How to ORGANIZE Your YARN STASH For Your PERSONALITY TYPE
If you’re an avid knitter or crocheter, you know how quickly your yarn stash can grow. And if you find yourself in that position you will need a system for keeping your collection in order. Today we are going to explore how to organize your yarn stash…. but with a twist.
I’ve identified five different yarn stash personality types and we will examine how to organize your yarn stash based on those traits.
Let’s get started!
How to ORGANIZE Your YARN STASH For Your PERSONALITY TYPE
When I became a crocheter and knitter I had no idea how quickly my yarn stash would grow. Before I knew it, I was drowning in skeins and struggling to find the right color or weight for my next project (which is what made me start this whole process in the first place).
That’s why it’s important to have a system in place to organize our yarn stashes. But this isn’t going to be your ordinary, run-of-the-mill organizing post. We are going to dive into our personality types to discover which system is finally going to help us keep our yarn organized!
And the reason why you want to organize your yarn is because it saves time and money. No more accidentally purchasing yarn you already have in your stash. No more hunting around for that one skein that you KNOW is hiding somewhere amongst all the skeins, hanks and balls of yarn.
Yarn Stash Personality Types
First let’s look at each one of the yarn stash personality types. (This is not an exhaustive list, just one that I made up while walking my cat, Olive, lol)
- The Planner
- The Minimalist
- The Maximalist
- The Collector
- The Eclectic
The Planner
The Planner is the type of person who buys yarn for a purpose. You know these people, they plan ahead.
If they are working on a project they have already calculated how much yarn they will need so that they will NEVER end up with a different dye lot in one project.
Planner types also anticipate which projects they will be working on in the coming year. They know when the big sales are happening and they plan accordingly.
The Planner already has a yarn organization system in place (and probably doesn’t even need this post).
If you’re The Planner type, please leave your secrets in the comment section for us all to learn from you!
The Minimalist
The Minimalist is the person who only buys yarn for the project they are currently working on.
They don’t want a big stash because that would just lead them to feel very overwhelmed.
Minimalists don’t need much of an organization system because their yarn stash is manageable.
Many of us start out in this category but it’s easy to move into the next three yarn stash personality types.
The Maximalist
Everyone knows a Maximalist. They are the types of people who are full of fun and have a TON of yarn.
They don’t need a reason to buy yarn. If they like it, they buy it. They may also be those lucky people who score large amounts of yarn in charity shops and garage sales.
They can be extravagant with their budget or very frugal, cost doesn’t matter. And they have every intention of using all the yarn in their stash.
Sometimes these types are very organized, but more often than not they feel overwhelmed with the amount of yarn they have.
The Collector
The Collector is similar to the Maximalist but they are a little more discerning.
These are the types that love to splurge on unique yarns, especially when they are traveling. If the local yarn shop dyes a special collection for an event, they are the first in line to take it home.
The Collector does crochet or knit, but they also have yarn in their collections just because they love it. They don’t need a reason to have it and they don’t buy yarn for the sake of utility.
The Eclectic
The Eclectic is where most of us will find ourselves. We have a little of each one of the other yarn stash personality types.
We like to plan, but we also end up with yarn in our stash and have NO idea how it got there.
Some of our yarn may be well organized, but there’s almost always the hidden part of our stash that is a bit of a mess.
We plan to use the yarn we have, but occasionally we buy yarn just because we love it with no project in mind.
Organization Categories
Now that we know all the yarn stash personality types, we need to decide which organization style works best for us.
There are five different ways that we can organize our yarn:
- Weight
- Color
- Brand
- Project
- Fiber
Weight
One of the easiest ways to organize your yarn stash is to sort by weight. This means separating your yarn into categories based on its thickness. For example, you might have a pile for worsted weight yarn, a pile for bulky yarn, and a pile for super bulky yarn. This will make it easier to find the right yarn for your project, since you’ll know exactly which pile to look in.
And if you don’t know what weight yarn you have check out the WIP test, which I detail at the bottom of this post:
Is DOLLAR TREE YARN Worth the HYPE? An HONEST Review
BENEFIT: If you have a lot of different yarn weights like worsted, DK, fingering or bulky this is a great way to get them all arranged.
PERSONALITY TYPES: Organizing by weight is perfect for:
- The Planner
- The Maximilist
- The Collector
- The Eclectic
Color
Organizing by color is a popular trend on social media and works great for certain yarn stashes.
