How to Organize an Unruly Stash

re: How to Organize an Unruly Stash

jyllykins — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 02:45:48 GMT

WOW! and I thought I had a lot of yarn. People at church give me odds and ends, UFO's, and thread galore.

Of course since you haven't shown me your fabric stash, I think I may have you beat. 90 percent of it I have purchased somewhere, stores, going out of business, yard sales, etc. The rest was given to me.

I liked Lili's comment and plan to do the Excell sheet myself for both. However I have to resurrect those bins already out in the garage first. Good hunting for the next project.

re: How to Organize an Unruly Stash

judygold — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 20:26:23 GMT

Oh my gosh. I have laughed until I have almost cried, reading the comments. My yarn stash is pretty minute at this point (1 drawer and 2 small plastic containers), but my fabric stash . . . that is truly SABLE! I have my stash, my mother's stash and along the way, I have accumulated fabric from [1] a wife of a hospice patient I took care of, [2] another hospice patient whose daughter in law was a coworker, [3] the grandmother of a coworker, and [4] the caregiver of another patient. The conversations always start with, "You sew?" and end with "Do you want this material?" As with yarn, needles, hooks, books, etc., the answer always seems to be YES! The garage has 7 Rubbermaid totes with various materials and the bedroom /sewing room has those plastic drawers all stacked under my cutting / craft table, as well as along the wall.

re: How to Organize an Unruly Stash

Minnesota E — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 20:37:14 GMT

You inspired me to conquer the "don't open the door" closet. Thank you! Bins are at hand.

re: How to Organize an Unruly Stash

Lili — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 14:12:53 GMT

I used this method to sort my yarn into matching (they stack better!) bins years ago. While I was at it, I numbered the bins and made an Excel spreadsheet to list the yarn data and which bin it is in. Trust me, by next week you won't remember which bin even if today it seems you could never forget.

The database is easy to update when I acquire or use yarn. I can carry a printed copy in my knitting bag or on my laptop. When I need something for a project, I can search by color, or quantity, or yarn type, etc., and see immediately which bin I need to retrieve from the stack. Saves hours of searching! More time for knitting!

I'm doing the same thing for my fabric stash.

re: How to Organize an Unruly Stash

Evelyngrj — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 20:43:32 GMT

I have boxes from IKEA on the top shelf of my closet. I drape a loop of yarn out from between the box and the lid so I can easily see from the floor which box I want. I have easily 40 of the larger boxes (they stack 3 high) and lots of the smaller boxes which contain my sock yarn paired up by self striping and solid toe/heel colors. Apparently I should spend more time knitting and I'd need to spend less time organizing!!!! One strand draped out is usually enough to trigger your memory.

re: How to Organize an Unruly Stash

Harpanell — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 14:15:50 GMT

Hello Sarah,

My name is Brenda Carter and I am actually in the process of organizing my stash but am in a bit of a dilemma. Most of my yarns (the ones I've made things with and those who have been given to me or I've gotten from yard sales) do not have the information sleeve anymore to help identify what type of yarn it is. Therefore, is there a book or app (downloadable for iPad etc...) to help identify yarn and the worst weight? Or How can I find out what type of yarn it is (i.e. acrylic, wool blend etc.). I'm familiar with some yarns like fingering, sports and lace but some I'm not sure about. Can you help me? Thank you.

Brenda C.

harpanells@gmail.com

re: How to Organize an Unruly Stash

Marie@54 — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 15:35:01 GMT

Hello to everyone who is a yarn hoarder, knitting & crochet needle hoarder , project hoarder ( things that have been started and stored away and pulled out and started again and put away) HOARDER. I just sold my house and am downsizing to a smaller home, now I am freaking out about where I am going to store my hoards of bins filled with yarn, and talk about crochet and knitting magazines from 1970's to current , I am stumped what to do with them and I can't part with any of it. I would like to make the basement of the house I am moving into look like a yarn store , you know, with the cubby holes on the walls with yarn. So I would have get a carpenter to build something on the wall. I really cant stop visiting yarn stores, but my body goes all jelly like when I walk into the yarn shops, I am getting jelly like just typing about yarn shops. Maria

re: How to Organize an Unruly Stash

deniseeld — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 23:23:27 GMT

For my gargantuan stash, my husband built me a yarn store in an empty closet upstairs. I have now 20 cubicles and I've organized my yarn in the following way: by color - browns, blacks, tans and whites, then yellows and oranges, then pinks and reds, then greens and turquoises, then purples and blues. Each color combo has four cubbies. The bottom is heavyweight, then medium, then light, and then fingering. I have wools, alpacas and cottons all mixed, but it still works well for me. Not that I've reduced my stash, since I keep buying new yarn anyway! Denise Elder

re: How to Organize an Unruly Stash

Kathy@219 — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 21:20:20 GMT

Forgot to mention that I recently cleaned out my stash - had bits & pieces that went to a friend who makes granny squares for nursing home blankets while much of the yarn in the "Donate" pile went to the women in a local prison who crochet. (not allowed to have knitting needles) They also received several years of plastic bread bags (cut into strips & crochet into rugs) as well as a start on recycling old t shirts into rag rugs. The end result ... More room for more yarn!

