Controlling the Stash

[LadyyOftheOak]

Ok so I have 4 bedrooms in my house.. TWO of which right now are taking over with WIP and the evergrowing stash horde. *sigh* I've bought some of those plastic chest of drawers from Walmart to start to sort it because quite frankly I'm tired of just KNOWING i have some of a certain kind of yarn but not being able to find it in either of the rooms

 

I'm thinking a drawer for scrap worsted weight, one for scrap specialty stuff, one for baby yarn, one for thread.. I already have decided I need more drawers and I plan to label them so they are easier to search through. Anyone else sorted out like this? Did it work? Is it easier? What categories did you use?

 

I swear I need one whole drawer for WIP

[smokeyp81]

Well, I use the large plastic totes to store my stash. I label each one with the type of yarn in it. I have one for specialty, wool, acrylic...etc. I wish mine were more organized. I try to keep it up, although, everytime I get more yarn, it seems to just get tossed in a tote, regardless of what type it is. I do that just to get it out of the way. I think I'm hopeless!

 

Good luck with yours....you sound like you have the right idea!

[LadyyOftheOak]

I tried the totes and had the same problem lol along with anything else that got stuck in there!

 

I'm envisioning several of these drawers.. and I've seen BIG plastic drawer sets that would work too... but each labeled and if I run out of room in one drawer I can rearrange them without having to move the yarn and add a drawer where needed.

 

Well it seems like a good idea anyway lol I'll let ya'll know how it turns out

[Krystal16]

One of the things I did just recently was sorted my yarn. I make afghans, and since I have a skein of this and a skein of that, I sorted them into piles of colors that "go" together. Then I just bagged them up into plastic grocery bags and labelled them and put them on the top shelf of the closet that I have my yarn in. (OK, I've only got a closet, no rooms!) My point is that if you sort by hue/color scheme, then you're one step closer to making an afghan. I have my scraps in two bags as well - brights and pastels. Then maybe another bag for blacks, another for whites, etc. I have an over the door shoe holder that holds all my miscellaneous stuff that isn't plain old acrylic (I don't do a lot of specialty yarns) so I can grab it quick....and I remember to use it! LOL!

[theworm]

I have bins, but they're hard to control. I bought two of those hanging closet organizers - the ones that are like a column of canvas cubbies, and I have them stuffed with yarn. That way everything it visible and I can sort many different ways. It has helped because I had lots of the same color and could plan projects and shopping better.

I still use the bins for things that I have tons of (like Baby Soft).

[Happy_Hooker]

I am actually using a combo to organize an evergrowing stash::: bins, under bed storage, photo boxes and plastic bags... Just a little problem with containing myself as far as yarn is concerned.... And my problem is doubled... I knit and crochet... so some of my yarn looks better knit up... some crocheted... (or at least my visions for that yarn are set already.)

 

What seems to work best for me is the photo boxes... I basically put enough for one (small) project in each box... That is what is readily accessible.

I also use the photo boxes to store all of one type of yarn... (ie, sock yarn of a certain brand.)

It is great for smaller stashes of a certain kind of yarn... but for the big stuff... Here comes the bins...

I have a total of 20 cones of acrylic yarn (think knit intarsia sweaters) I inherited this from my boss' mother... They used this yarn to make sweaters for the store... (commercially produced) SO... that all stays in one place...

 

My mom purchased OH, about $100 of BOA yarn... She is "investing" in a venture to sell fur cuffed gloves at craft tables during the Holidays... Total completed.... ONE!!! Thanks Mom!!!

 

My most haphazardly organized bin is actually the one I use the most... and it is the one I can actually sort through quickly... go figure!!! When you don't have to read all the labels, or look for a particular colored bin/box... it is a lot easier... That is my "baby bin" I put all of my Bernet baby yarn in there...

 

I can't wait till I use all this up... then I won't feel so bad purchasing more yarn!!!

Is there a support group for this kind of thing??? If not there needs to be...

[Tiga]

I have the plastic drawers, and several wicker baskets. My stash is sorted by project - I keep the yarn for active projects either in my tote bag or in a small basket by the sofa. Yarn for projects that are started and that need to be finished soon, but that I'm not working on right now are in a wicker basket under the end table near where I usually crochet.

 

Then I have two wicker baskets (big ones) filled with yarn for projects I haven't started yet, but will be the ones I make after I finish my WIPs.

 

Then, in my bedroom, I have two medium and one small set of three tall plastic drawers. In there I have true stash yarn (no project attached to it) and extra yarn for the 63 squares afghan and yarn for projects I haven't started yet and won't start until I empty the wicker baskets.

 

Also, I'm trying not to buy yarn unless I have a project planned for it. I'm not always successful.

[LadyyOftheOak]

lol I hear ya on all points!! I just want something I can look at a glance and say "yeah I got the yarn for that".. or if I've got a particular project in mind I can go right to the yarn that would work for that.

