How to Organize and Reduce Your Yarn Stash

Many times, we have more yarn than projects. Traveling and just a love of fiber has many yarn enthusiasts making a plethora of purchases. the color, texture and the beauty of what our potential project will look like has lured us to buy "one more skein." This results in too much yarn and not enough projects. If you have vowed not to purchase another skein or hank of yarn until your supply has dwindled, here are a few ways to organize and reduce your yarn piles.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Plastic storage baggies, small, medium & large
• Plastic storage boxes, various sizes that will fit your storage needs
• Masking tape for labeling
• Marker
• Paper
• Decorative bowl or basket
• Decorative or not-in-use knitting needles

How To Organize and Reduce Your Yarn Stash

1. The first process in reducing your stash is to pull out every skein of yarn you have and take an inventory. Divide your piles according to pending projects, fiber content, ribbon yarns and cotton. Within these categories, you can also organize your yarns by color. If necessary, label your piles according to the above-mentioned categories until you are ready to bag your yarns.

2. Now that you have some general categories created, you can start organizing. Start with projects you would like to make for yourself. Take a plastic storage bag or plastic container. Gather the yarn for the project you plan on completing for yourself and place in your baggie or container. Photocopy your pattern and fold it in half with a portion of the project facing outward. Place your photocopy in the front of your Ziploc bag or your plastic container. This way, you can easily see the project you want to work on when you retrieve it from its storage area.

3. For projects for other people, repeat Step 2, but write the person's name on the outside of the baggie. You may also take a digital photo, if you have the time, to assist with organizing your projects and making an easy retrieval process.

4. For small bits of yarns from leftover projects, store them together as these could make great pieces for fringe or patchwork projects. For yarns that you do not know what to do with, organize by fiber and color.

5. Now that your yarns are organized in containers and/or bins, it is time to create a master list of projects that will allow you to reduce your stash in no time.

6. Once you have created your list, you can put this list on the wall of your yarn storage area. As you decide what projects to do, you can go shopping in your organized stash or, if you have the time, you can organize your stash-reducing projects in baggies and containers until you can start them.

7. Return all of your newly organized yarn to its storage area. Next, look forward to the projects that you can do that will reduce your inventory and make room for the new fiber that's out there waiting for you!