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How do you prevent chaos in your leftover yarn box?
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5929 Posts
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Thursday, October 28, 2021 at 4:57 PM
Hi everyone,
for our yarn swap package, I dug through all my stash. And I realized that the labels just always end up separating from the leftover skeins. Putting the label in the middle doesn’t help either. The skeins just have a mind of their own.
Does anyone have a trick for keeping the label and the leftover yarn together permanently? And how do you keep the skein from unraveling in a big box when you’re rummaging around in it? Eventually, I always end up with a huge tangle. Maybe you have some tips to keep the skeins from unraveling?
Best regards—Ina
for our yarn swap package, I dug through all my stash. And I realized that the labels just always end up separating from the leftover skeins. Putting the label in the middle doesn’t help either. The skeins just have a mind of their own.
Does anyone have a trick for keeping the label and the leftover yarn together permanently? And how do you keep the skein from unraveling in a big box when you’re rummaging around in it? Eventually, I always end up with a huge tangle. Maybe you have some tips to keep the skeins from unraveling?
Best regards—Ina
9955 Posts
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Thursday, October 28, 2021 at 5:25 PM
Ina, I’m exactly the same way! I’m afraid many of the partially used skeins from my leftover stash aren’t suitable for our swap package because I can’t match the labels anymore.
Basically, you’d have to pack every single skein (or every single type of yarn of the same color) into a separate plastic bag (or vacuum-seal it). But who actually does that?
Basically, you’d have to pack every single skein (or every single type of yarn of the same color) into a separate plastic bag (or vacuum-seal it). But who actually does that?
3500 Posts
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Thursday, October 28, 2021 at 6:05 PM
I’m familiar with this problem, too. I just wrapped a rubber band around the ball and tucked the label (if there is one) underneath it.
Maybe that’ll help—it works for me.
If the balls are too small, wouldn’t those Loops rubber bands work? They’re very stretchy, after all.
Maybe that’ll help—it works for me.
If the balls are too small, wouldn’t those Loops rubber bands work? They’re very stretchy, after all.
1534 Posts
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Thursday, October 28, 2021 at 6:09 PM
Oh dear… I know that problem too…
When I have “larger” skeins, I put the label on the yarn winder and then wind the yarn around it. Then it goes into the lid of a shoebox and then into the drawer… that way it’s “neater” 🙈
Otherwise, the only thing that really helps is packing together what belongs to the same type of yarn.... My wound-up scraps and whole skeins sit nice and neat in an organza bag.... But it does take up a lot of space, and I don’t go rummaging through my scrap box that often anyway....
I’m curious to see how others do it....
When I have “larger” skeins, I put the label on the yarn winder and then wind the yarn around it. Then it goes into the lid of a shoebox and then into the drawer… that way it’s “neater” 🙈
Otherwise, the only thing that really helps is packing together what belongs to the same type of yarn.... My wound-up scraps and whole skeins sit nice and neat in an organza bag.... But it does take up a lot of space, and I don’t go rummaging through my scrap box that often anyway....
I’m curious to see how others do it....
5929 Posts
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Thursday, October 28, 2021 at 6:11 PM
The rubber band idea is good, but I know myself. I won’t stick with it for long. Maybe someone has the ultimate tip?
3918 Posts
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Thursday, October 28, 2021 at 6:30 PM
Since I have certain favorite yarns, I pack the leftovers together in freezer bags that I’ve labeled accordingly—for example, a “Catania” bag or one labeled “Regia.”
3407 Posts
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Thursday, October 28, 2021 at 6:38 PM
I thread the yarn tail through the label 3–4 times with a needle, then wind a few more meters of yarn around the ball and the label, and finally pull the tail under a few layers of the winding to secure it. If I no longer have the label, then that’s just how it is. I can either identify such leftovers anyway (e.g. Catania) or I can’t 🙈😂
If not, I use the “comparison method” — meaning I check whether the yarn’s thickness and texture (I can always recognize 100% cotton, and usually many other yarn types too) fit a project.
Otherwise, there’s always “crafting with kids” for these leftovers 😁
If not, I use the “comparison method” — meaning I check whether the yarn’s thickness and texture (I can always recognize 100% cotton, and usually many other yarn types too) fit a project.
Otherwise, there’s always “crafting with kids” for these leftovers 😁
22709 Posts
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Thursday, October 28, 2021 at 6:51 PM
I read a really nice tip online for storing cell phone cords and such. Maybe it would work for leftover yarn too?
Here’s how it goes.
Take a large box with a lid. Fill this box with empty toilet paper rolls or paper towel rolls cut in half lengthwise. So you fill the box completely with the rolls, all with the opening / one opening facing upward. Then you can fill these rolls with cell phone cords or also with leftover yarn + labels. As long as the box is filled with enough rolls and the lid is always kept on, it really shouldn’t get all mixed up.
However, this may be better suited for smaller quantities; you can’t fit an infinite amount into one roll.
Here’s how it goes.
Take a large box with a lid. Fill this box with empty toilet paper rolls or paper towel rolls cut in half lengthwise. So you fill the box completely with the rolls, all with the opening / one opening facing upward. Then you can fill these rolls with cell phone cords or also with leftover yarn + labels. As long as the box is filled with enough rolls and the lid is always kept on, it really shouldn’t get all mixed up.