 

I do everything from thread to afghans to furry stuff to knitting.. and yeah I've got yarn that knits much better than it crochets. I just am so tired of having to sort through bins/boxes/bags trying to find what I know is in there.. somewhere lol

[krzykajun]

I just did pretty much what Krystal did. I've sorted into colors that go together. Then I wrote down how much I had of each color. Once I had my list, I made a simple table in Wordperfect with a column for the name (RH, RH Soft Baby, etc), one for the color and one for the amount. I printed it out so now I have an "inventory" of my yarn that I can look to when I plan my next project. It was tedious, but now I'm glad that I did it.

[LadyyOftheOak]

That's a great idea too and would easy to do in Excel

[jessc031778]

I haven't actually been able to do my organizing yet, as everytime I plan it, something else blows up, but here's my plan....I'm going to drag all my stash out into the living room and sort it all out, first by color family, then by shade, then by brand. Then I'm going to write a list of how much of everything I have, including all the label info like yards & ounces per skein. Then it's all going into an excel chart so that I can look and see if I have enough yarn for any particular project that catches my eye....

 

Once I get that done (which will really only take one evening to catalog it and maybe an hour to get it all typed into the PC) then I will be able to shop that much more effectively!! Won't buy stuff I've already got and don't need, but will be able to target what colors & types I'm lacking so that I can eventually have a well-rounded stash!

 

Jessie

[snugsmontreal]

well i used hanging sweater organizers and they work great, i line up all my ayrns in the cubbies then i can look and see the ends of all the skeins and know what i have how much what colors etc. its wonderful. (DH idea i must say) and then on the top of the closet is a couple of 20gallon rubbermaids and some bags hanging from hooks at the ceiling

[bama_belle]

I have NO organization whatsoever. I am ashamed to admit that all of my yarn is haphazardly stored in grocery bags under the table by my chair. It's a hideous site.

 

I love the idea of the drawers, though. I have the perfect spot to put them in to get it all organized.

 

I think a trip to Wal-Mart is in order tomorrow!

[jollyrancher418]

Well, i've attempted organization, but it didn't work very well. I have a tote, which is what i initially started out with. Then i kept buying more and more yarn, so I emptied out a 3 drawer thing and the bottom holds baby yarn, the middle is white/black yarn, and the top is all my red/pink yarn (and i never intended to own that much red/pink yarn.) In the tote went all my other colors. That worked fine until I bought more yarn; then I took all my shoes out of my hanging shoe holder and I'm able to fit 2 skeins of red heart SS in each cubby hole. Now, I'm onto a giant Kohl's bag that is holding all my recent buys from Michael's huge yarn sale. And there's 3 shoe boxes for smaller projects. And a photo box for all these granny squares I made but I'm probably never going to use. All of my WIPs and UFOs are piled on top of another tote that holds all my summer shoes.

 

I swear I really did try to organize it! I'm really not allowed to buy yarn until December, unless I need it to finish a project. I figure I have plenty of yarn between my various totes/drawers/bags to start and finish a few projects.

[LadyyOftheOak]

Well I thought about the cubbies but dust on yarn I don't use frequently worries me. I've now moved from one small drawer to one smalle drawer PLUS a full size chest of drawers I forgot I had in one of the old bedrooms LOL

[luckybmr]

I am using the 18 gallon Rubbermaid type totes method. I purchased the clear ones, that way I can see what is in them. Have one for thread and one for all the other yarn. Then I want one for the partial skeins leftover from projects (eventually want to make a scrap granny afghan). Going to have one for WIP's. Probably one for yarn bought for specific projects. Now, the only problem is, will probably need lots more totes, cause I believe yarn multiplies when left alone in a dark room.

 

With having a dog, I wanted something that would protect the yarn from dog hair and dust, etc. The totes stack on top of each other very nicely. I can store them in the spare bedroom or computer room or basement and not worry about it. I have put one in the living room next to my chair to contain the projects I am currently working on. Easy to pick up the tote and stash in another room when company comes to visit.

 

All those patterns - I bought an accordian file folder - the nice ones that have a handle and almost look like a box. I am filing them by catagory - baby, afghans, potholders, etc. I print off so many patterns, that I needed it. Then I am going thru all my purchased pattern books and really getting rid of what I will never make. Picking a few of my favorit scarf, afghan, etc. pattern books and putting them on a bookshelf (or if they will fit in the file, putting them there). I have a few nice crochet books, like the Bible, SNB, etc. and they will go on the shelf along with the others.

 

Maybe once I do all of this, I will actually be able to find something.

[Lady_of_Roses]

I stacked my Caron 1lb stash all against a wall. Thread is in a drawer. All my projects that the yarn is specifically for are put together in bags so that when it's time to pick my next afghan, I can just grab the bag and start. The rest of my stash is in the bags in came in, all stacked up.

[Bearsgrammy]

I am using some of the new huge plastic bags that just came out from Ziploc--these are 20 gallon size bags. Heavy duty plastic. My books are more of a problem to me---so I sorted each specialty in its own bag. Crochet books and mags in one, cross-stitch in one, plastic canvas in one. They are also great for yarn because you can see the yarn right through them easily. I do think the big plastic boxes are good, too. At least I can find my mags and books a lot more easily now. I also used one of the bags for plastic canvas and Aida cloth. I don't use these in crochet, but need a place for them. Things are looking a lot better in my glassed-in-room attached to the house, but it is an on-going job to keep control.