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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!

 

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?

Beyond Basic Pumpkin Knitting Patterns

Over the years I have shared a lot of pumpkin knitting patterns, and I’ve knit and crocheted a lot of pumpkins myself. But it feels like there are always more fun things to try with knit pumpkins, so this year I wanted to look a little more beyond basic stockinette or ribbed pumpkins and share some pumpkin patterns with cables, bobbles and colorwork. 

In the cable collection we’ve got these cute little basic cable and ribbed pumpkins from Elly Bear Knits. There are two sizes that make a wide, flat pumpkin and a taller round pumpkin. Both are worked in the round as a tube that’s cinched top and bottom when you’re done, and they use bulky weight yarn. 

Another cute cable pumpkin knitting pattern comes from Gray Bear Akswokrat. This one is knit flat and it looks like a chunky yarn but you could use other weights to make pumpkins of different sizes. This one also has an I-cord stem and uses yarn to cinch up the sections of the pumpkin, giving it a more natural look. 

Add some bobbles to your pumpkins with this design from Autumn Shelter Makes. Also worked in the round in a tube, it features a repeating pattern of bobbles and uses yarn wrapped around the outside to make segments. This one looks like worsted weight yarn to me. 

Of course there’s nothing that says your pumpkin has to be a single color, so let’s throw in some colorwork. I love the look of the Cozy Fall Pumpkin knitting pattern from South Stitch Girls. The little leather loop adds a rustic touch but you could also just add a stick. These pumpkins have five colorwork options and are worked in worsted weight yarn in the round. 

There’s also the Autumn Fair Isle Trio pumpkins pattern from Equestriann Style, which has three different sizes of pumpkins with four colorwork designs. They are worked in super bulky yarn in the round and look good with high contrast or more muted color combinations.