Cards to organize the Shape of Me

My friend Talitha Kuomi has an interactive wrap pattern called the shape of me where you choose 12 dk skeins, and designate each for an emotion (there is super swing-y fringe too.)

When I played with this project in my mind, I knew that I’d forget which yarn was which emotion (ugh.)  So I propose, “the shape of me cards.” You can use them to sort your yarns, inventory which emotions still need a yarn, then serve as a key booklet with yarn snips for reference.

Download the pdf and print it, pale card stock is perfect if there is any on hand.

Cut out the cards on the solid lines, there should have 12.  I used Garamond font if you are using different emotions and want the cards to match.

When the trial skeins are all spread out, use the cards to identify which yarn goes with which emotion; and swap them around as you consider.  (Note, I grabbed yarns that looked pretty together, they aren’t all DK, and there isn’t enough of these bits and bobs to work in the official wrap  I just wanted to show a big sorting process.)

If you aren’t winding your skeins right now, you can attach your cards to your skeins by punching a hole in them then tying them to the skeins, or stapling them to a belly band, or even just tucking them into the skein, though this last method is brave.

When you do wind your skeins, you will finally have a use for that tie around the wraps; attach it to your card for a reference.

I tried to show all the ways I could think of using my scrapbooking tools, household office supplies and my kid’s craft supplies that cards could be made into yarn reference holders once the choices are made, so my photos look really random. But tidiness is possible, especially with uniform methods.

There are even paper cutting chisels to make fancy notches.

scissors keep the yarn in place just fine though.

With a hole, you can use a lark’s head knot, or tie it.

But a stapler works fine too. You can even attach the bellyband of the yarn with it.

My daughter figured that the confusion card needed more than one way to match up the yarn, because it needed to be confused.

Now you have cards with yarns on them to remind you of which ball of yarn means what feeling; keep your cards handy and cute by clipping them together with a bull dog clip, a ring binder, a key chain, a carabiner or even a locking stitch marker.  Extra points if you then connect them to your work bag.

Because this project is insightful enough, you don’t also need to play Memory.

Do you plan to let others see your yarn key?  What will you discover as you make this wrap?