3 Simple Ways To Organize Your Yarn Stash

One of the first materials that I’ve been organizing in my new craft space is my yarn stash. While I don’t have as many skeins of yarn as some, I do have enough that my cats would have a field day if given half a chance 😉  While I’m no yarn hoarder (my husband may think otherwise!), I did have several colours, weights, and fibres that I was eager to organize. So today, I wanted to show you my newly-organized yarn collection and the 3 simple ways to organize your yarn stash.

3 Simple Ways To Organize Your Yarn Stash

There are probably dozens of ways to organize your yarn stash. And it can all feel so confusing! Just ask Mr Google and Ms Pinterest – it’ll make your head spin!  

If you’re like me, and you’ve just started to accumulate enough yarn that you’re starting to lose track, then you will love today’s tips.

That’s because I like to keep things REAL SIMPLE. And when it came to organizing my yarn stash, I wanted to be able to find what I needed, and find it FAST.

I think these 3 tips are the EASIEST way to organize your yarn stash, and I hope you’ll find some inspiration – and motivation – to get organizing! 

Tip #1:  Decide How To Group Your Yarn

First things first:  decide how you will group your yarn.

By Colour

This is possibly the easiest way to organize your yarn stash, especially if you don’t have a particularly large collection. This is precisely how I’ve organized mine.

I love this method because it is visually appealing and it is easy to find just the right colour for my next weaving, punch needle or other yarn project.

By Fiber

While you’re at it, why not divide your collection by fiber. Whether you’ve got natural (e.g., wool or cotton), synthetic (e.g., acrylic, polyester) or blends (natural + synthetic), it’s a great way to organize your yarn.

In my craft space, I’ve divided my yarn by colour and by fiber.

On The Left are all my Synthetic Yarns and On The Right are all my Natural and Blended Fibres.

By Weight

Although I’ve not divided my yarn stash this way, I thought I’d add a couple of other methods that may be useful, especially if you are an avid knitter or crocheter, where matching weights is especially important. 

(For the kinds of projects I do, such as weaving or punch needle, I love incorporating different weights of yarn, so I’m not too concerned about this, as you can see below).

By Brand

I’m not loyal to any particular brand and buy what feels right at the time. BUT, if there is a particular yarn that I have absolutely fallen for, then I always make sure that I know the brand and which collection that yarn comes from so that I can re-purchase at a later date.

So, I always keep the label wrapped around the yarn or simply insert it into the core.

Tip #2:  Decide Where To Stash Your Yarn

Prior to my craft room makeover, I kept my yarn in cardboard boxes with lids. I had them organized by colour and/or fibre and was able to find most of what I needed this way.

At the time, it was the most convenient, cost-effective way I could organize my yarn.

Re-Purposed Bookshelves

Once our basement renovations were complete and I could begin organizing my craft space, I decided to re-purpose two old IKEA bookcases (Billy series) into yarn storage.  We purchased these about 15 years ago, but they are still in excellent condition.

Using open bookshelves has a few benefits:

1. The yarn is easy to locate.
2. It is easy to keep tidy.
3. It is also visually appealing.

Other Storage Ideas

If you’ve also been storing your yarn in cardboard boxes and are looking for a little upgrade, then these are some of my favourite choices:

• Clear, plastic containers like these ones or these ones.
• Clear, plastic drawer organizer like this one.
• Hanging shoe organizers like this one or this one.
• Cube wire storage shelves like these ones.
• Stackable, fabric storage bins like these ones or these ones.
• Thrift store containers (like an old suitcase, trunks, wooden crates, or any other storage that suits your style)

What other storage methods are you currently using?

Tip #3:  Keeping Track Of Your Yarn Stash

Keep the Label

The easiest, most cost-effective way to track your yarn (by weight, fiber, brand, etc) is by keeping the label. One of the EASIEST ways to do this is by placing the label inside the core of your yarn ball.

The one downside of this method? I’ve occasionally misplaced labels (they’ve fallen out or gotten mixed in with other labels), which is a bit frustrating. But now that the yarn is stored neatly in these bookcases, I hope to decrease the incidents of lost labels!

Next Level Organizing:  Catalog Using A Binder

While I don’t think I’m there quite yet, the next level of organizing my stash will be through some sort of simple catalog system. 

After a lot of research online, one of the BEST & SIMPLEST ideas that I’ve come across requires only 2 items:

1. 3-ring binder
2. Plastic card sleeves

I’m thinking of using a simple binder (like any of these on Amazon), and plastic card sleeves normally used for keeping track of baseball cards (like any of these) to better track my yarn.

By organizing each bookshelf using a separate binder (that’s further sub-divided into rows), I can then simply place each label inside the pocket of the sleeves.

If my yarn collection continues to grow as it has, you can bet I’ll be employing this method to keep better track (and – hopefully – never misplace a label again 🙂 ).

Final Thoughts

I hope these 3 simple ways to organize your yarn stash has provided some helpful tips. I know that I’m feeling far more organized with my yarn now and can’t wait to dig into my next project!

Happy organizing 🙂