Whether you have enough space in your home to have an entire craft room or barely enough room to store anything extra, finding the best way to store yarn is essential. As a crafter, I’m always searching for the best ways to organize and store my fiber and other craft supplies.
I’ve been knitting for nearly 25 years, so I’ve had plenty of time to build up an out-of-control yarn stash. I’ve gone from a tiny apartment to a few different homes of varying sizes. (Before kids, I even had my very own yarn room at one point!) But despite my space (or lack thereof), helpful yarn storage ideas are always much needed.
I still tweak my yarn storage and organizing regularly, based on my habits at the time. However, some fundamental yarn storage truths apply no matter your system. Here are my most valuable tips.
Don’t be Afraid to Purge
Knitters and crocheters everywhere have a single weakness: yarn. It’s nearly impossible for yarn lovers to enter a fiber store and leave empty-handed. That’s why it’s so common for a knitter to have a large stash of yarn; we need to keep all the lovely fibers near us for when inspiration strikes!
Unfortunately, if you have very little space to store all that extra, beloved yarn, you have a problem. It can be difficult, but it may be a good idea to sort through your stash before you begin organizing to decide if there is any yarn you can get rid of. (GASP!)
I know it’s not an easy choice, but sometimes we knitters need to be realistic with ourselves. As I go through my stash, I find remnants of projects from so long ago that I can’t even remember what I initially used them for.
I also find yarn I bought simply because it was a good deal; however, if I’ve had it for over ten years and still haven’t used it, chances are I’m not ever going to. I was attracted to the bargain, not the yarn.
Be realistic as you evaluate your yarn — do you really think you’ll ever use it? Or, do you truly love that yarn and honestly just haven’t found the perfect project for it yet, or is it only “meh,” something that was a reasonable price?
So if you only have a small space to stash your extra yarn, consider cutting down on your stock prior to organizing. Only keep the best types of yarn. You can donate unused yarn and make somebody’s day or work out a trade with a fellow knitter!
Storing Yarn Long-term
If you are storing your yarn for an indefinite time, it’s critical to be mindful of how you put it away. Of course, you must have your yarn organized so you can easily sort through it when you need it, but you should also be able to access it easily.
You can find tons of adorable yarn storage ideas online for displaying your yarn, such as open shelving with wire baskets, but that isn’t practical for large yarn stashes that will be stored for the long term.
The goal of your yarn storage solutions should be to
- Keep your yarn in good shape
- Prevent it from becoming a tangled mess
- Easily find suitable yarn for your pattern
Airtight is Ideal
Keep your yarn in an airtight storage container for the best yarn storage solution. Plastic tubs are sturdy enough to protect your yarn from getting jostled around and can also keep out dust and moisture.
A tub with a good seal means no moisture can creep into your yarn, which is a serious concern. Some fibers are prone to retaining water, and you won’t even know it because they don’t feel wet. However, excess moisture can quickly lead to mold and mildew, ruining your entire yarn stash.
Plastic bags, including zip lock bags, may seem like a convenient yarn storage solution, but they won’t be very helpful in protecting from humidity. Plastic bags aren’t airtight and may only encourage moisture.
Pro tip: toss a couple of silica gel bags into your plastic bin to soak up moisture that may have snuck in!
Plastic storage containers may take up a lot of space, but they can hold a good amount of yarn. Plus, the boxes come in many size options. You can have several that are stackable or a couple of long, low ones that you can slide under your bed.
Finally, be sure to keep your yarn out of direct sunlight. The sun can cause your yarn to fade and bleach, which wouldn’t be ideal. If you aren’t keeping your storage bin in a dark, dry closet, make sure it’s opaque and not transparent.
Keep Your Yarn Pest Free
Ugh, bugs. They love wool almost as much as we do!
Keep your beautiful yarn pest free with only a little effort. For example, don’t store yarn in an open container on your rug; carpet beetles will likely find their way to a feast in your yarn basket.
You can deter pests by placing lavender sachets or cedar blocks among your yarn skeins. These help yard off those annoying insects and smell good while doing it.
Mothballs used to be the go-to method for preserving wool, but yuck. It smells terrible, is dangerous to pets and children, and can actually damage your yarn if it accidentally makes contact.
If you notice a moth in one of your balls of yarn, dispose of it immediately. It likely left eggs behind, and moth larvae will spread to the rest of your yarn.
Organize and Catalog Your Yarn
Your yarn isn’t very useful to you if you don’t have easy access to it, so it’s critical to find the best yarn storage method that works for you. It’s helpful to determine what yarn you have without needing to do a lot of digging around. Make it easy for yourself, and future you will thank yourself!
