handspinners (6-hour workshop hosted by the Des Moines Weavers Guild.)

May 15-16, 2017  Desert Weavers and Spinners– Palm Springs, California
Color-Play for Fiber Artists: Bridging the Gap Between Theory and Textile (2-day workshop)

June 11-17, 2017 Midwest Weavers Conference – Indianapolis, Indiana
Color and Creativity for Handspinners (3-day workshop)