I know the sight of all that yarn was a terrible temptation for all the knitters out there. We had a wonderful response to our Cleaning Out the Closest Giveaway; thanks to everyone who shared their best organizing tips (and volunteered to take some extra yarn off our hands)! Our reader with the cleanest closet is Dianna M., who made this suggestion:
I have a tote bin for acrylics another for cottons. My needles are in a box that computer paper comes in, along with a binder of knit patterns I’ve collected, another binder for crochet patterns. My hooks are in a cosmetic bag I got for free, and in another one sewing needles, stitch markers and scissors. My WIP are in separate gift bags/paper shopping bags with handles so I can just grab a project if I’m going somewhere with down time. ( like waiting for my son after school)
We will be sending Dianna her new yarn in a week or two. Thanks again to everyone who participated in our contest! We got some excellent ideas for organizing yarn, as well as ways to store knitting needles, which will be incredibly handy for those of you who are thinking about doing some cleaning for the new year. We got such an overwhelming response that we couldn’t post everyone’s comment, so I had to pick a couple of my favorite ideas.
Yarn Organization Ideas from Our Readers
My Mom-in-law used to wind her circular needles, and then clip with a wooden clothes pin. They laid flat in a draw and were never tangled. – Rose M.
I store my stash in bins, my knitting needles in roll up needle cases and WIPs in tote bags. I have one large quilted tote with several pockets sewn into the inside that I use to take my project to “social knit groups”. It has a pocket on the outside that holds my patterns instructions. – Barb
Here’s the breakdown – beautiful glass jars for straight needles. A basket for DPN’s and circulars. The closet holds the yarn that is kept in flexible, see-through bags, and many totes and baskets that hold individual projects. All books, magazines, and individual patterns are organized on the bookshelves. I also have a fun turquoise kitchen cart that holds accessories, scissors, and any misc. things I need for the current projects I’m working on. (Cart is from IKEA) – Nancy P.
My knitting organization tips are to keep your projects in their own bags – use a tote big enough to hold all the materials and zip lock bags work great to keep yarn clean and small parts from getting lost. – Catherine C.
I have yarn in totes by type…worsted, bulky, etc. This way, when I find a pattern I like I look in my stash to see what colors I have before I go to the store or on eBay. – Iyn D.
I’m a big fan of storing yarn out where you can see it! I especially love keeping it in shelves with dividers and organizing by color. It makes such a fun, eccentric splash in any room. – Lauren
I use craft foam to organize my needles and hooks. I snipped holes in an 8″ strip of foam to pass the tools through then I can say them all together, roll them up and tie with string. They pack nicely into a bin and they are in order for easy retrieval! – Veronica E.
My yarn is in a hanging clothes organizer, where it’s easy to see and easy to get at. My needles aren’t really organized, just kept in a really tall large cup at the moment with all my circular ones held together with a chip clip. I usually only have one project going at a time so it sets out on the table by my chair ready to pick up the minute I sit down. – Carol
Keep my yarn projects in the large clear plastic bags that blankets/quilts come in. By seeing the project, I am encouraged to pick up my crochet hook and once again start working on my project. – Kathy
I have a plastic three drawer that I keep knitting, crochet hooks, and started projects in and a big 9 box shelf with boxes in it where I store my yarn. – Annalisa K.
What will you be knitting in 2014?
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I wind by yarn on a ball winder, tucking the label in the center and stack the “cakes” by content and size on the shelf so I can see what I have.