Take time to think about what will be the most helpful to you in sorting your yarn. For example, do you usually pick your projects by color, weight, or whatever yarn you have available? Or do you choose the pattern first and only worry about the yarn later?
Store Your Yarn by Color
Are you a very visual person? Seeing your yarn sorted by color can look so pretty and feel so satisfying. This is a useful yarn storage method if color is your number one factor when working on a knitting project.
If you choose to sort your yarn according to hue, using clear plastic storage bins is most helpful. This will enable you to find your yarn very quickly and get the satisfaction of those beautiful colors every time you look at the containers.
Unfortunately, organizing your yarn by color may not be the most practical way to sort your yarn. It is, however, the most lovely way.
Store Your Yarn by Weight
Have you ever been so excited about a new pattern that you simply can’t wait to get started on it? You want to grab your yarn immediately so you can cast on, and searching for the correct yarn weight can feel like a drag. (I speak from experience here.)
A much more practical yarn storage solution is to sort it by weight. Most knitters begin with a pattern in mind and need to pick yarn accordingly. Most patterns specify a specific yarn weight, which is critical in ensuring your garment knits to the appropriate size.
For an even deeper organization, try sorting your stash first by fiber, then into weights, and finally into color. That will still fulfill your need for color organization! In my humble opinion, this format is the best way to store yarn.
If you have multiple bins, label the contents of each for even quicker access.
Always Keep Your Labels
Speaking of labels…
Always keep the labels on your skeins. Even if you’re storing leftover yarn from a previous project, don’t toss the label when you’ve finished. Instead, find a way to secure the label back onto the yarn before you store it.
The labels are invaluable; they indicate the yarn’s weight, fiber content, dye lot, and even care instructions. These are all needed when you begin your new pattern. For example, it would be perfectly tragic to accidentally knit a pair of socks with pure wool! They would shrink after the first wash, and the heels would get worn out quickly, too.
Use Ravelry to Catalog Your Yarn Stash
If you want to be really organized – and you do, don’t you? – create an inventory for your yarn stash. Yes, this may be tedious to get started, and it’s a ton of work, but it is incredibly worth it!
If your storage space isn’t the easiest to access, try creating a spreadsheet that you can use to keep up with everything you have stashed away. This also prevents you from blindly rummaging around for yarn that may not even be there.
If creating your own document is too daunting, check out Ravelry. They took the hard work out of inventorying your yarn! When you set up an account, you can enter your yarn information, and the site will organize it into a chart.
Their handy stash tool lets you record your yarn’s name and type, the color, weight, yardage, and how many skeins you have on hand. It will even calculate your total yardage when you have multiple skeins! This makes it really simple to determine if you have enough for a specific pattern.
You can even use your stash organizer to search for new patterns compatible with the yarn in your collection!
Short-term Yarn Storage Ideas
If your yarn organization goal isn’t about keeping it around for a long time but just keeping your yarn tidy, then you have fewer storage restrictions. You don’t need to worry about losing track of what’s in your inventory or whether it will get ruined by humidity or bugs if you plan to use it within a few months.
This opens you up to many fun yarn storage options that allow you to display your prized yarn like the eye candy it is!
Crafty Yarn Storage Idea for Easy Access
Knitting is an art form, and our medium is yarn. Yarn lovers adore yarn in any form, and it’s always a piece of art to us. That’s why we love to display it, whether we’ve crafted it yet or it’s still waiting to take its final shape.
Here are just a few fun ideas for displaying your precious yarn.
- A wine rack or a wine cabinet. Slide your yarn skeins in as if they are bottles of wine.
- A few wire baskets. You can place these on a bookshelf or some shelving, creating some vertical wall storage.
- A vintage cabinet. What better use for a beautiful piece of furniture? Unless the cabinet has glass doors, you won’t be able to see your yarn inside, but you can also leave the door open to show off the pretty shelves.
- Wooden crates. Stack a few on top of and next to each other, and voila! You have a customizable storage solution that can fit nearly any space!
How Do You Store Your Yarn?
Those are my top tips that I’ve learned over the years for storing my yarn. But I happily admit that my methods are ever-evolving. My yarn is currently (mostly) in opaque plastic bins in a closet under the stairs. That doesn’t mean they won’t be someplace else in a few months!
So, what did I miss? How do you store your yarn? Please comment below with your yarn solutions. I’m always looking for more ways to store; perhaps that’s just an excuse to expand my yarn stash!