Best way to store knitting needles?

#1

Hi I taught myself to knit back in February by watching youtube videos. Mostly because my grandma died and I inherited her knitting supplies.

i have a HUGE cardboard box full of knitting Needles, crochet hooks, stitch markers, cabel needles, circular needles, interchangable needles, etc. BUT I can never find what I need. Everything is so jumbled up. I literaly spent 2 hours today trying to find a set of #6 needles that were the same length and same color ( I like to be color coordinated its an OCD thing).

Also the circular needles are so twisted they are almost impossible to work with.

How do you store your needles so that they can be found? And how do you get the extra twists out of circular needles so they are not such a pain?

#2

If you don’t have interchangeable circular needles needles that come with a case this is a good idea. You may be able to make one yourself, too.

I don’t use straight needles, but I think maybe putting them in a vase or something would be neater.

#3

I have a dear friend that loves to sew/quilt and she has made some lovely things for me. (Gorgeous quilted knitting bag!) Since I love to knit I’m always gifting her with something hand knit. Works out great for both of us!:woot:

At the present time I have my straight needles in a plastic cylinder that was made just for knitting needles, but it drives me crazy because I still have to dump them all out to find the right size and two that match. Anyway my friend is going to make me something like the link I’m posting. You can buy these in stores or online too. Lucky me, my friend is going to custom design my case!:woohoo:
http://tipnut.com/free-patterns-for-knitting-needle-rolls-pouches-organizers/ Jeanie

#4

I have all my needles that aren’t in something thrown into a plastic storage box a bit larger than a shoebox. They’re all circulars though, so when I want a needle I just scoop up the cords and look at the ends to find the one I want. No, I’m not the most organized person - why do you ask…?

#5

I have the Knitpicks interchangeable Harmony Wood circulars so they don’t take up much room. I keep the cables and keys in the plastic pouch that came with the set. I didn’t like the bag for the tips, so I keep them in a Boye crochet hook zippered bag. You might want one for your crochet hooks. A couple of bucks. Keep straights and double point pairs together with rubber bands. You can keep the double points and circulars in Ziplock bags and write the size on the outside. I keep my stuff I use all the time, needle tips, interchangeable components, tape measure, knitting gauge, scissors, and tapestry needles together in one of the Cumberland zippered bags. That way I can always find them because they’re together in one place. I got mine in the office supply section at Walmart. They’re nice because if you’re knitting away from home you can grab and go.

http://www.cumberlandconcepts.com/zipperbag.htm

#6

I use this type of case for my interchangeables, but it seems you may have single sets of different circulars.

#7

to clarify, I have apparently more straight needles than you can shake a stick at.

Think of a box that a case of paper comes in, now fill it full of straight needles, all differnt sizes and lengths (I have found needles from size 1 to size 50). Now add another box HALF That size full of circular needles (at least 2 different sets of interchagables and the rest are individuals), Double pointed needles, and cable needles (I guess that is what they are they look like saftey pins of various sizes, widths, and lengths) Finally add a pencil box full of stitch markers, measuring tapes, sicssors, and Sewing needles. NOW Add another half paper case box of Crochet hooks!

Orginization is a big Problem, Plus I only have a 2 foot space in my bedroom to store it all in.

I inherited all of this from my Grandma when she passed on, and she had inherited some of them from her friend who passed on 2 years before her.

#8

Those are so pretty. I have been trying to decide whether to splurge on an interchangeable set or purchase the Namaste small bag for the circulars I have now .

#9

Have you thought of using the kind of box that a case of wine or other tall bottle comes in? The box has built-in dividers in it to hold the bottles (= knitting needles) upright. You could group the knitting needles into sizes, maybe two or three sizes per compartment, and use a marker on the divider to show which sizes are in that compartment.

DCM

#10

Currently I’m putting circular needles into gallon size zip lock bags, one for each size and any and all lengths in that bag. I figure all the cables have room to spread out & un-coil. I’d like to have a nicer storage system, but every time I look at them I decide I’d rather buy yarn.

I’ve got a set of Denise interchangables stored in the case they come in; I knit & felted a bag that fits into and it has a zipper pocket on the side for extra cables, etc.

I’ve got a small amount of individual pieces of Knit Pick’s various interchangables stored all together in their own zip lock bag.

I do have a bunch of straights but I don’t use them any more. However, I just haven’t been able to get rid of them (I’ll need whatever I get rid of as soon as I get rid of it!) Not nearly as many as you have so they don’t take up much room.

You need to figure out a way to separate that honkin’ box full into sizes so you can get a handle of what you have. Maybe just piles spread across the floor for each needle size so you can see just what you’ve got in each size. While I can see keeping 8", 12" and 14" all size 5 (or whatever) and maybe even keeping 2 or 3 sets of each length (or whatever) you really don’t need 20 sets of each length. I’d sort thru and keep any that are particularly pretty or speak to me somehow. If there are no other knitters in the family or anyone who might want some for their sentimental value or any knitter friends, I’d probably ‘good will’ or some other donation (maybe a local senior center) the majority of the straights.

#11

It sounds like you have tons of knitting needles! Once you catalog them and see how many duplicates of the same size you have, you might consider donating the surplus to charities. Senior centers in my area love knitting needle and yarn donations and you may find others on the internet. As you get more experience knitting, you may also find that you prefer circulars or straight (circs for me!) and then it would be good to donate the needles you don’t use to a center or charity.
You have a problem many would envy.

