A handy little guide with the best ways to store yarn for knitting and ideas to organize your stash
You started knitting, over the last couple of months you acquired quite a huge stash, and now you are wondering how to store yarn and keep it out of harm’s way? Or is your stash so large that you are looking for ideas and tips to organize it in a better way? Well, then you came to the right place because in this very comprehensive guide I will talk about all the vital things you need to be aware of in terms of yarn storage.
If you look around Pinterest or Instagram, you will find a lot of posts showing you beautiful walls, cupboards, and shelves full of colorful skeins. Of course, this may look very pretty and will make you feel like you were living in a yarn shop. Still, in most cases, storing your yarn out in the open is NOT a good idea.
Instead, there are quite a couple of things to consider to ensure the long-term safety of your precious knitting supplies. I’ll list them all first, and then we’ll go through each little aspect in greater detail. Depending on your living circumstances and the size of your stash, some of these points may or may not apply.
Yarn should be stored in a way that…
- pets, children, or an unsuspecting husband don’t have easy access.
- vermin or insects have no chance to nest in it.
- mold cannot spoil it.
- direct sunlight cannot bleach out the dyes.
- half-used skeins do not become tangled.
- permanent pressure doesn’t break or weaken the fiber.
- it’s easy for you to find what you need for a project.
Note: I earn a small commission for purchases made through links in this article.
1. Airtight boxes – the best place to store yarn
Personally, I always store my yarn in airtight boxes (I buy these here on Amazon). They come in all sizes and shapes and depending on your storage place (more below), you may want to get bigger, smaller, or flatter boxes (like for under the bed). It’s essential, however, that they are airtight and have a properly sealed lid.
Why? Well, any small little opening may allow both moisture and insects to crawl inside. And you probably don’t want that. Now, you might be tempted to use plastic bags instead. They are certainly cheaper but they will never be 100% airtight. Long term, this means anything that wants to get in, will get in.
Storing your yarn in boxes will also prevent it from getting dusty. Do, however, consider that yarn also produces dust. So, when you have a wall or cupboard full of yarn, every little movement in the air will make it shed microscopic bits of fiber into the air – aka dust. Besides, if you keep your yarn on shelves, your cats, dogs, or children may wreak havoc in a moment of inattention. A ball is such a nice toy, after all!
Some people might also use ziplock or vacuum bags. But you do have to understand two things: First of all, soft plastic will get brittle sooner or later, and some larva can actually eat their way through thin bags. If it’s just for a month, why not. But a lot of knitters store their yarn for a decade until they use it.
Also, these vacuum bags crush and pressure the fibers. And that may damage them. Most yarn is spun from animal hair and you have to treat it more or less like you would treat your hair. You wouldn’t want to crimp your hair for a year straight, right?
The breathability myth
If you scroll through the internet, you will frequently read that yarn needs to breathe. This is, the way I see it, a misapprehension. What is true is that a lot of natural fibers (think sheep wool but not acrylic) can store up to 30 percent of their weight in water without feeling wet. A lot of people will have observed a similar effect after they straightened their hair and then walked out into the humidity and 5 minutes later their hairdo was all curly and frizzy again.
And when you store internally damp hair in a closed environment, it traps this moisture, and this can lead to mold. Likewise, storing dry yarn in a plastic bag that is not airtight in a humid environment will ensure that the yarn will eventually absorb moisture through every small opening – creating the perfect environment for all sorts of fungi.
But that doesn’t mean your yarn needs to “breathe”. If you keep your yarn out in the open, this just means it will adjust to the ambient moisture. In a dry environment that’s of no great concern but it’s definitely nothing you want to do in a humid climate long term. Because even if there will be a dry day tomorrow, the mold can get in today.
The proper conclusion is thus: Always make sure your yarn is dry before you store it. Adding silica gel bags, rice, or any other sort of dehumidifying agent to your boxes might be a good idea. And that’s all it takes to prevent dry rot and similar problems. When seen across a decade or so, the seals of most boxes will often still allow tiny traces of moisture to seep in.
