Storing my stash

[SassyCMA06]

What is the best method for storing my stash? I have limited space in my apartment. There is plenty of room in the garage, but I'm guessing thats not a good idea?

 

Since I am pretty new to the craft, its still a pretty small collection, but a tote, or some other solution is required. If a tote is used, will the yarn pick up a plastic-y smell? Could I put a few cedar blocks in it to counteract that?

 

My closet space is pretty limited too...

 

Any ideas are greatly appreciated!

[niqita]

I keep yarn in the garage in a tote (only I know it is in there)

I usually put it in a plastic zipper bag then inside the tote. I never noticed any plasticky

smells but then I wash it once the project is done.

[ldyer1]

when I lived in an apartment I used the underbed plastic containers. worked well

[snugsmontreal]

well i live in a small apt with my hubby and although i do have an entire spare room closet to store both my yarn and shoes (both moderately large collections) it now only holds about 80% of my stash and i have come up with a few little ideas for the rest like, empty throw pillow covers stuffed with yarn instead of a pillow insert, small foot ottoman that has a cubby inside instead of hollow, dead spaces in other storage closets etc.

[Becky Morgan]

Doesn't everybody have yarn pillows:D?

Most of my stash is in plastic totes out on the back porch. I keep finding little odd balls scattered around the house, probably because of the four-legged transporters (herd of cats.) Most of my stuff is acrylic, so it isn't much affected by heat and cold, and I do wash it before it leaves.

[crochetluvknot]

Doesn't everybody have yarn pillows:D?

Most of my stash is in plastic totes out on the back porch. I keep finding little odd balls scattered around the house, probably because of the four-legged transporters (herd of cats.) Most of my stuff is acrylic, so it isn't much affected by heat and cold, and I do wash it before it leaves.

 

Oh that sounds just like my house with my heard of cats my little critters carry my yarn away and my hooks I always wonder where in the world did you find that ball lol..

[karin4christ]

I have yarn stored everywhere in the house but mainly I have it in underbed plastic storage bins.

[Pyroteca]

I too live in an apartment with my husband, which means I have to compete for storage space with his hobby. But, I use plastic bins in the closet (for example, you could put them under your clothes and put your shoes on top) and also in a wooden chest at the foot of the bed. Under-the-bed bins work well too.

 

As for storing it in the garage, if it is acrylic yarn, then I don't see where there would be a problem, but I would use a really good plastic bin...not a cheap one. You don't want things getting into the bin or even just the dust and what not. If it is a natural fiber, I would store it in the house. If it is a really nice natural fiber, I would definitely store it in the house.

 

Other options include empty suitcases or putting up some shelves to put bins on in a utility closet (if you have one) or even just in bags under the bed. Again, you will want to use something to keep the dust off.

 

As for cats, mine gets very incensed when I am not home a lot and digs out yarn and drags it all over the house. His particular favorite to to try and unravel hanks of yarn that I haven't rolled into a ball yet. He also loves to drag his afghan around. (Yes, both of my cats are incredibly spoiled, but they have to sleep somewhere too.)

[cjansen]

I have some in totes in the attic, some in my room and more out in the shed. That is what I need to go through and organize!

[Tiga]

Space bags. I have TONS of yarns in my walk in closet - the only place I have to store yarn, so it's like two wire shelves and that's it. They make new ones that have square bottoms, and they are really great for yarn storage.

 

For the projects I'm working on in the living room, I have a laundry hamper I got at Kmart; it has a lid, and is solid, but has a canvas liner. I also have a canvas lined basket for overflow in the living room.

 

But the majority of the stash is in space bags.

[trin]

There's a basket that usually lives next to the couch for my current project, or soon to be used yarn. (it's currently in a box marked merely "living room" and eventually I will find it as I unpack.)

 

There is the big stash (including tubs of things on Ebay and Etsy) in plastic snap-shut tubs on a utility shelf in my bedroom/studio.

[Elle]

My stash is moderately huge (although not as large as a lot I have seen, and I never miss a chance to remind DH of that), so a lot of it I keep in large trash bags in the bedroom closet. I have LOADS of WIPS, however, and those I like to keep somewhere that I can get to them quickly in case the urge to work on them hits me, and I have devised a fairly unique way of storing them.

 

DH and I live and work at a resort hotel, and we have an olympic sized pool here. The chlorine for the pool comes in 25 gallon buckets. They remind me of the big buckets that the pickles and other condiments come in for the fast food restaurants, but the're almost twice as tall and twice as wide. I got six of them, washed them out REALLY well and dried them. The chlorine is powdered, so as long as all of the powder is washed out of the bucket and it's dried, no harm can come to the yarn. Then I took material and made "skirts" for the buckets, and I painted the lids in colors to match a color in the material. This way I can set the buckets out in the living room or in the bedroom and they look like little tables. We use them like TV tables for eating dinner while we watch television, or for using like little desks if we want to work on something without having to sit at the kitchen table. And it's perfect because the projects I'm working on are always able to be gotten to in a minute's time, without having yarn just sitting out all over the house for the cats to play with or having some other harm come to it.

 

Elle

[01buckler15]

Very Inventive, Elle!

I store some in an under bed storage bin. Saves a lot of room! We have a lot of space in our back room. It is now the kids play room/office/laundry mat/craft room. I have all of my yarn, projects, and crochet supplies hidden in one of those cheep entertainment centers. It stays closed untill I need something out of it.

Closed

Open

I also of course have my tote for taking projects out of the house(trips and stuff). And I have a magazine holder that I put my yarn in for the project I am working on. It's right by the couch.

[viggie]

This is what I do too

 

when I lived in an apartment I used the underbed plastic containers. worked well

[chrissyf]

I am lucky I have a whole closet for my crafts. so yarn in two huge totes. with bags for WIP's and specialty yarns.

[SassyCMA06]

Ok. So I went out and bought an underbed storage bin at Target (gotta love that extra 10% employee discount!). I was kind of skeptical since it looked so shallow, but since you girls seemed to like them, I bought it anyway. How much yarn do you ladies who use these normally get in them? Just curious so I can figure out how many more I should buy (for inevitable stash growth).