Sorting yarns

[Horsy]

I'd welcome suggestions as to how to sort and store approximately 200 partly-used balls and skeins of yarn, when all I have are 4 nice storage boxes, ie, I do not have and will not be buying any special storage systems, for example, wall mounted cubby hoes.  Just a basic filing system requiring little or no expense.  

 

At present, these units of yarn are mushed together according to no particular common sense.  The purpose of this project is to know which box to open because I have a specific project in mind (which might work with more than one particular weight of yarn.)   Thanks!  

 

PS.  No, I do not have any sort of neurological syndrome, nor am I looking down on persons who might be so afflicted.  I am just sick to death of the mess.  

[ReniC]

Interesting question. One way would be to store according to the color wheel. Print out and tape a list on the outside specifying the following colors:

Box 1: Blues, Purples.  Box 2: Pinks, Reds, Oranges.  Box 3: Yellows, Greens.  Box 4: Blacks, Browns, Whites.

You could also cut up and tape inside cardboard dividers to separate any different fiber types like acrylic, wools/blends, cottons. I hope this has helped some.

[Granny Square]

My system (if you can call it that) is organized (sort of) by yarn weight & color, like 'neutrals' 'black or white' 'warm colors', 'cool colors' sort of thing, for #4 yarn.  It's a combo of a plastic 'file drawer' (edit, more of a dresser drawer, see below post) with acrylic #4 yarn organized by color group, and a hanging bags in my craft closet with doily thread not #10 and another with sock weight yarn, and and a third of 'kitchen cotton' which is #4 weight, but not separated by color.  I have a tote filled with #10 doily thread in lots of colors, and another filled with miscellaneous yarn (mostly old 1970s colors and novelty yarn, because "you never know...").  I rarely use any medium besides #10 thread, sock yarn, and US #4 yarn.  Edited because it sounded funny upon re-reading, I meant medium as 'yarn or type' not a size.

Not very scientific but I know right away where I'll be likely to lay my hands on a specific type and maybe color if I have any.

If your boxes are cardboard, I would suggest lining them in plastic (example, somewhere I eons ago I bought a bunch of clear thin plastic garment bags like you get at the dry cleaners, to keep dust of things in my closet I didn't wear often; this would work).  My grandmother had a delicate doily with a silk center that was stored in a flat brown paper bag that was who knows how old when she died in the 1970s, my dad brought it to me after she passed away and he and his siblings cleaned out her things - sadly it was blotchy brown-stained by the brown bag.  It was probably originally a white silk center with cotton thread edging; my point is, you don't want to get your yarn stained by brown storage boxes and the plastic should protect it.

Reni beat me to it with the color wheel thing, I was typing too slowly.

Edited April 20 by Granny Square

[Tampa Doll]

I have mine sorted by size and color.  0 or 1 white in a zip loc bag, then each color has their own bags.  Same with size 2 and  DK.  They are then put in storage egg crates by size, so I can see what is what and I know the size as it is listed on the bag.

It sounds confusing, but when you can pick up a bag with just white in finger or size 1 or 2, it is easier to find the colors and sizes I need.  It makes it easier instead of sorting thru the yarn. 

Good luck and let me know what you decide on.

 

[Horsy]

Muchos gracias, kids!  I am plowing thru your suggestions carefully and trying to figure out how this would work for me; I just have so many small balls and fewer large or medium  ones.    In any case I may have to buy yet another nice storage box, the kind with metal corners and carrying handles on the side.  That is about as much as I can spend.  Oh, well! 

 I envy folks with a home (house or apt) large enough to have an empty little room just waiting to be called a Yarn & Craft Supply Room.  I've seen photos on the interwebz of such rooms, all those yarns in their own unique little slots.  However, all those photos look more like something you would see in a yarn store, that is, the balls & skeins are pretty much new-size and unused.  Methinks these yarn walls or rooms were doctored up to remove all those nuisance little balls so that the photo looks nice.  That is why I'm asking you for your advice.  

@Granny Square. That is a sad story about the old doily getting stained and I thank you for that suggestion; I had never considered it.  "It's a combo of a plastic 'file drawer' thing" - can you elaborate please.  

Edited April 8 by Horsy

[NCcountrygal]

I use these to organize whole skeins, partial and leftover balls.

Using on other things now too that need organizing. I got 2 sizes.  The largest is more multifunctional for me.  I used the outside zipper color when I started organizing my yarn. 

Storage mesh plastic bags

[Horsy]

@NCcountrygal.  Those look as if they'd be really neat for storing all the little odds 'n' sods related to crochet & knitting.  Thanks. 