2. How to keep insects (moths/carpet beetles) out of your yarn
Pest control is another important thing you need to consider when you are looking for the best way to store your yarn. Wool is the most delicious meal for clothes moths. And if you store yarn in a basket on the ground, carpet beetles might find it a perfect nesting ground.
Now, keeping your precious stash in airtight boxes is certainly already an excellent start but long term it’s probably not enough. First of all, moth larva can wiggle their way through the tiniest little crevice. There’s also the chance that when you buy yarn, it can already be infested – especially if the yarn comes from a yard sale, through an auction, etc., and not directly from the spinner.
So, as a good precaution, you may want to consider putting new acquisitions into a zip-lock bag and putting it into the freezer for a couple of days. This will kill off any blind passengers.
On top of that, you may want to consider adding lavender (either in a little sachet or using a spray) to your boxes. Cedar cubes can also be an option. Moths really don’t like the smell.
3. Store your yarn in a dry, dark place
Now, as I detailed above, moisture might still seep through the seals of your boxes long term. So, I definitely recommend storing them in a dry place. This means no damp cellar but also not an attic where vermin may be an issue. If your cellar is dry, or your attic clean (and not downright boiling in the summer), then by all means, go ahead.
On top of that, you definitely have to consider that direct sunlight can bleach out a lot of dyes – especially plant-based dyes. Make sure that you keep your precious skeins in a more or less dark place. Now, no need to go overboard with this. If it’s a corner in a north-facing room, then I doubt you will have a problem.
Here’s a word of caution concerning breathability. Make sure that you don’t store your boxes in a way that they obstruct the natural airflow in your apartment. A sheer wall full of boxes might lead to mold behind them. Too many boxes below your bed might block the airflow and the moisture you sweat into your mattress during the night might not be able to dissipate into the air quickly enough, etc. It won’t affect your yarn, but having mold in your apartment/house is probably not what you want either.
4. organize your yarn for quick and easy access – 5 ideas
Apart from sticking to these few rules, I detailed above, you also might want to store your yarn in a way that it allows both easy and fast access. Just throwing every new skein that you buy into the next box might not cut it long term.
A) Organize your yarn by fiber > yarn weight > color
Another issue I have with most of these cute little yarn shelves is that they organize yarn by color. It certainly can look pretty but how practical is it? For example, if you look at all of my knitting patterns, very few of them call for a green yarn. A pattern typically calls for a certain yarn weight or fiber. Like fingering weight sheep wool yarn or so.
And likewise, the best way to organize your yarn is by fiber. So, put all of your sheep wool yarn into one box. All of your alpaca yarn into another box, etc. When you don’t have enough of one fiber to fill one box, do a mixed box and then stick a little label to the outside that tells you what’s inside.
If you have enough sheep wool yarn to fill more than one box, then separate the skeins by yarn weight. So maybe one for fingering and another box for DK weight and worsted sheep wool yarn. And if you still have more than that, then you can start to organize by color.
There are two reasons for this system and this order:
- It’s a lot easier to determine the yarn weight of a fiber than the content. With the wraps per inch method, you can easily guess what yarn weight any mystery yarn is. But it takes a lot of skill and experience to tell a dyed baby camel yarn apart from an alpaca blend or so (you’d have to burn some scraps and analyze the smell, the remains, etc).
- Yarn weight is not standardized. So, what one company might call fingering weight, another might call size 1, and another a lace yarn. And even when they all mean the same thing, the gauge of these threads can still be different, or the producer prefers a different gauge.
Depending on the size of your stash, a different classification might make sense. For example, I also have some boxes full of yarn from one yarn manufacturer because I use that yarn for very specific projects (e.g. I use Wollmeise yarn for almost all of my little flowers and pumpkins).
