Basically I just use anything that is lined to keep lists of my FOs. Other things I jot down in my knitting journals are unusual knitting abbreviations, interesting color combos I'd like to try, quotes on creativity or color, ideas for future projects, gifts given, special yarns I need to find a use for, receipts for my yarn, needle, and book purchases (not for the faint of heart!!), knitting resolutions, techniques I want to learn, measurements of people I knit for, hand tracings of people I knit for so I can get mitten and glove lengths right, ideas for future knitted gifts by recipient, reviews of books and patterns, and donations. One of my favorite uses for my journals lately is to write down interesting technique tips I read about on Ravelry. For instance, recently I read that if you knit two rows instead of one in waste yarn when doing a peasant thumb or afterthought heel, it is much easier to pick up the stitches later. I'll have to try that!
And of course journals are good to store little slips of paper signed by the greatest color knitter out there.
I used to donate more items to charity - for a while I was knitting rabbit themed items for the gift shop at the Colorado House Rabbit Society's shelter. I'd like to try to do better so I just sent the following items with DH to work. He works in treatment foster care with kids who are severely abused. They bounce around a lot from house to house so the knitted items go in a basket for them to take when they need some winter accessories. DH reports that they were a great hit, especially the hats.