[Granny Square]

I've had the 'file drawer thing' for so long I forgot where I bought it; actually I did say 'file drawer' but should have left off the word 'file', it's more of the of drawers that you might store clothing in.  Here is a link to what looks almost identical to mine, I really could use a second one (I believe they are made to stack).

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Sterilite-3-Drawer-Unit-White/15442451?athbdg=L1102

Note, I have a 2-drawer metal file drawer with hanging folders that I store patterns in, including sewing patterns.  That poor closet...

[Horsy]

@GrannySquare.  Thanks for showing me that cute little set of drawers.  Now, about your metal file drawers with hanging folders for patterns; I just want to say that I can't believe how organized you are.  I have a filing cabinet as well and I really should transfer my patterns into it.  They are all shoved any old way into two folders, each 2" thick, in a cupboard, bulging and falling out.  😁

 

[Horsy]

ReniC, I am collecting pieces of cardboard to make dividers for my boxes - thanks for advice -  but how I will arrange many balls & skeins is anybody's guess...I don't choose a yarn only by colour but by fiber & weight, too &  I guess everyone else does that, too.    Geeeeze.  I hope I don't get carried away with my arranging project...it's just yarn, for heaven's sake.  But I can't tolerate the mess any longer.  Kind of like spring cleaning time. 

And then there are yarns that are so thoroughly variegated that you just cannot identify any colour!  

[Tampa Doll]

Just an FYI.  I sometimes, when I have many small to medium balls, I roll them together, sort of make them look like the cakes you buy with one color after another.  Sort of like this.  

Caron Cakes Yarn – Mary Maxim   

Makes it neater, easier to store and you can get some pretty facinating color mixes.

 

Edited April 13 by Tampa Doll

[Granny Square]

Heh.  If I weren't a little bit organized, my closet would be like this 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9FGC68YcwM&ab_channel=ofp857

(well, except mine is a wider spare bedroom closet, but still pretty crammed)

 

[ReniC]

I forgot to mention that I use one of these for my embroidery threads and felt squares. I bought mine at a type of Dollar Store though which cost about half the Walmart price.

[Tampa Doll]

 l love those cabinets Reni.  I have about 3 for my cotton yarn.  Then with some of my thread.  They are great, cause you can move them around.

[Horsy]

@Reni, I can't believe that plastic cabinet is only $16.42 - and yet you found a similar one for about 1/2 the price.  

Tampa Doll - I love cake yarns but never thought of making my own.  I just might do that, seriously - now that I have troubled myself to arrange my many yarns in boxes with dividers!   Thanks for mentioning this.   With the cake yarns you buy, though, the colours are in such long stretches that you would have to be making a pretty large project (such as a good sized shawl or blanket) to have all the 3 or 4 or 5 colours represented.  With home made cake yarns, anything goes and you could end up with a wonderful Mulligan stew. 

 

 

[ReniC]

On 4/13/2024 at 9:46 AM, Granny Square said:

Heh.  If I weren't a little bit organized, my closet would be like this 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9FGC68YcwM&ab_channel=ofp857

(well, except mine is a wider spare bedroom closet, but still pretty crammed)

 

OMW! I hadn't thought of "Fibber McGee & Molly" in years! I remember sitting in front of the radio listening to it when I was very small. Then seeing the movies on TV when I was older. What a great blast from the way past.

[Granny Square]

LOL, I don't remember hearing it on the radio or seeing movies, I'd just heard about his recurring closet gag as a descriptor of a mess.  That clip is extra funny because it's obvious that someone is above the closet throwing things and aiming at Fibber...

[ReniC]

4 hours ago, Granny Square said:

LOL, I don't remember hearing it on the radio or seeing movies, I'd just heard about his recurring closet gag as a descriptor of a mess.  That clip is extra funny because it's obvious that someone is above the closet throwing things and aiming at Fibber...

I loved the expression on his face when he caught the "portfolio".

[Horsy]

My pa used to talk about this program (on the radio).  

[NCcountrygal]

On 4/19/2024 at 12:52 AM, Horsy said:

 I love cake yarns but never thought of making my own.  I just might do that, seriously - now that I have troubled myself to arrange my many yarns in boxes with dividers! 

 

 

Might enjoy Christa's example.

 

[Horsy]

There's nothing you can't find on youtube.  I know how to make a ball of yarn where you keep your thumb in the same place but it never occurred to me to leave a tail so that I'd have center pull.  Many thanks!   I can't wait to make a "cake" yarn, then figure out what sort of project to make.  This is going to be fun, for sure.