B) Every yarn needs a label
Most yarn you buy will come with a label with the most important information (here’s how to read yarn labels). It’s very important that you keep that information. You wouldn’t want to knit socks with a pure sheep wool yarn. Only a blend with nylon will ensure the long-term durability of these heels. This means:
- For yarn cakes, store the label at the center (or in the outer layer if you do center-pulls). That way, you can always easily access it.
- For half-used skeins, you can adjust the size of the label with a bit of tape to ensure it still fits.
- If you lost the label, make sure to attach a little piece of paper or cardboard with the essential information right away using a little pin. In that manner, you can also attach the label of yarn wound into a ball.
C) Use hair clips to secure tails
Most knitters will have a scrap box. Meaning a box full of half-used skeins. A wild mixture of colors and yarn weights. And if you move these boxes, the ends will eventually come loose and create a tangled mess. Instead, use hair clips to secure the ends for easy storage. I think this tip is so genius that I even included it in my list of 10 expert knitting hacks.
Tip: When knitting, you can use the same hair clips to secure the cast-on tail so it doesn’t get in the way.
D) Cakes, hanks, skeins, balls – does it matter?
Yarn comes in different shapes – either because you buy it like that or you actively wind it that way. So, what’s the best way to store your yarn? Should you all wind it into cakes? If you ask me, it really doesn’t matter.
Out in the open, a lightly wound industrial skein probably offers the most breathability. But when you keep it in a box, the minute differences don’t matter – as long as it’s dry, to begin with.
Yarn cakes have two advantages: They are easy to stack and you can knit from them right away. Still, I personally wouldn’t wind all my hanks into cakes by default. Why? Well, if you want to trade, sell, or gift that hank at a later date for whatever reason, it’s going to be so much easier as long as it’s still in its original form.
It might look neater if your whole stash has the same overall appearance but – setting the look aside – I can see to practical advantage.
5. Cataloguing your yarn
A lot of knitters have a huge stash. There’s even an acronym to describe them: SABLE – stash acquired beyond life expectancy. So, there’s not just one box of yarn under the bed and another at the top of the closet. And in these cases, having a system for these boxes alone might not suffice, you also might benefit from having a catalog for your inventory.
Sounds fancy, but basically that’s just a little booklet or file where you document your stash. If you have Excel or a simple inventory app, that’s all you need. Ravelry also has an option to catalog your stash. Here’s the data you could file:
- Name of the yarn
- Brand of the yarn
- Fiber composition
- Yarn weight
- Color
- (remaining) Yardage/number of skeins
- Stored in (box name/number)
- (Amount paid)
- (Acquisition date)
And then, before you start a new project, you can always go through your catalog and check what you have and where to find it. Of course, there are also apps and websites that you can use to the same effect.
Warning: A catalog is always only as good as the one keeping it. So, if you don’t update it meticulously, it’s more or less worthless.
Last notes & storage ideas
I trust you understand that this article should be seen as a list of options. Maybe you aren’t living in a place with high humidity or a place where moths are an issue. Then buying expensive airtight boxes might be a waste of money.
Or maybe your stash isn’t very big, then you will probably gain little from keeping a catalog. And if you only knit with one kind of yarn, then my proposed organization system might not be applicable in your case. So, kindly use your common sense and apply what seems reasonable in your case/circumstances.
I’m sure you also understand that it’s totally okay to keep the yarn for your current work in a project bag or basket – whatever you prefer!
But there’s one last thing I would like to highlight. Whatever conclusion you come to, consider treating your finished objects the same way. It makes little sense to go above and beyond to protect your yarn from moths, only to keep the finished sweater as feast for them in your wardrobe.
So, typically, I will put my knitted winter garment in the same boxes during the summer months when I don’t need them. I typically wash them before storage and add a bit of lavender to the box.
Also, you might have noticed that I am not a big fan of these fancy little craft room ideas that have you using your precious yarn as a decoration element. I mean, typically, you put your cooking ingredients into the fridge/larder as well. But, if you enjoy the idea, then, by all means, go ahead. This is a hobby and it should bring you joy! And only you can decide what does and what doesn’t.
