I’ve run across some interesting ways to store yarn and some appealing ways to corral those skeins and balls while we’re using them. If you’ve got ideas other than these, please and kindly with sugar on top, share with us!
THREAD BOWL
http://www.nancysnotions.com/product/small+yarn+bowl+purple+dots+on+white.do
I’ve seen something similar in person. I’m enthralled. I have two friends who do ceramics. I’m going to show them a picture and see what they can come up with for me. Having the ball of thread in a weighted container is very handy!
FOR YARN INSTEAD OF SHOES
I have several of these hanging from the rafters in my basement. There are double sided ones, clear ones, canvas ones, etc. Mine have all come from thrift stores. They hold a lot of yarn and can also hold other crochet and crafty items. You can also hang a bunch of them in a fairly small space. They hang nicely from those plastic tube hangers or even wire hangers – usually doubled up to support the extra weight.
BLANKET BAGS FOR YARN AND FO'S
These make fantastic holders for scads of yarn (especially in the days before Space Bags) and finished objects. I have a ‘stash’ of finished baby things (in anticipation that SOME DAY my kids might present me with grandchildren) and these keep them stored nicely – no bugs, no mildew, no odors, and clear visibility. Best yet is that all my friends know I use them, so I get lots of free ones.
Space Bags as seen on TV
Then, there are the ‘actual’ Space Bags which my husband has decided are the perfect way for me to corral my yarn stash and, thus, the perfect gift for me for most occasions. Okay. I give up! I have lots of yarn stored in them and I’m loathe to open one of those bags and have to drag out the vacuum to reseal. He’ll do it if I ask him nicely. There are several advantages to the Space Bags (other than the ones they’ll happily tell you about in the Infomercials). Since they’re clear, it’s easy to be fairly well organized in identifying what’s in your stash. With 20% off coupons from Bed, Bath, & Beyond, they aren’t too expensive. Everyone has something to give you for your birthday. They really do hold A LOT of yarn – in fact, I am unable to lift the largest one that is stuffed with at least 50 skeins of wool yarn!
Other than the ubiquitous tote bags and laundry baskets overflowing with yarn stuffed into every corner of my life, I can’t come up with much else right now. I’m a piler – not a filer. It’s that ADD again. If I can’t see it, I don’t know I own it!
So, what are your storage ideas? Send us a link so we can see. I need help!
I love the idea of the space bags for yarn storage. Hopefully I’ll be able to fit for yarn in my closet with these!
I used to have mine stored like this to keep it toddler-proof:
http://kimberlychapman.com/crafts/knit-yarnstorage.html
I love your storage ideas. I have used a few of these myself. I am trying to “organize” my craft room and yarn stash. But like you “I’m a piler – not a filer. It’s that ADD again. If I can’t see it, I don’t know I own it!”
I’m a fan of blanket bags, totes, and anything that can hold yarn/thread.
I’ve recycled non-dairy creamer containers for hooks and notions, large coffee cans (plastic) for projects that can fit inside of them.
These are great ideas for how to store your yarn stash. Just wanted to say thank you for recommending Space Bag as a storage solution. As you may know from the commercials, Space Bag vacuum-seal bags are airtight and waterproof, meaning they’ll protect your yarn from dust, dirt, mildew, moisture and pests. Space Savers, Space Bag’s online community for fans, has additional tips on how to keep the craft room tidied up. Feel free to visit http://www.SpaceSaversCommunity.com for more space-saving and organizing ideas.
Thanks again,
Space Savers correspondent
I like some of these ideas. I make plarn out of old plastic grocery bags and then crochet things with it. One of the biggest difficulties with it is trying to coral it into balls or something. The plastic is just too slippery sometimes to stay in a ball. After a lot of trial and error I’ve settled on empty tissue boxes! The kind with the plastic flaps on top work best as it keeps it in but doesn’t give too much resistance when you actually WANT it to come out.
Jennifer, I’ve been doing the plarn thing for awhile now. The balls can be tamed!! Here’s what I do. After the plastic bag ’rounds’ are cut, separated into colors, and looped together, I start rolling them into a ball. After the ball is about 2-3″ around, I’ll take the next little section that’s waiting to be wound and sorta pinch a little tab, 2″ or so, and lay that tab on the already-wound ball, then wind the next few turns on top of the tab. (Geez, this sounds a lot more complicated than it really is!) Keep going, doing the ‘pinch a tab and roll over it’ thing until you’re done. Or, as I do it, until I get bored with the winding. Let me know if this is totally confusing.
Susan,
This is very helpful information. Thanks for sharing!
jd
Um, another trick for our yarn collection, actually those last little bits of yarn left over from a project. If the left-over is 9-10″ or more, it goes into Bag #1. (If less than that, see below.) When there’s a considerable amount of orphans in the bag (or the bag is getting kinda full) I tie them into a long string, usually separating like colors, then wind the string into a ball. When the ball is big enough (??) I start crocheting with it, usually into a granny square. When I’ve got a stack of those, I join them into an ever-growing item. Could be a blanket, a place mat, whatever.
If the snippets are less than 9-10″, I’ll pile them up on my cutting board, grab my rotary cutter and just chop them into tiny bits and put them into another bag. Eventually they get mixed into a bag of stuffing. The stuffing goes a little further, and the landfill thanks me.