We’re all swatching regularly right…right?! I thought, maybe I’d enjoy swatching more if I could lovingly look back on all the yarns I’ve used, all in one place. I may have also ordered a number of mini skeins of yarn to try out. So I’m thinking about the best way to organize my swatches: in zippered pouches in a binder; in a cd type sleeve; jangling like keys on an o ring? All accompanied by a card with needles size etc.
Before I dive in, I’m putting this out to the hive mind. No doubt someone has already created the perfect system. Pictures appreciated!!
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I have a bag where I used to keep them. I had a fantasy of putting them together into a blanket or throw. Now I tend to label them and keep with my yarn. I may go back one day, who knows!
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Ooh I love the idea of a future blanket! So many ideas, so little time. 
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So I pile them in a little basket, summer yarns separate from wools. They are labeled with gauge and needle and of course brand. I try to swatch many of the new summer yarns each spring and have fun buying onesies at my NJ Wool Walk. Makes me happy.
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Page protectors in a 3 ring binder works for me.
I keep the original pattern with all my messy notes, the swatches, a bit of spare yarn, and a ball band together in the binder called FOs. Voila!
If the swatches are too lumpy to fit the page protector, they go in a zip lock bag hole punched at one side. Very tidy!
There are page protectors with flaps at the top for closure, but I’ve never bothered with these.
Right now I’m taking a 10 week class which requires knitting multiple swatches for weekly homework assignments. Each swatch is only about 4” square and there’s a card stock label with the yarn name, needle size, needle maker, date, notes blocked/unblocked, gauge and stitch pattern name etc. After losing several down the couch, I found page protectors which hold 5”x7” photos do nicely to keep ‘em corralled. My own reference binder!
Also, for sewists out there, machine-made stitch samples would be nice to keep in the 5x7” page protectors: button hole samples with notes for stitch size, template used, etc. I made machine sewn button holes on ribbon to hand stitch on a button hole band (with knitted buttonholes) for a cardigan sweater. It took many tries, and my saved experiments will make the next one less of a learning curve. Win!
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