Photo credit: Lolly Knit
You know how it goes – you find yarn on sale and can’t resist. You buy a few in every color, so you’ll be prepared when you need a certain hue for a specific pattern. Or, you want to keep a variety on hand, planning to experiment with different colors to see how it turns out.
But when you get home, you leave your great finds in the shopping bags in order to tend to all of your other duties. The bags are added to other bags stashed in the back of a closet. When it’s time to locate that specific color that you need, it takes forever to go through everything and find it. You’re frustrated before you even begin your project, taking some of the joy out of the process.
What’s a yarn addict to do? Take a look at these ideas that will help you get your knitting and crocheting supplies in order.
Organize Your Yarn Stash
1. Get a shoe organizer for your closet or cubby-style shelving unit that will keep your yarn separated and organized by color or type. Purchase some clear plastic bags (like gallon-size freezer bags) to slip the skeins into to keep them clean and dust-free.
2. Sort yarn by color, type, or texture – whichever will be most useful to you when you need to find your products quickly. Place each grouping into a different section of your cubby or shoe organizer, enclosed in the plastic bags mentioned above.
3. If you already have yarn earmarked for certain projects, label it before placing it on the shelf. That way, you will be able to pick it out right away and get started. Even better…slide the instructions for that project in with the yarn to save a step later on.
4. Use a tackle box to keep other supplies organized. It will be easier to locate your crochet hooks, markers, knitting needles, and other small supplies if they aren’t all jumbled together in a drawer or the bottom of a basket.
5. Put all yarn and supplies in their proper places the same day you buy them. If you wait, you will be more likely to lose track of them. Give yourself a break later on by eliminating the search process. If you can’t do it the minute you get home, place the shopping bags on your bed so that you will see them before bedtime and take care of it. You will sleep better knowing you are a little more organized and everything is in its place.
If you follow these tips, you will be better organized and less stressed. Stress kills creativity, so get rid of the stress and enjoy creating your masterpieces instead. Your brain, heart, and soul will thank you for it!
Wonderful idea. I have 3 grocery bags full of yarn.