4 Ways to Organize Your Yarn Stash

This is the Summer of Stash and I'm starting it off with a stash organizing prompt!

Organizing even just a little bit of stash is progress. So whether you have the time and wherewithal to organize one bag of yarn or your entire stash, you've got this!

The first step to organizing your stash is to perform an audit.

Take out the yarns you don't want anymore and let them go. What does "let them go" mean? It means different things depending on your circumstances.

• You can donate yarn to local organizations (churches, synagogues, and senior/community centers often accept yarn donations for knitting/crochet circles).

• Host a yarn swap with your knitting friends.

• Sell the destash yarn* on Etsy, eBay, or Ravelry.

*Note: selling your yarn requires: Yarn that's in good condition (no odors, stains, sun damage, pet hairs), photography that shows the color as closely as possible, a plan for shipping quickly, and, often, competitive pricing. In other words, it's not for the faint of heart.

Once your yarn has been audited and you only have yarns that you want to knit, think about how you'd like to store or display your yarn to make it easily accessible when you have that next amazing project in mind.

Supplies for Organizing Yarn

• Containers: Varies, depending on your stash size, storage space, and aesthetic preferences. Some of my favorite yarn containers are large storage totes, clear plastic bags, hanging or underbed shoe organizers, a bookshelf, a few drawers in a cabinet, etc.

• Masking tape or blank labels for labeling containers with the contents.

• Pen or marker.

• Time (the hardest "supply" to find, right?!) - I usually plan 1-2 hours to audit and organize my stash of approximately 6 large totes.

4 Ways to Organize Your Yarn

Think of the following categories as a jumping off point. You might decide that two or more categories appeal to you for organizing your yarn. If so, create your own unique yarn organizing style.

By Yarn Weight/Gauge

Organizing your yarn by yarn weight may be appealing if you tend to buy a LOT of different yarn weights. Putting all of your fingering weight into one box and all of your DK weight into another will make searching for the right yarn for the project you want to make much easier.

By Fiber

You might consider organizing your yarn by fiber if you knit different fibers for different seasons. You can organize your stash into plant fibers for spring/summer projects and animal fibers for autumn/winter projects. If you knit with plant and synthetic fibers for a family member who doesn't like animal fibers or have "easy care" yarns reserved for charity or baby knitting, store those together for easy access.

By Project

Keeping your yarn separated by intended project or project category might be helpful if you knit everything from socks to scarves to sweaters. This way, you know where to look when you're ready to knit a certain project type. Want to knit a sweater? Don't disappoint yourself by picking through all the yarn intended for a small accessory and coming up short. If you have yarn earmarked for sweaters, that's where you'll go to look.

By Color

Organizing by color family may appeal to you if you typically buy yarn that's roughly the same weight or if you do a lot of colorwork. If you intend to "display" your stash in a cabinet where it will be seen, organizing by color is aesthetically pleasing and looks like a wall of art.

When organizing my own yarn, I tend to categorize by YARN WEIGHT and PROJECT. This way, if I have a new design in mind I can search in my "sweater quantity" box for the right amount of yarn for a new sweater or in the "fingering weight" box for the right weight of yarn.

I audit/organize my stash multiple times per year. Usually, it's because I'm putting together a new project that requires something I think I have. Sometimes, I only audit/organize one storage box at a time. Keeping on top of your stash will help you remember the yarns you have... and if you can find the yarn, you can knit the yarn!

You can watch me go through my stash and even get a little emotional about some of the yarns on YouTube here:

If you're looking for an awesome book that will give you even MORE amazing stash tips, my friend Marie Greene wrote "The Joy of Yarn" and it's a fantastic resource for organizing your stash. There are 10 great stash-busting patterns, too! Get it here.