Yarn Organisation Q&A

This post is in answer to several questions I have been asked recently.

Any Organisational Advice You'd Give to New Knitters?

Try and use the yarn when you buy it. It is a lot more fun to go shopping for new yarn for a new project. I buy lots on sale for a "Someday I will want to use it" the trouble is my local yarn store is closing down and selling everything off, I have to walk by everyday (well I suppose I could walk a different way. lol) and I just can't resist all the beautiful yarns at bargain prices ! Then I find myself looking for projects the type of yarn and colors will fit.

Mostly have fun with it.

What Do You Use to Organize Your Yarn?

I used clear hard, plastic boxes of various sizes with colored flip style handles that fasten on each end. I purchased these at Kostas here in Turkey which is B&Q in England you can also find them at Alco, Walmart and Target. I found I needed more and more. So be prepared.

I label each box clearly so I don't forget whats where.(memory's not what it was!)

How Do You Sort Your Yarn?

I sorted by type. baby yarn, fancy (eyelash), cotton yarns and because my husband makes bracelets with embroidery threads, these too, in medium organizers.  The larger boxes hold two colors each in 2 boxes, one with blacks,whites, grays and browns, one with pinks and purples, etc. One of projects in the works, one small box with knitting needles etc. One problem I noticed is the yarn you will want is always in the bottom box. Oh well that's life! you just have to live with it.

What Woul You Do Differently?

Only buy the yarn I need NOW and use it as I buy it, but I'm too weak I fear.

Plan my colors better,

Keep all my tools in one place from the beginning. (Wouldn't that be nice but impossible as my husband uses some for his bracelets and is a typical man so I have to hunt for scissors etc)

Have more fun with it instead of always working under pressure, such as 20 hats and scarves starting November for Christmas.

If you’ve  knit more than a handful of projects, you’ve got some leftovers. It’s inevitable. Sure, every once in a while, a project will use exactly a skein (or two) of yarn, but that’s a very rare occasion. Usually, you’re left with anywhere from a few yards to a half skein of yarn, and no clue what to do with it.

The thing is, if you organize  your stash a bit, and keep yarns of similar weight together, you’ll suddenly find yourself with bits and pieces that actually work together. Of course, any proejct with stripes or colorwork is a perfect stash-buster — you often need only a few yards of each color for those kinds of projects. Knit a great stripey hat with a bunch of double knitting leftovers. Imagine having to buy new skeins of all those colors — suddenly, a simple hat gets a bit expensive. But a two- or three-row stripe only takes a few yards of yarn, so you can really use up even those tiny, tiny bits. I'll be sharing stash busting pattern thoughout this month but if you have any favourite's you'd like to share please let me know.