#12

I understand that it’s sentimental and hard to part with. However, it would be more manageable if you’d just pick out some of every size to keep and donate the rest. If you don’t know where to donate them, you could try contacting your church. If you’re not religious, I’d suggest donating to an ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) church. My ELCA church does tons of charity work involving knitting: baby hats, booties, sweaters, and blankets for kits to send to new moms in other countries. Prayer shawls, and mittens. I’m sure that some of the women in these knitting groups would be happy to get knitting needles.

#13

I have a 10 drawer rolling cart that is 15" x 15" and 39 inches tall. I separated each size of needles into gallon size ziplock bags - DPN, circulars, interchangeables, etc - and marked the size on the bag, then put them in a drawer. When I need needles I just grab the ziplock bag with that size on it and get out what I need. One drawer I have tape measures, stitch markers, etc. The bottom drawer I keep books and patterns. I can keep more than one size in a drawer because they are in the ziplock bags.

I just did this recently and so far it is working very well for me!! The trick is to put them back in the right ziplock bag when you’re through using them!!

I agree with others that you should sort out what you will use and donate the rest.

Susan

#14

I agree with whoever suggested the cardboard box that wine bottles come in, the one that has divided sections. Maybe you could get 2 of them and have 1 for crochet hooks and another for knitting needles.

And how to get circular needles unkinked is easy – get a container of VERY hot water and place the needles down into it. Let them sit for a few minutes and then dry them off by holding one end in one hand that’s holding a paper towel. Puuuulllll it thru the towel with the other hand, back and forth. The pulling motion will (hopefully) help it to straighten out the kinks.

Happy sorting!!!
knitcindy

#15

When I was a kid and first learned to knit, I stored straight needles in an oatmeal box–the tall cylindrical cardboard one. I poked the needles through the lid into the box. That way the needle size on the knob still shows, but the rest of the needle is inside the box. (Nowadays I use circulars and dpns.)

Anise

#16

I got about that much from my Grandma too. It’s insane what a person can collect over a lifetime. I also inherited her stash of extremely hideous yarn that I use for practicing new things.

Even though I have all of that, I never use any of it. I have the Knit Picks nickel-plated interchangeable set and use it almost exclusively. I really like Anise’s idea though. I might try that just to organize everything I got from Grandma. I’m only holding onto it because I might run into someone who wants to learn to knit.

#17

I’m a bit late to this thread, but having a similar need to organize (and a very small craft room), perhaps I can help.

For straights: I’ve always used a roll-up case like this: http://www.patternworks.com/productdetail/900032/STICKS-CASE.htm You probably only need (maximum) 2 pairs of each size. Keep in mind that straights come in short and long lengths.

For double-pointed needles: I have a second roll-up case like this: http://www.patternworks.com/productdetail/900025/DOUBLEPOINTS-NEEDLE-CASE.htm This helps keep them organized. I’ve also seen pages like this, which would work, too: http://www.patternworks.com/productdetail/300397/DOUBLE-POINT-NEEDLE-POCKETS.htm I have a similar roll for my crochet hooks.

For circular needles: I keep them in individual sandwich bags and file them (in size order, of course) in a make-up case. I have, though, been drooling over these http://www.patternworks.com/productdetail/300208/CIRCULAR-NEEDLE-POCKETS.htm because keeping them in a 3-ring binder would be even more organized. I don’t have any interchangeables.

The safety-pin things are stitch holders. I keep stitch holders, markers, sewing stuff, and so on in stackable drawers like these: http://www.walmart.com/ip/Sterilite-Narrow-Modular-Storage-Drawers-Set-of-6-White/15940600 You can also buy them 1 at a time. I have each drawer labeled with it’s contents. You could also get an organizer with lots of little drawers - you’ll usually find these in a hardware section (something like model 88206 at Lowes - the link wouldn’t post) so you can keep all the little doo-dads separate.

Good luck! I know how irksome it can be not to have your stuff organized. (My mom calls it nuts. I call it peaceful.)

#18

My approach would be to start by separating the straights, circular and interchangeable needles. I would then start separating the straights by size. As I was working on the straights I would look for 6 to 12 sets that stood out, color, material, unique in my eye for some reason. These I would place in a clear glass vase. Fill the vase 1/2 to 2/3s full of rice and push the needles into the rice. This would be a display of the gift from your grandmother and look like a flower arrangement.

For the rest of the straights I would knit a “scarf” 6 to 8 inches wide in stockinette. I would then slide the needles through the scarf for hanging on the wall. Depending on the number of needles they could be by color, manufacture etc. If you have to many to hang the scarf could also be used to roll the needles up for storage.

A similar “scarf” could be used for circulars and DPNs.

I also use a fishing tackle wallet to store circular needles and notions. Think a small soft-sided 3 ring binder with zip-lock bags inside. They come in different sizes and with different style inter-pouches. An example can be found at.

http://www.basspro.com/Bass-Pro-Shops%C2%AE-Spinnerbait-Binder/product/53043/-641877

#19

I found this ( http://www.ravelry.com/discuss/tools/1708113/1-25#13 )
on Ravelry and thought of you. There is another one in the same thread and either, or both, might be the answer.

#20

Forget being a means of storage. Why didn’t I think of this as a decoration?! I think wall hangings made of scarf patterns would be fantastic and it would be good for all those patterns that only really look good on one side! Is there a way to secure it but make it still look like it’s in the process of being knitted? In other words, not bind it off, but still prevent it from falling apart if it got loose from the needle? Then you could just put hooks in the wall and place the needle with the knitting still attached on the hooks. It would be like a tapestry.