Either way, that’s how to store yarn. Comment below in case you have any questions.
Thank you this was very helpful and insightful. I keep my wool based yarns in airtight bins. But not my 100% acrylic yarn. I keep that in the cubicle storage units that are popular.
I wish they would make clear or nearly clear airtight bins that fit into these cubicles. I have been looking but no luck so far.
I like your organization method. I have my fingering weight, lace weight, DK, Worsted etc. but I think after that I should do the color method. Do you keep your light fingering away from your regular fingering?
hm…no. I put that together with lace yarn because the distinction is not very clear in most cases.
Thank you! You’ve inspired me to organize my stash and take inventory (hope I’m not at SABLE level!)
Cheers
Hi Norman
thanks for the tips on storage….I think I might need more boxes..I just inherited my mother in laws stash and needles…
excited for the extra wool but yes it is all becoming a bit much to handle.
Love the hair clip idea…I am going to get some!
Anita
I love that idea, too, just be sure to get the kind that have a clear coating so they don’t end up rusting over time.
I never consider moisture and insects potential problems until I read this article. And I love that you treat yarns like rice by putting new comers in the fridge! Thank you so much!
This is the most insightful, useful and well written piece of information about yarn storage that I have ever read. Thank you a lot Norman!
After closing out my yarn shoppe in 2017, I purchased 56 qt see through storage containers for my inventory. I use Ravelry’s My Stash, under My Notebook. I take a picture of the yarn, enter the information, and easy peasy. No needing to reinvent the wheel, Ravelry has it all set up for you.
Thank you for the Ravelry link. I am just starting a small knitting business. This article is exactly what I was looking for, for when I make my first order. So glad I found this. Thank you both. Very helpful information for a start up knitting business. Heather in Ottawa 🇨🇦.
Great idea. Thanks for the Ravelry idea.
I use hanging, multi-shelf, zippered sweater bags to store my yarn in an extra closet. Yarn is protected from light and insects while also easy to access. And I sort it by weight, then fiber. So far this method has served me well since I do not have much available space for shelved to store boxes. I do love your suggestion to use hair clips to secure the ends of wound yarn and attaching information to identify yarn. Love all your hints, tips, and videos!
OMG this is brilliant!! My craft room has a pretty big closest with two hanging rails, so I could do this!! Thanks for the tip 🙂
Very helpful information!!! Thank you. I need to get cracking on my stash.
You must have been reading my mind! I recently Googled the best way to store yarn, and there were so many conflicting opinions that I came out even more confused. This article is the article I’ve been searching for! I never thought of using dessicants like rice or silica packets. Totally going to use that one.
The part about hiding the yarn from the unsuspecting husband made me laugh out loud ☺️
I recently found your channel and website and I love the detailed information you provide. And your are enjoyable to watch. Thank you for your fantastic videos!
Oh, Norman, I wish it was that easy. I live in a log cabin in Alaska and I am a hoarder of yarn. I used to but at least 2000 yards of every yarn I liked so I’d never run out if I want to make a sweater. Now I have 4 large cube bookcases stuffed full and hanks tied all the way up and across the banister to the loft. I have SABLE x5. I’ve given a lot away but there’s tons I can’t part with. I take so much comfort from it in the cold, dark winter months but I really don’t have room for it all. If you ever come to Alaska, I’ll be your tour guide if you help with the ‘yar
n shop’ in my home. 🙂
haha! sure <3
Hi, thx for the advice I’m going to try it . I definitely do not want bugs in my yarn.
Aa usual your advice is logical and so helpful. I now think of my yarn stash very differently. I was one of those knitters who used yarn as decoration. After watching your video and reading your blog, I will treat my stash with renewed respect.
Thanks for the post… I don’t have a big stash or a lot of variety (I use mostly cotton yarn, fingering weight or lace weight because I live in the tropic) but I was looking for the best way to storage my finished work and lavander is amazing! Thanks for the advice.
