One of my goals for spring break is to organize my stash of yarn and supplies. It needs to be organized so I want purchase 2nds. Any suggestions? Thanks knitters!
How does everyone keep up with their stash?
:roflhard:
you are asking the wrong group of knitters if you want to keep up with your stash…!
I like to keep mine organized by color, but I am a newbie, so others probably have better ideas.
the clear plastic drawer bins from target are great for yarn stashes though!
I’m supposed to keep up with it???
I enjoy opening a bag or box and finding some yarn I forgot I even bought.
I have it stashed in a 3 drawer clear bin as well. I know but its just me to be organized–not a neat freak–just organized (its the teacher in me). Knitting_Guy, did I read you are a trucker? My husband is too. He’s an Owner-Operater and works in the southeast. I’ll tell him to watch for a knitting guy if your in this area.
I just bought those XXL ziploc bags, they are huge! I have them separated by naturals, wool, cotton, etc, then acrylic and blends, then odds and ends. They are see-through so I can look and see what I might want to use next.
Yup, I’m a nasty ole trucker. I used to own my own trucks but finally grew tired of all the hassles and sold my last truck back early in '04.
I’m not hard to spot, I’m the bearded fellow knitting in the truck stop. 
I believe in using yarn as decoration, so I typically group it by color. Except for the sock yarn. That gets a home all its own…a big home :teehee:
Yup, I’m a nasty ole trucker. I used to own my own trucks but finally grew tired of all the hassles and sold my last truck back early in '04.
I’m not hard to spot, I’m the bearded fellow knitting in the truck stop. [/quote]
My FIL is an owner-operator too. He typically does long trips within Canada or between Canada and the US (he works for a US based company).
Yup, I’m a nasty ole trucker. I used to own my own trucks but finally grew tired of all the hassles and sold my last truck back early in '04.
I’m not hard to spot, I’m the bearded fellow knitting in the truck stop. [/quote]
My FIL is an owner-operator too. He typically does long trips within Canada or between Canada and the US (he works for a US based company).[/quote]
Somebody has to do it.
Seriously, I make jokes about trucking and truckers, but they’re some of the best people you’d ever want to meet. I left a very lucrative career as an engineer to drive a truck because I wanted the freedom it provides. I don’t think I’d ever go back despite my mother’s protestations over the past 11 years.
It’s not just a job, it’s a lifestyle. And in all likelihood I have probably met or at least run across most of your family members who are in the business. Our neighborhood is just bigger than most folks, but it’s still just a neighborhood to us.
I have mine in stackable drawers with clear front. I separate my yarn by type. 100% Wool & 100% natural fiber, blends, acrylics, then all of the stuff I don’t think I’ll ever knit but can’t seem to get rid of…in plastic bags in my office.
The drawers are labeled as 45Q, and I have 8 of the FULL of yarn. Only two of them are blend or acrylic drawers, the rest are natural fiber. Then in the drawers they are as together as I can get them.
[color=darkred][/color]
I keep mine in canvas boxes with a clear plastic window. I keep my natural fibers in the smaller boxes. I keep the acrylics (most of my stash) in larger boxes. I organized them by yarn type: mohair, boucle, thick and thin and straight yarn. That is how I keep most of my yarn organized. … I usually think in lines of yarn type as opposed to fiber type
I keep my needles in a large open basked so I can see at a glance what I have. I keep my knitting accessories in a basket below them so I can see what i have or need…~!
Last year when I first got back into knitting and was knitting a bunch of scarves for a craft sale I made up a “Knitting Inventory” in my word processor. As soon as I got home from the LYS it was fun to sit down and add my new acquisitions – yarn, needles, or whatever – to my list. I decided I’d better do something when I found myself accidentally buying needles in sizes I already had at home :doh:
Don’t get the idea that I’m an organized person, though; I just play at it sometimes. :teehee:
My stash is actually still pretty small, and right now I’m keeping most of it in my brand new KP KIPer bags – I bought the whole set and I love them!
I have a few nice sturdy boxes from Crate & Barrel that I keep my yarn in. It’s not really organized in any special way. I just try to fit it all inside.
I DO, however, keep a really detailed “database” of sorts of my stash through Excel. Including where I bought it, how much I paid, what I plan to use it for, and a short description of the yarn (not to mention everything on the label: washing instructions, needle size, dye lot, etc.). I didn’t include gauge when I first started since I was only knitting scarves… but, now I regret it because after I enter yarn into my database I toss the label and I’ve recently been knitting objects that completely require gauge. :wall:
But, it definitely keeps me organized and in-the-know of what I have to work with. I also like to highlight the yarns in the database in different colors. Purple for yarn that I’ve completely used up for a project. Blue for yarns that are current WIPs. And Pink for yarn that I only used less than or around 1/4 of for smaller projects.
I don’t have a large stash, but at the moment it is stored in a big plastic bin. A few balls are in ziplocs just to keep like-types together.
Here’s an idea I saw in the Stash Buster KA on tracking/matching your stash to patterns you want to make. I thought it was a good one and am intending to try it out one of these days when I am in an organizational mood…
http://www.knittinghelp.com/knitting/forum/viewtopic.php?p=388618&highlight=match#388618
Thanks to everyone for your ideas. I knew I could count on ya’ll for good advice/comments/ etc.
I have one of those drawer units that is clear plastic, 12 x 12, originally for scrapbooking. the drawers are shallow enough for one layer of yarn, plus pattern. top drawer holds needles, and assorted junk. But I admit I have a “few” clear ziplocs full of yarn laying around too… and a few WIP stashed here and there…