re: How to Organize an Unruly Stash

Kathy@219 — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 21:13:35 GMT

Do you think there's an online form to will your yarn stash to whom you wish it to go? And if so, all of y'all be sure to put my name on your list! I did the clear box thing but ripping off the tops to get to the yarn was way too time consuming. Plus, I found myself just sitting & staring at all the pretty colors...but I digress. My dollar store has fabric "Boxes" that fold flat when you aren't using them but look cute on the shelf. Maybe one day I will get around to labeling them, but for now it's like Christmas morning every time I start taking them off the shelves in my Yarn room. (it's only 8x10 but you'd be surprised how much yarn can scrunch in that small space!)

re: How to Organize an Unruly Stash

lkmknits — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 04:42:00 GMT

Love this thread--nothing is more fun than reading about how others accumulate and store yarn. At this point, my yarn stash consists of my own addictive buying plus that which I've inherited from others who are, sadly, unable to knit anymore. Funny though--no matter how much I have, there is always a project that needs an additional yarn or two to accompany what I use from my stash--and nothing I like better than going to my LYS to search out the perfect additions!

As for the spreadsheet, maybe I need to do just one bin at a time. It would be great to be able to search Ravelry for projects made from similar yarn. I've been waiting for snow days so I feel housebound and need a project to keep me busy (I live in snowless--up to this point anyway--CT)--guess I'll just have to pick a day and get started!

re: How to Organize an Unruly Stash

gladness — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 23:29:27 GMT

OMG - I thought my stash was large, but in reading peoples comments I am just a begginer.... My yarn stash, which pales in comparison, consists of mostly single balls of assorted fluffy yarns - not much in the way of multiple balls of the same colour/type. I know this 'cause I spent a day going thru my 2 duvet bags and 4 tubs cataloging it all on excel. If I could only come to doing the same thing with my quilt fabric stash.

re: How to Organize an Unruly Stash

Morgana199 — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 20:07:34 GMT

Most important to Yarn Stash Acquisition is proper training of the husband. Mine knows that his refrain when I am buying yarn is "Your stash is so small" and carries the same husband points as "Your ass is so small". Enough said.

I keep my "assigned" projects (yarn bought for a specific pattern) in the extra large sliding zipper bags with the pattern and then in cute patterned bins. Unassigned yarn is put in clear bins labeled according to grid location and season (summer knitting, winter knitting). A sample of each yarn is put onto a binder page and labeled according to location, yardage, content and brand, pattern suggestions and needle size/stitch count.

I do love a yarn sale.

And, Sarah, your stash is very small indeed.

re: How to Organize an Unruly Stash

Janice1066 — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 08:12:49 GMT

My yarn is stored in our garage loft where it's not easy to get at, and because of that I'd just buy new yarn without even bothering to check my stash. So I took one skein from each batch, labeled them (name, # of skeins in the batch, colorway, gauge, needle size, etc.), and now keep those representative skeins in the house where I can get to them when considering yarn for a new project. The labels are the kind used for price tags that have a piece of string attached which can easily be attached to the skeins. And I'm also gradually listing my yarn on my Ravelry page which I highly recommend. Will I use up my stash in my lifetime? I doubt it. And I'm headed to Stitches West in a few weeks where I am quite certain that I'll buy yet more yarn. My husband says the yarn is our retirement - we'll just sell it as we need cash. I now consider my luscious yarn to be low-maintenance pets. No feeding, walking, or litter needed, and they always want to be held and petted.

re: How to Organize an Unruly Stash

MaryS@196 — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 04:52:14 GMT

I am a firm believer in SABLE:

S tash

A ccumulation

B eyond

L ife

E xpectancy!

That applies to books as well as yarn. I live in a very small house, and my basement is stuffed. I have 4 bookcases filled, but can't bear to part with any of my treasures.

I store my yarn in clear bins. Clear bins are slightly more expensive, but I can see what is inside without opening them. Renting a storage locker is next -- for everything EXCEPT my yarn. That stays here where I can enjoy it!!!