As we embark on our knitting journeys, one of the essential aspects often overlooked is the organization and storage of our yarn stash. Today, let’s delve into how to organize and store your yarn and discover tips to ensure the fibers remain pristine and ready for our next creative endeavor.
Before we delve into it, I want to share that the post contains affiliate links. Using these links, you support our creative community and help sustain the magic of our knitting journey.
Protecting Your Yarn
- Airtight Boxes: Store your yarn in airtight boxes to shield it from dust, moisture, and pesky insects. This ensures your precious fibers remain clean and pristine until you’re ready to use them. This is my favorite method for my less-used yarn.
- Library with Doors: Consider investing in a library with doors, like the IKEA Billy, to create a dedicated yarn storage space. This keeps your yarn organized and adds a touch of elegance to your crafting corner. I love my yarn library! It’s beautiful to see, and I arrange the skeins I want to use in a short time flat on the shelf to avoid pressure that could weaken the fiber.
- Yarn leftovers: Consider storing them in mason jars. Not only do mason jars add a decorative element to your crafting space, but they also provide a convenient and visually pleasing way to organize your smaller yarn scraps.
Yarn Safety Measures
- Preventing Access: To safeguard your yarn from curious pets and little ones, store it in secure locations or use childproof containers. Additionally, watch for yarn-loving insects by storing newly bought skeins in zip-lock bags and freezing them for days to deter pests.
- Avoiding Mold and Sunlight: Protect your yarn from mold by storing it in a dry, well-ventilated area away from direct sunlight. Mold thrives in damp environments, so ensure your storage space is moisture-free to preserve the integrity of your fibers.
- Caking Half-Used Skeins: To prevent half-used skeins from becoming tangled messes, consider caking them before storage. This involves winding the yarn into a flat, disk-shaped cake using a yarn winder or swift. Caked yarns are more accessible to store and less likely to tangle.
Organizing Your Yarn Stash
- By Fiber: Arrange your yarn stash according to its fiber content, categorizing each type together. This method ensures that similar fibers are grouped, making locating specific yarns for your projects easier.
- By Weight: Further, streamline your organization by sorting yarn based on its weight classification. Grouping yarns by weight allows for quick identification and selection, saving time during project planning.
- By Color: Enhance the visual appeal of your storage system by organizing yarns by color. Whether you opt for a gradient or rainbow arrangement, sorting yarns by color adds aesthetic harmony to your crafting space and simplifies color selection for your projects.
In my library, each shelf is divided by fiber and then meticulously arranged in color order, ensuring that every skein is easily accessible for your next creative endeavor.
Digital or Print
- Utilizing Ravelry: Take advantage of digital tools like Ravelry to take track of your yarn stash. It lets you take pictures of your inventory, including fiber content, yardage, and color.
- Utilizing Google Spreadsheet: create a digital spreadsheet and put all the info you want. Remember to keep it updated!
- Printed: For those who prefer a tangible solution, consider printing a yarn inventory template. Subscribe to our newsletter for exclusive access to this printable resource!
Remember, a well-organized yarn stash is visually pleasing and enhances your knitting experience. So, let’s embark on this journey of how to organize and store your yarn together and ensure that our fibers remain as beautiful as the creations they inspire.
Happy knitting!
Warmly,
Arianna