Great information! It confirmed how I’ve started storing my small amount of yarn was a wise choice. I will add the lavender suggestion now. Thanks for sharing your knowledge!
I have built a big yarn stash and it is getting bigger by the day and kinda running out of space at this point!… I have found barristers bookcases and that is what I am using as storage, I think it looks pretty while protecting the yarn behind glass doors.
Your suggestions are very helpful, but I still am having a problem figuring out how to group my yarns correctly. Just recently I entered what is probably pretty close to the SABLE category. I acquired a large stash of yarn at an Estate Sale at a price so good I could not resist. There are a lot of different weights, different fibers, as well as colors. Not all have labels.
My yarns are all in clear plastic bins, but not sure if they are air tight. At least they have some protection. In order to store them in a way that differentiates fibers etc. I would have to figure out what the unlabeled ones are. Is there an easy way?
For instance, there are cakes? of Lopi Icelandic Wool, some with labels. There are other cakes with no labels, the fiber looks similar, but not the same uneven texture as the Lopi. Acrylic vs. Wool is another issue for this stash. I think I am telling them apart pretty well, rubbing the end with my fingers to see if they felt, but not completely sure. Some wool contains synthetic fibers, so I am not sure whether trying to felt or burning it would help.
Any suggestions would be appreciated!
You can burn fibers (carefully in a crucible or so!). And by the way how fast they burn, melt, produce ash, and smell, you an identify them. But that’s a very complex topic I ca’t answer in a comment
Extremely beginner knitter, but simple fiber ID I can help with! Wool burns like hair and is quite smelly. Acrylic melts instead of burning. Cotton burns with a much cleaner smell. Blends will do what all their parts do, in roughly the same proportion, so if you take an inch of yarn and floof it out a little and set it on fire*, and it melts a little but also smells like burned hair, that’s likely a wool/acrylic blend and you might be able to tell which is the majority.
Unfortunately I don’t know enough about different sheep breeds to give much help there, but it would involve looking at the staple length of the fibers themselves and trying to work out their original floof/kink/slipperiness.
*As Norman said, carefully! I use candleholder bowls or plates or do it in my fingers directly over a bowl of water — only if you have good reaction time though!
If I can’t see it, I buy more lol
What a great bunch of tips! I’m trying to get my yarn stash more organized. I think that my housemates are tired of having yarn all over the place!
A wise friend once advised me that the best storage system makes it at least as easy to put things back as it is to get them out. Sensible! So I invested in a wire basket storage system similar to Ikea’s Jonaxel system. For the last 20 years all my yarn and fabric have been stashed in these drawers according to whatever categories I choose. I can see everything clearly, it is even easier to put items back than it is to dig them out–meaning my space isn’t cluttered up with “unfiled” stash items–and in all that time I’ve never had problems with moths, mold, or fading. The system cost a fortune at the time but I was looking for a permanent solution and it has succeeded brilliantly. It has withstood three cross-country moves; I don’t know if Ikea’s product is this durable, but on the other hand it is much cheaper.
In the past, I have stored yarn in a plastic tub that seals tight. It seems to give off a nasty plastic smell into the yarn. Did you have that issue?
well…if the tubs smell bad I would let them air out a bit before you store anything in them. but I have not that issue, yet
Hi Norman,
Excellent advice! When I to clear my mothers house because she had to go into a care home I found her wool stash was useless. My mother had stored her wool in plastic bags, in her garage for years and years. Sadly the wool just broke apart when I pulled it gently and it was so sad to have to throw it all away into a skip.
oh no. yeah..but that’s for sharing it!
Hi Norman!
I stored my yarn in those white cube & bookshelves in my Sewing Room. Sure, as you say, they looked pretty. I just spent hours stuffing all my yarn in individual plastic baggies ~ THEN remembered that you had a great article on the BEST way to store yarn. THANKS! I use the Stash inventory on Ravelry, which helps remind me why I bought specific yarn. But if I haven’t made something with specific yarn in years I realize I probably won’t so I’m allowing myself to split different combos & just knit what strikes my fancy now. Go with the flow!