However, this may be better suited for smaller quantities; you can’t fit an infinite amount into one roll.
9193 Posts
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Thursday, October 28, 2021 at 6:52 PM
For small leftover balls, I secure the label with an extra thread. I thread a sewing needle through the ball, wrap the label tightly around it, and sew it in place. For larger balls, it’s enough to pull the label tight and secure it to the yarn with a safety pin.
2981 Posts
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Thursday, October 28, 2021 at 7:46 PM
I do it almost like Petra
I always wind the yarn into a ball.
However, I don’t use an extra thread—I just take the end of the yarn and tie a knot in it so it stays in place. With thicker yarn, I’ve also used a hole punch, pulled the yarn through the hole, and tied it in a knot as well. I fold the label a little and tuck it into the wound ball of yarn.
I always wind the yarn into a ball.
However, I don’t use an extra thread—I just take the end of the yarn and tie a knot in it so it stays in place. With thicker yarn, I’ve also used a hole punch, pulled the yarn through the hole, and tied it in a knot as well. I fold the label a little and tuck it into the wound ball of yarn.
3500 Posts
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Thursday, October 28, 2021 at 8:02 PM
That cardboard tube idea isn’t bad either.
For smaller yarn scraps, couldn’t you also use those plastic sorting boxes with lids, like the ones used for beads?
There are also boxes where you can customize the interior compartments with removable dividers.
For smaller yarn scraps, couldn’t you also use those plastic sorting boxes with lids, like the ones used for beads?
There are also boxes where you can customize the interior compartments with removable dividers.
22709 Posts
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Thursday, October 28, 2021 at 8:03 PM
If you use ready-made boxes with dividers, you don’t have to collect the tubes—that’s another good point.
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Thursday, October 28, 2021 at 8:56 PM
I’d like a shoebox with rollers. I think that’s a good idea. I usually still have the labels attached to the yarn, but it’s still all messy and hard to keep track of in a big box.
22709 Posts
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Thursday, October 28, 2021 at 8:59 PM
Upcycling old mason jars?
Didn’t Schuckelina keep her different-colored yarn for the temperature blanket in jars?
Didn’t Schuckelina keep her different-colored yarn for the temperature blanket in jars?
5929 Posts
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Thursday, October 28, 2021 at 10:28 PM
Yes, I do, dear Josefa. That works really well for the temperature blanket, too. But overall, I have too many balls of yarn to store them side by side.
Why isn’t there any functional furniture designed for organized yarn storage, anyway? I’m sure a lot of people have this organizational problem. That’s a gap in the market! Maybe someone will come up with a professional solution someday.
Why isn’t there any functional furniture designed for organized yarn storage, anyway? I’m sure a lot of people have this organizational problem. That’s a gap in the market! Maybe someone will come up with a professional solution someday.
9955 Posts
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Thursday, October 28, 2021 at 11:02 PM
There are already mini dressers, storage boxes, and compartmentalized boxes that are suitable for storing balls of yarn, but if you have a lot of yarn, that can get pretty expensive. Especially if you want it to look decorative, too.
1534 Posts
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Thursday, October 28, 2021 at 11:16 PM
There are those “organizer boxes” for cabinets and drawers where you can sort socks.... I have no idea how much they cost, but you could probably stack them, right? And the compartments should be big enough for yarn, too....
1164 Posts
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Friday, October 29, 2021 at 5:51 AM
For larger amounts of leftover yarn, I do what Petra and Marion do: either I secure the skeins with a rubber band or I attach the label with a safety pin. For small leftovers, I try to sort them into bags depending on the material and thickness, but that doesn’t always work because, as we all know, small leftovers accumulate very often.
But I think you can also buy those box inserts separately—I think I’ve seen them somewhere in various knick-knack catalogs. Ideally, they’d come in different sizes so you could use them in boxes, cartons, etc.
But I think you can also buy those box inserts separately—I think I’ve seen them somewhere in various knick-knack catalogs. Ideally, they’d come in different sizes so you could use them in boxes, cartons, etc.
3407 Posts
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Friday, October 29, 2021 at 6:43 AM
@Ina: CD racks work well for this—the ones where you can adjust the shelves to different heights.
13182 Posts
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Friday, October 29, 2021 at 8:43 PM
Your tips are all great. I can relate to them, too.
If the ball is big enough, I fold the label so tightly and small that I can tuck it inside the ball. So far, that’s always worked. Or I put it in a bag and add a piece of paper or the label. That’s the best solution for me, and it keeps the yarn nice and tidy.
Another option would be to take a strand from the ball of yarn, thread a needle through the label, and then tie a knot. That way, the two are securely fastened together.
For large numbers of balls, the best solution for me is to put them in different compartments with a note inside each one. I’ve had good results with this so far.
If the ball is big enough, I fold the label so tightly and small that I can tuck it inside the ball. So far, that’s always worked. Or I put it in a bag and add a piece of paper or the label. That’s the best solution for me, and it keeps the yarn nice and tidy.
Another option would be to take a strand from the ball of yarn, thread a needle through the label, and then tie a knot. That way, the two are securely fastened together.
For large numbers of balls, the best solution for me is to put them in different compartments with a note inside each one. I’ve had good results with this so far.
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