Where do you store your yarn?

[PamCrochets]

I finally got my yarn stash organized (sort of). I thought I was all set until I washed all my towels. Like everyone, I buy yarn. It doesn't seem like much because I never come home with a truck load at a time (although I'd love to). I usually come home with a few skeins for a sweater, or three for a hat set. Then I usually put the bag in a closet so the cats (I have two) can't get into it. It really didn't seem like I had that much. Last weekend I decided enough is enough. I had a pile of towels that needed to be washed (we were running out). I washed all my towels, and when I went to put them away, I couldn't. There was no room for the towels. I pulled out all my yarn so I could put the towels away, and I couldn't believe my eyes. I have way more yarn than I thought, and no place to put it. I went to Wal-Mart and bought a couple of those rubber bins (big ones). They work great, but I need to go get one more. I have one son left before all my kids are on their own, and I am waiting patiently (or not so patiently) for my craft room. :rollin

~Pam

[enmac]

I'm really lucky - I have a craft room with one wall covered with built-in cupboards, although a lot of the shelves are full of other craft stuff and other things. I don't have a lot of wool at the moment. I had a big cleanout a while ago and gave a whole bunch of odds and ends to my sister for her class (she's a school teacher).

One of my favourite storage options for wool is a set of shallow drawers, just about the depth of a standard ball of wool. I only have one of these and it's probably best for odds and ends and small quantities. If I have a whole heap of wool for a large project I generally keep it in a box or bag. I also have a couple of clear plastic bag type things that zip shut, which are very convenient.

[crochetme]

My husband got tired of our den being cluttered with bags of wool, so when I was out one night he dumped them all into a fairly large, shallow basket. It looks great, and means I can just toss things in there without worrying about organising, etc. Of course, it also means I have to keep my stash down to a reasonable level! Eventually, I'll get things in order and use a shelf in the closet of my home office.

[3parrots]

Do you take the paper labels off the yarn before you store it? I worry about the chemicals in the paper migrating into the yarn...especially if the yarn is not used right away. Many years ago I took a textile class and since then I'm always questioning how to store stuff. I line my plastic containers with cotton cloth and remove the paper labels. Maybe I worry too much? :rolleyes

[PamCrochets]

Ok, now you're going to have me looking at my yarn really close. Don't put things like that into my head. :eek

~Pam

[Donna]

I recently put most of my yarn in a formerly empty dresser in our guest room. (Don't tell my DH, he hasn't discovered it yet. lol) I also have one of those long, plastic underbed boxes full. Then there are some random bags of yarn lying about here and there.

[Tiffany]

I cleaned out a spot in my closet for yarn containers, but since they're full, I'm selling all of my girls' old clothes on ebay. They have a walk-in closet that was full of containers of the clothes they've grown out of, so I eyed the containers for great yarn storage and have started selling lots of the clothes that are in good shape. The money I make from the sales I get to use for buying them new clothes and new yarn. :D

I've taken to hiding yarn bags in places where my hubby doesn't look so that he doesn't find out how much yarn I actually have!:evil Yarn acquisition is a very naughty habit. :lol

[PamCrochets]

That makes sense to me Tiff. Since you're selling the clothes, and yarn will be going in those containers, it only makes sense that some of the money should go toward yarn. That sounds like a great system. 8)

~Pam

[antara]

Have you tried rolling your yarn into balls? Balls of yarn seem to take up less space than long skeins, plus you don't have to worry about those annoying tangles that always seem to be in the middle of skeins.

[PamCrochets]

I didn't think of that. That's a good idea. I always roll my yarn into balls before I use it, but I never thought of doing that for storing it. Also, I wouldn't have to stop what I'm doing to roll a ball every time I need another one. They'll be ready and waiting for me. :)

~Pam

[Julie]

I usually roll my yarns into a ball when I've finished the project. That way I don't have a half full skein tangling up and lose all over the place. It makes for tedious work though, when all I want to do it get on to the next project!

