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Organizing and Keeping Track of Your Stash

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stash bustingThis is the part of talking about stash that I’m really not equipped to talk to you about, because I’m really bad at storing my stash in any rational way. Every year or so I will decide I’m going to put everything on Ravelry (I’ve even written about how to organize your knitting life on Ravelry, though I’ve never actually done it) and then I realize what I giant pain that would be to actually do and don’t actually do it.

Some of my yarn is pretty well organized. I have a giant bin of basic acrylics, for one thing, and all my sock yarn is in one bin. I have a door organizer full of Cascade 220 and another giant bin of basic cotton yarn

But the rest of it is here, there, everywhere. I couldn’t tell you what’s there or how much of it I have in a lot of cases.

So I’m opening this one up to you: how do you organize your stash and keep track of what’s in it? Maybe your brilliant ideas will help motivate me to figure out what I have and where it’s hiding!

 

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Comments

  1. I was keeping it in two totes and two buckets, with some here and there, too. Yesterday I pulled it all out, and am trying to resort and restore!I did conquer the circs first.

  2. So far, I have 2 large & 2 smaller Sterlite crates full of yarns that must be kept away from moths. Most of my sock yarn is in one of the large crates, most of my laceweights are in the other. However, most of the worsted & heavier weights are simply in ziplocs inside large totes — I’ve run out of places for the crates!

  3. My small collection is on/in a bookcase so I can see what I have. Arranged by color. Trying not to buy (hoard) more til I use what I have!!! But we know how that goes…

  4. Hello,
    I kept mine in plastic bins and those giant zip lock bags. Mainly because I do not want mice to get in them. Recently I sorted my yarn by project. Like the fuzzy yarn like Cha-cha yarn together for scarves. Baby yarn for baby projects and etc.

    The giant Ziploc bags are for little squares. If I have small balls of yarn, I’ll knit little squares out of them and later it would become a blanket.

    I also have a notebook which I keep details notes of which yarn is in what bin for the sake of my sanity and my back.

  5. I have a 12 area PVC pipes made into 12 spaces and store in my garage with plastic containers that I put my yarns according to wt and ply in those Ziplock storage bags and then in plastic sterlite containers. I then take a label or make tags out of material that states what’s inside. My stash has 2 of everything from speciality to baby and cotton and 4 ply. My colors are ones I like and add a few tweeds & multi colors to add a little color. Keep in mind I live in Fl and they’re Palmettos ugh and other creatures that can get into containers, therefor I use ziplock to keep them out and any wool I keep in my craft/quilting area in my home!

Have you read?

Bucket Hat Knitting Patterns

As I was starting to write this post I thought that it was true that I’d never done a roundup of bucket hat knitting patterns before. But then I looked, and I actually did one last year (which you can find here) but there are plenty of cute bucket hats to do another post about, right? 

The one that made me want to write about this (again) is the Red Heart Knit Fanfare Bucket Hat from Yarnspirations. This cute striped hat can be worked in team colors, and while I might prefer a non-acrylic yarn for a summer hat, it would be fine when it’s not too hot outside (or try a cotton yarn instead). 

Claire Slade’s Sunlit Bucket Hat has an angled brim to help keep the sun out of your eyes. It’s worked from the bottom up using worsted weight cotton yarn, and comes in three sizes. You can find the pattern on Ravelry. 

Get a little air flow in your bucket hat with the Shady Bucket Hat from Wool & Beyond. This one uses DK weight yarn and an eyelet pattern throughout the body to keep it cool. It comes in sizes ranging from newborn to adult large, and is worked in one piece from the top down. You can grab the pattern (in English or Swedish) on Ravelry. 

If you’re looking for a fun, floppy sun hat for kids or adults, this pattern from Muki Crafts is a little more slouchy than a traditional bucket hat but it’s super cute. It comes in baby, toddler and bigger kid sizes and adult. I uses worsted weight yarn and is worked from the bottom up. 

Another variation on the classic bucket is this one that’s more of a cloche style. Made by branda, it uses bulky yarn so it’s more of a winter bucket hat, but now’s a fine time to knit it if you live somewhere that’s warm right now (or even more so if you live somewhere that’s cold right now). 

Another one to get you ready for colder weather is Tirmety, a two-layer bucket hat from ViTalina Craft, which has a textured stitch pattern on one side and stockinette on the other. You can wear either side out or even make them different colors if you want. The pattern is sized for toddlers, kids and adults. 

And if you want to add some extra cuteness to your bucket hat, I love this (of course totally optional but also totally adorable) embroidered deatila on the New York Bucket Hat from Pauline Fanguin. It uses two strands of DK weight yarn held together for extra sturdiness, and uses changes in needle size to shape the hat. Of course you could also knit stripes or use different textures of yarn to change up the look. This pattern is made to fit your head and is available in French and English.