This can be particularly useful if you tend to work with a lot of different colors, since it will make it easier to find the shade you’re looking for. You can either sort by color family (e.g. blues, greens, yellows) or by individual color (e.g. navy, teal, sky blue).
There is literally nothing more beautiful than a wall full of yarns all sorted by color.
BENEFIT: This is a wonderful way to arrange your yarn especially if you use a lot of the same weight yarns. For example if 99% of your collection is worsted weight yarns you could use this method and it would be SOOOOOOO gorgeous.
PERSONALITY TYPES: Organizing by color is best for:
- The Planner
- The Collector
Brand
Another great way to sort your yarn is by brand.
This works best for those who have a lot of one particular brand of yarn. Keeping it all together ensures that you have all the same weight for a project.
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I really love this system for specific brands that I have a lot of like:
BENEFITS: Always know how much you have on hand of your favorite brands.
PERSONALITY TYPES: Sorting your yarn by brand is best for:
- The Planner
- The Minimalist
- The Maximalist
- The Eclectic
Project
Organizing your yarn by project is a great way to arrange your yarn stash, especially if you like working on a few different projects and know the yarns that work best for them like:
- amigurumi
- socks
- hats
- shawls
BENEFIT: This is a great system for organizing your yarn stash especially if you don’t have a large stash or you love making the same types of projects over and over again. This would be especially helpful for people who sell finished objects at craft fairs or on Etsy. Or for those who make a lot of the same things for charities.
PERSONALITY TYPES: Organizing your yarn by project is best for:
- The Planner
- The Minimalist
- The Maximalist
- The Eclectic
Fiber
The last way to sort yarns is by fiber. This is especially good for those who have versatile yarn stashes and want to keep those fibers separated.
Sorting by:
- wool
- cotton
- alpaca
- acrylic
- mohair
BENEFIT: This is a great way for those who have a lot of different types of yarn to separate them for easy access when crocheting or knitting.
PERSONALITY TYPES:
- The Minimalist
- The Collector
Display, Storing Away or Combination
The next decision you need to make is whether you are going to display or store away your stash. You also may want to do what I have done and combine the two.
This will definitely depend on your personality type but also the space that you have available for yarn storage.
BENEFITS OF DISPLAYING: This is great for those of us who love to see all our yarn out. It leaves us feeling inspired to crochet and knit. It’s also a good way to easily take stock of what you have so that you don’t waste time and money buying yarn that you already have.
BENEFITS OF STORING YARN AWAY: This is a good way to organize your yarn especially if you feel overwhelmed by visual clutter. It’s also very practical for those who need to store yarn in every nook and cranny in the house like under a bed or in a closet.
Process
Now that you’ve decided your yarn stash personality, how you’re going to sort your yarn and where it’s all going to go, it’s time to get to work.
Go Through Everything
If it’s been a while, you will likely need to go through your stash to know exactly what you have. Some people do this regularly and some haven’t gone through their stash in a long time.
This is especially important if you currently don’t have an organization system in place.
It’s a good idea to know what you have in your stash.
Purge
I will be honest, it’s VERY hard for me to part with yarn because I always think “I might need that”. But there’s rarely been a time that I regretted donating or selling yarn.
It’s better to be left with only the yarn you love.
Sort
While at the same time you’re going through your stash and purging it’s a good idea to sort as you go.
The way I like to do it is to get some sort of container like a paper bag and put all the yarn for that category in it.
But you can also just lay them out on the floor or a table as well. Any way that you can visually see the yarn separated is good.
Put Away
Then it’s time for the fun part, where you can put away all that gorgeous yarn!
There is nothing quite so satisfying to me than to see my shelves lined with all my yarn and it be perfectly organized.
How to ORGANIZE Your YARN STASH Without Feeling OVERWHELMED
One of the best feelings is having your yarn stash completely organized. But it can feel overwhelming because you may have a large collection or you have no idea where to start.
I got you.
I know exactly how you’re feeling and I’m going through this process right now and I’ll take you through each and every step.
How to ORGANIZE Your YARN STASH
By following these tips and tricks, you’ll be well on your way to organizing your yarn stash. Not only will this make it easier to find the right yarn for your next project, but it will also help you keep track of what you have on hand.
Whether you’re a planner, a minimalist, a maximalist, a collector or an eclectic (like me) knowing how to organize your yarn stash will be sure bring you joy and creativity.
Happy Stitching!
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