[ConnieCrayola]

I store it in the big plastic zipper bags that blankets come in when you buy them, all my project are in zip lock bags and finish projects go in zip lock bags.
Some one said: Craft Room wow. how wonderfull. One bedroom apt here and storage is a art. lol

[MommaChelle]

I store my yarn in my hall closet. There are 2 sides to the closet with 4 doors (top section and bottom section). I use the two top sections for my yarn and other craft related things. I have the yarn seperated from baby yarn and all other yarn. I feel very lucky to have this hall closet :D as I have tons of yarn!


Chelle

[jennmwalsh]

I wish I had a hall closet. Grrr. I just have plastic totes, too. And one large basket. I should organize it, but I'm trying to use some of it up, so haven't bought much yarn except what I KNOW I'll be using.

[jennrz4]

hmm...some great ideas here...I'll have to incorporate more than a few. LOL (shhh - don't tell the hubby) ;)

When I was pg with my 27 month old, DH built shelves in my closet so I could move my clothes out of the dresser and we could make room for the crib. Well...the closet ended up being my yarn closet and the baby ended up sleeping in bed with us...LOL - Hey! We all have priorities! :b So for now that's where the majority of my stash is. But I do have a few bags and containers floating around the house with more yarn. :D

Jenn

[Karen C.]

Well, like everyone else, I had amassed a huge stash of yarn little by little it grew and grew! :) I recently moved into a new home and I didn't want the clutter and made a hard decision...I needed to get rid of some of it. I got rid of mostly acrylics and scraps and have now decided that I will only buy what I need for a particular project...RIGHT!!!!<img border=0 src="http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/laugh.gif" />Right now I have quite a bit of thread that I am looking for a new home for; mostly caron's grandma's best, southmaid, etc. I have what I kept in a chest at the end of my bed and yarn for immediate projects in my craft room or project bag.

[ImNorma]

I have mine in the closet in the spare bedroom/craft room. I have large plastic storage units with drawers. My closet is full though, so now what?

[lunchbox]

I have mine in two large plastic totes and one current project basket. The totes are in the garage. We have a really small house.

If you take the labels off, how do you know what the label info is in case you need to buy more?

[rebeccav]

also a fortunate one, for now. we have a breakfast nook off the kitchen - except i have too large of a family to use it for that. so it has my exercise stuff, and with one wall completely cabinets, my yarn and the kids craft stuff is stashed in there. i say "for now" because soon (hopefully within the year) we will be knocking out the wall between the kitchen and this room and making the kitchen a full commercial grade cooking facility :woohoo :woohoo

[Donna]

If you take the labels off, how do you know what the label info is in case you need to buy more? :scratchchin Well, I don't usually take the labels off. But if I do, I just leave the label in the drawer or bag or wherever with the yarn.

soon (hopefully within the year) we will be knocking out the wall between the kitchen and this room and making the kitchen a full commercial grade cooking facility how cool! :thumbsup

[Happy_Hooker]

I actually store my yarn in the underbed plastic containers as well... I also use the closet shelves... :) It is amazing how many visions come to you in a store... and then when you come home they just get put away with the bags.

One thing I found helpful to keep my projects lined up is using shoeboxes (or the pretty video boxes from Micheals.) That way one project can fit in one box and I can label it for easy access. I find it can fit four skeins of yarn usually which is average for small projects... When I am ready to use it, it moves straight to my tote bag!

[cgd]

Being the spazz that I am, most of mine is lying in random piles on the guest bed in the 3rd bedroom, along with numerous crochet hooks (bamboo, Boye, and Bates oh my), double-endedhooks, Tunisian hooks (plastic and aluminum, cabled and not), knitting needles of all types (circular, bamboo, straight, aluminum). I have six skeins sitting on the footstool in the living room because I'm waiting for the right afghan pattern and/or a vision to come along. I'm working with two of them off and on. There are also a bunch of books and leaflets on the floor by my easy chair. Don't worry, I'll pick up if company comes!

[Sylviaf]

I store my stash in bins on shelves in the basement, except for the projects I'm working on which are in tote bags or on tables next to my couch...