How to Organize and Store Yarn

YARN STORAGE IDEA

If you are a knitting enthusiast, an avid crocheter, a weaving fan, or a general craft lover, you probably have a stash of yarn.  How to store the yarn stash to keep it in good shape and organized so colorful hanks, skeins and balls of yarn can be found at a glance and accessible can be a challenge. 

What should yarn storage do?

• Protect the yarn
• Keep yarn from getting tangled
• Make yarn easily accessible
• Keep it neatly displayed
• Keep it clean
• Protect from moths and other creatures

Lots of people will openly display the yarn as a décor accent.  With limited storage space, I prefer to store my yarn in stackable plastic bins.  These bins keep the yarn clean, dust-free, away from creepy-crawlies and can easily be stashed in a closet. 

My yarn storage solution involves two large plastic bins along with a few yarn hacks that include egg cartons, shoe boxes, scotch tape and hair clips to keep everything neat and tidy.  Watch our YouTube video and/or continue reading this article to see how I store and organize my yarn.

Before I show you my yarn storage ideas, I thought it is important to tell you a few yarn storage don'ts. 

SOME YARN DON'TS ARE:

• Don't store yarn in direct sunlight
• Don't store yarn in a damp basement
• Don't store yarn in a hot attic

HOW to ORGANIZE AND STORE A YARN STASH

MY YARN BIN #1

Since the largest portion of my yarn stash is skeins of worsted weight yarn, I fill one plastic bin with these skeins.  The skeins are placed vertically so it is easy to see all the colors and grab the one I want to use.  In the above picture, it looks like a lot of yarn is in the bin but there is still room for more.

YARN HACK #1 - SCOTCH TAPE

As you knit, crochet or weave with a skein of yarn, the wrapper on the skein becomes loose, the skein flattens and sometimes the wrapper falls off.  If this happens, you won't know the yarn brand or color.

A simple solution is to tighten the wrapper by folding it over and scotch taping the fold in place.  If you look closely at the above picture, you will see the folded yarn band.

MY YARN BIN #2

In the second bin, I store other types of yarn such as cotton, wool, baby and sports along with various types of balled yarn.  Even small skeins of yarn can be kept neat in the bin by using the vertical method.

Egg cartons and shoeboxes are used to store balls of yarn inside the large plastic bin.  This makes finding yarn easy and prevents the balls from rolling around inside the plastic bin and getting tangled and twisted.

YARN HACK #2 - EGG CARTONS To store small balls and scraps of yarn, I upcycle empty egg cartons. Look how nicely the balls sit in the egg cups.  The egg carton closes tightly and stores neatly in the plastic bin.

I use a shoebox with a lid to store larger balls of yarn.  What are those hair clips doing?  Check out yarn hack #3.

YARN HACK #3 - HAIR CLIPS To prevent the balls of yarn from becoming a tangled mess and unraveling in the shoe box, I use a hair clip to clip the end of the yarn to the yarn ball.  This hair clip tip is simple and inexpensive especially if you purchase the hair clips from a dollar store.

After everything is in the plastic bins, I snap on the lids

and place the plastic bins in an extra closet in my home. When I need yarn, I open the closet and pull out the bin.  I hope you enjoyed seeing how I store yarn.  

more clever ideas for organizing craft supplies

Mini Storage Jar Storage - Use jars to store small craft supplies and other items.

Sewing Machine Bobbin Storage - Check out this clever bobbin idea.

Newspaper Sleeve Yarn Storage - If you are working on a yarn project, you can keep the yarn clean by placing it in a newspaper sleeve.

NOTE: I have read a few articles saying yarn shouldn't be stored in plastic bags because it needs to breathe and can hold moisture. Think about this, many yarn purchases are in plastic bags. So, as long as you are not storing it in the bags for a long time it should be alright.

Sewing and Quilting Tools - Learn how to keep sewing and quilt tool handy.

Thread and Scrap Catcher - Keep your sewing and craft area clean with this tip.