Hello Norman,
I have just come across your fabulously written and informative blog. And the knitted things, oh my. I love your use of colour. I’m very much a novice knitter in that I have never been interested in doing complicated knits like my mother and my aunt did so I have only knitted a few simple things. I have just acquired some Prym needles because I always found that metal needles were very hard for me to hold on to, even before arthrosis set in, so I found your article on ergonomic needles very relevant.
I am definitely a SABLE, but a quilting/sewing SABLE 🤓 What you wrote about yarn care also applies to fabric, thread and leather care. I always keep the silica gel packets when I unbox stuff to use in my needle and pressure feet storage cases and in my thread storage system.
This article was awesome! Thank you! Also – HAIR CLIPS?!! 😵 So simple, it’s like “derr!” All this time with tangled ends 🫣
This article is so helpful! I’ve been a knitter for years and have a huge stash. I’m ashamed to say that I stored it the pretty way and just found some carpet beetles in it. So after I figure out how to rid them of my stash, I’m going to store them the right way.
I really enjoyed this article, but I’m afraid I might be a SABLE. I will definitely use the hair clip idea and the lavender idea. I’m excited to inventory my yarn horde too, which lives in a walk-in closet right now.
Thank you, i thought lets make a list so igot everything out, put it in lie piles, wrote it all down then put it away safely, then found i’d packed the list away too! i gove up heh
Hi, I’m about to move into a new house that we are building, and we have been jokingly calling one of the small bedrooms the yarn room. I’ve been imagining an AI generated image of yarn exploding from every corner and having night terrors over it. Right now most of my yarn is in plastic shoeboxes that I no longer needed to keep shoes in, but I wanted a better overall system for organizing the stash. I love the idea of saving silica packets to put in the boxes and will definitely do this in the future. I’m just wondering what you use to store the plastic boxes, like shelving wise? Also I used coated bobby pins for holding cakes and balls together and then they become stitch markers.
the boxes I am using are stackable. So, i actually don’t use any shelves.
Great article ! Funny because I created my own “catalog” in an excel sheet a few days ago…I bought a lot of yarns since 2 years, and I felt it was time to begin a stocktake (like I already did for my needles), at least to know how much I spent ! (oops ! really ?)
We are refurbishing the attic, I’m longing for being able to organize a nice place with shelves in the darkest corner…but reading you, I think I’d better find another solution ! Without these plastic airtight boxes if possible…so convenient but so ugly (to me) and non-eco friendly. Fortunately, my stash is not as big as yours and other SABLE’s ones…
So far it’s OK, I keep yarns in their paper bags, moving them around…no problem with moths or moisture, but not very practical nor aesthetic !
what did you end up doing? currently ive got all my yarn in many tote bags, im considering buying the plastic tubs though
Thank you for this! I am currently knitting a bag to store all my finished products in but wasn’t thinking about possible bugs getting in them. I may need to invest in airtight containers instead and find something else to use my bag for:)
Thanks for the hard clip idea 👍🏾
I store my yarn in dresser draws. By weight then color
Hi Norman,
Thank you so much for all of your tips! Your blog has been so incredibly helpful to me, as I’ve been working on re-learning knitting 20 or so years after I first learned it as a child, and I have come to really value your tips, tutorials, and input.
The storage ideas you shared here were very helpful, and I now use cutesy little half-sized hair clips on all of my knitting tails and yarn skeins and balls.
I’m also feeling pretty grossed out thinking about the larva issue you mentioned and am on the verge of tossing all of my yarn in the freezer for a nice bit of decontamination this weekend. Thank you so much for sharing that tip.
