Yarns Storage: Part 2

kitchen scale

In the last article, we discussed some of the materials you'll want to have on hand to organize your stash for better storage and efficient stash dives.  You'll need the zipper bags for each skein or for groups of several skeins.  You'll need index cards, plastic bins or boxes or bags, and a kitchen scale that weighs in grams.  Bins are available at major department stores ($3-$15) as are kitchen scales ($18-$40).  Zipper bags are available at the grocer, or in a variety of sizes in large quantities on line.  (I find the online resources to be cheaper.)

Everyone knits differently, and works on different projects.  This will have an effect on the larger storage choices, but the smaller packaging I recommend will be the same.  The yarn needs to be clean and dry, and you need to bag it in dry circumstances (not on a rainy day near an open window!)  Lay out your bags, yarn, index cards, and a Sharpie marker.

Each individual skein or group of skeins in a particular dye lot needs to go into its own bag.  So if you have 4 skeins of Mountain Colors Bearfoot in Juniper colorway, they'll all go into the same plastic bag.  Or, if you have 2 full skeins and a partial skein of Bearfoot, they will also go in the same bag.  The total contents of each bag should be weighed on the kitchen scale.  The bag contents will be listed on an index card in large, bold writing as follows:

Mountain Colors Bearfoot


zip close bags

Juniper
426 grams total

If your stash is large, you'll want to squeeze all the air out of the bag before you close it.  Most skeins are almost 1/2 air!  Squeezing it out gives you more storage room.  (Don't worry, it bounces back after a few hours out of the bag.)  The purpose of the big printing on the index cards is that it's easier to read than a ball band, and gives you all the information in one place. 

Now, the question I'm always asked at this point is, "Why do we have to weigh everything?"  Because you can tell how much yardage you have by knowing the weight.  If your yarn gives you 200yds per 50g, you do the math and get 4yds per gram.  Now, however many grams are listed on the index cards multiplied by the number of yards per gram = how much yardage you have in your stash.  Exact yardage is great to know before you start a new project.  The pattern will tell you how much yarn it needs, and you know at a glance whether you have enough.

If you're on Ravelry, you don't need to do the math for your yardage.  The "Stash" function keeps track of it all for you.  And you don't need to look into your stash boxes, either.  Click on the yarn name in your "Stash" list, and you can locate a photo of the yarn!

Group yarns as you wish.  I choose to group by weight and by fiber.  Worsted cotton has a bin, worsted alpaca is in another, and worsted wools are in another.  (My stash is embarrassingly huge!)  Other people group by color, manufacturer, season, or whether it's machine or hand spun. 

Doing all of this takes some time.  You may not want to do it all in one sitting, or even one weekend.  But when you're finished, your stash will be compact, safe from pests, smells, and other contaminates, and neat.  What more can a knitter ask for?

New Year's Resolution: Yarn Storage

It's just a start, and we'll get into it more deeply later.  For starters, how do you store your yarn right now?  Is it in bags and boxes and bins and closet shelves and basement corners and attic shelves?  It's time to update your plan.

This project will take a little planning, and some time.  Before you begin, figure out what kind of storage you're going to need to make an organized stash.  Make a solid estimate of how much yarn you really have.  Maybe a few plastic storage bins are all you need.  Maybe a few large plastic zipper-close bags.  Definitely labels OR index cards or both.


Next, you'll need to figure out where they yarn will be stored.  You can put it anywhere except the attic as long as it's properly packaged.  It needs to be safe from heat, humidity, and dust.  Under the stairs, a guest room closet, a heated garage, the basement, empty bookshelves, a wine rack... The places are endless.  The packaging is the key.

Many folks like to store their stash in open bins and shelves in their homes in a den, craft room or guest room.  That's very pretty, and effective in some cases.  However, if you leave your windows open at any time during the year, or prop your doors open, you risk moths and other pests settling in to your stash.  YUCK!  Pulling out a skein and discovering it's been moth eaten is annoying and expensive.  Yarn also absorbs cooking smells, cigarette smoke, pet dander and scents, and of course, cats love to play with any exposed yarn they can get their paws into.

The system of using shoe pouches is a better one, in that it protects the yarn on three sides, and it's easy to tell what colors and yarns are in your stash.  The yarn labels appear to be missing, which I would advise against.  Still, the yarn is open to bugs and contaminants.  Zipper bags in the pouches would be better.

The system I would recommend is putting your yarns in a sealed plastic container.  I love the clear plastic bins, and zipper bags.  I use them together.  If you want to use the shoe pouch system, put each skein in a zipper-close bag.  Ditto if you want to use an open bin system  No matter what system you use, keep a ball band with the yarn whenever you can. 

In the bin system at right, the ball bands are with the skeins.  The bins are completely sealed, so basements and garages are now an option, because humidity, pests and contaminants are kept at bay.  The bins are medium-sized, which makes organization and stash-diving very easy.  I would add labels to the ends and top of each bin, but otherwise, this looks like a major step in the right direction. 

Assess your stash, and start planning.  In the next article, we'll detail the packing process.  It will make your stash a delight.  I promise!