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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?

Knit a Sweet Hood Covered with Flowers

I happen to live in the Northern Hemisphere, but I know we have a lot of Southern Hemisphere friends, too, who are heading into the cooler months as we are warming up. Whichever one of the seasons you’re in, you might want to  stitch up this sweet little hood.

This pattern by saskie&co is called snug hood and it uses two colors of yarn to make a close-fitting pixie style hood (almost a balaclava but it doesn’t cover your face, though there is a neck covering portion to keep you a little warmer). You can use the fingering weight wool and mohair held together that are called for in the pattern, or use a single strand of DK weight yarn.

The neck portion and the edging around the face are worked in ribbing in a single color, while the body of the hat includes an allover colorwork flower pattern. The project is worked both flat and in the round and there is colorwork that is knit flat, which means you’ll have to purl in colorwork (which some people don’t like; also, you can’t see what you’re doing as well on the back of the work).

The pattern comes in one size and the colorwork is charted. Testers noted this is a quick and easy project and a great way to learn some new skills (chart reading, working stranded colorwork flat) if you’ve never tried those things before. They noted the hood is cute, comfortable and warm, and a few said it didn’t take as much yarn as the pattern suggests, so bear that in mind if you’re trying to use stash.

Speaking of the pattern notes, check out all the cute color variations in the projects on Ravelry. From pink and red to blue and white to gray and cream, there are lots of great options to think about.

You can buy this pattern on Ravelry.

[Photo: saskie&co]