My husband was horrified when I told him that my Unfinished Project List (sewing only) had 58 items on it. He relaxed a bit when I further explained that some of these projects are just ideas – PIM or Projects in Mind. This is the smallest category – 7 items.
The PIG category – Projects In a Grocery sack (usually plastic shoeboxes or Ziploc bags) are projects a bit further along but not yet started. These are usually a bundle or scraps of fabrics with a pattern or notes on what they will become. This is the largest group - 35 items.
The actual UFO or Unfinished Object category includes projects either started (or repurposed), set aside for thought, or just waiting for motivation and decisions to finish. There are 16 items on the list, and one more quilt binding in progress on a quilt that hadn’t made it to the list.
Ravelry is where my knitting projects are listed. There are only three current projects, and a few that are designated as “hibernating”. That’s a good description for projects that I’m not actively working on or even thinking about. My queue of patterns that I would like to make recently got a clean-up, and a few projects to be started in the near future moved to the top. They also have a favorites list, where patterns for future reference are listed.
The lists are helpful to keep track of things and also to prioritize them. My sewing list also has a location for the projects—the only downside to my nice cabinets is that they tend to hide things. With the sewing project list sitting on the table top, there is a visual reminder of what is there before I try to start something new.
Of course there are projects that never make it to the list, as every project that I start doesn’t get added, and many times are finished in a short duration. Projects with deadlines naturally move up in priority, and so I’m trying to group certain projects to have a finish date, such as making charity quilt tops to be done and delivered before the next Project Linus work party at a local store.