I have a question somewhat related to storage and organization and I didn’t see that you’ve shared something on this specifically quite yet… I wondered if you have any tips on storage and organization of patterns? I’m getting a bit overwhelmed with so many patterns that I want to store so that I can try them later, but I’m still new enough to knitting that I have to take frequent breaks from the actual knitting or my hands will start to hurt. And of course during those breaks I’m looking up more knitting tutorials and tips and coming across more patterns that I want to save. I have a spreadsheet for tracking my projects and wishlist of upcoming projects, but there are also a lot of nifty patterns that are more along the lines of “I want to do this someday but I don’t think I’m likely to do it any time soon”. Do you have any tips/ recommendations that you’re up for sharing on this? Or have you done one already that I missed when I was looking for it?
Thank you so much!
Best,
Chrissy
Actually, I cannot really help you with that because I almost never knit using patterns. As a result, I don’t need to store them. lol. I have a small folder with maybe 20-30 patterns max and that’s it.
Hi Chrissy! I crochet, but do the same thing with patterns that you do. I Organize the patterns by type of item to be made. Since most of the patterns I have are downloaded, I have a folder on my computer for Crochet Patterns and then sub-folders like Clothing-Women, Clothing-Children, Toys, Blankets, etc. I also prefer to work from printed patterns so I can mark off which rows I’ve done (in pencil so I can erase the marks I make to reuse the pattern). Then I store the printed patterns in notebooks with the same titles as the folders on my hard drive.
Hi Chrissy,
for my physical patterns theyre just in draws.. for online patterns i have some in pinterest and others that have been downloaded and sit in my cloud, am considering pining them though so they are all in one place
Hi Chrissy. In response to your question about organizing patterns, I hope you don’t mind my input. I put my patterns in plastic sheet protectors and store them in a 3 ring binder with tabbed dividers by type of pattern: Baby, Clothing, Blankets, Accessories; depending on the quantity of patterns in that category, you could separate them into smaller categories — Hats, Scarves, Socks, Gloves, etc, and so on…I hope this tip helps. 🙂
I live in the desert and feel like dust is the worst culprit…. I really need to store them out in the open because i am an ‘out of site, out of mind’ person…so it is important to me. I feel like I don’t need to worry about the bugs here in the desert, will I? I am going to keep them out of the light though, didn’t think about that, so thanks! lmk what you think about the dry climate tho
Even though I crochet instead if knit, I am definitely at the SABLE level of yarn stashing. I was chuckling to myself when reading about your Excel workbook for tracking your stash. My Excel spreadsheet is very similar, but I took mine a couple steps further. In addition to the cost per skein, I have a column that shows how much, overall, I’ve paid for a specific type, weight, and color of yarn AND a column for what the cost is per yard to make it easier to create a price for items that I sell.
After adding up how much I’ve spent on just 100% cotton yarn (approx. $3k in the last 4 years), I do NOT let my husband anywhere near this spreadsheet!
Hi Norman,
these were such great practical tips. currently I have all my yarn in alll these little totes bags thrown on top of my wardrobe and it’s a terrible system everytime i want to start a new project a shove all 8？bags on to the floor and go through all the bags one by one ……. anyway i could go on forever.. i did have a question about storing them, how exacly do you use rice and lavender？ which i have growing in the garden, and are cloves a good alternative to cedar？
Ayah xx
Well, you can sew the lavender into a bag and just toss it in. That’s what I do. Then again, I don’t live in an area where moths are all that much of a problem.
Maybe you can offer a helpful suggestion; when I was first starting out in the world of fiber arts I made a rookie mistake and did not keep my labels with my yarn. Instead I stashed them in an old coffee can which has long since disappeared even. And of course, over the years I have acquired yarns second hand that were/are label-less.
What would be the best way to go about finding the information such as material, brand, etc. I can figure out the wraps per inch but the rest of the info would be handy.
well, there are burn tests that you can use to determine the composition…at least roughly. So, depending on how fast it burns, the smell of the smoke, the residue it leaves behind, etc, one can make a good guess.