Sorting knitting needles

I’ve been tidying up my supplies for days now. It never seems to end. I have no idea why I have so many of the same things in duplicate or triplicate ; )
Today I’m tackling my knitting needles. Since we have so much space, I first had to search for needles in various places. Then I did what’s been on my to-do list for about 30 years: sorting my circular needles so I can find them in a flash.

How do you organize your needles?
My photos -

Very nice. I’ve been meaning to do that, too. But I won’t put quite as much effort into it as you ;-) I just toss the same sizes into a zipper bag, and each circular needle gets a tag with its length. Hmm, maybe I’ll do it today after all...

Hi Petra,

I did that a while back too, and now I can find all my needles and hooks right away.

To do that, I bought some freezer bags and wrote the needle sizes in big letters on both sides with a permanent marker. Then I sorted everything accordingly, whether crochet hooks or knitting needles.

when I need a needle or hook in a certain size, I pull open the drawer and immediately grab the exact right one from the corresponding bag. I keep them standing upright in a drawer. Behind them, I have other small items stored in tins, like buttons.

Luckily, I don’t have that many needles. Just one Knit Pro set (sizes 3–8) with interchangeable needles and 4 cables. Everything’s in the included case.
My crochet hooks, though, are scattered all over the place.... I really should gather those up sometime, too.....

Wow, I’m impressed! I have a jar where all my sets of double-pointed needles are stored, and I have to painstakingly dig through it to find what I need. The circular needles are crammed into a drawer, all jumbled up and completely disorganized. Not to mention the needles stuck in various UFOs. I euphemistically call it “creative chaos,” but when I see these pouches, I get jealous… :-))))

well, how should I put it....

There are these little trolls and goblins in our study. Not to mention the gnomes. There’s nothing you can do about it.

Regards, Caro

ursulapetra, I think I should put you in charge… I keep trying every now and then, but I still haven’t found the perfect system, especially for the tips and cables. At least the crochet hooks are neatly stored in the crochet rolls—when they aren’t floating around somewhere because they’re in use!

I actually have the same system as mowi with the zip-top bags. But then I pull out a needle I need for a project… and somehow I never get around to putting it back, so I’m constantly searching for things. And then I just end up buying a new knitting or crochet needle again.

Don't a little chaos and creativity just go together somehow???

Yeah, a little chaos is normal. But in my case, it looked like there wasn’t any chaos at all. There was always a certain order—just in different places. 

Hello, dear friends,
I’m having a good laugh right now because my needles have also had a life of their own for years. It took Petra 30 years until she got things thoroughly organized. Of course, it’s great when you can start a craft project right away and don’t first have to look for the right “favorite needle.” My crochet hooks and sets of double-pointed needles have it good; they live sorted by size in my craft bucket. Mine, by the way, is the very left, largest bucket. I have a lot to store. Only the circular knitting needles just can’t be tamed. But I’m going to try your idea with the labeled zip bags. That sounds very good. So thank you very much for your suggestions and your good example! 

Best regards - Ina

My sets of double-pointed needles are in a box.
The needle tips are scattered throughout the storage basket, and the corresponding cables are loose in my desk.

Please no advertising in chat threads, thanks. I removed the pattern link.
We have a lot of advertising threads where you can present patterns.
Click here:
https://www.crazypatterns.net/de/forum/thread/8/empfehlungen

I kept the plastic sleeves the knitting needles came in; the cardboard inside lists the needle size and length. I sort them by size and length. But somehow there’s always a gap because the needles are tied up in various UFOs. 

The crochet hooks are sorted by size in felt pouches—at least the ones I rarely use. And my favorite brand is in a jar on my nightstand, always within reach. 

...just in case you wake up in the middle of the night and need to grab a crochet hook in a pinch... LOL

I can just picture the following headline: “Burglar Driven Off with a Crochet Hook.”

Hahaha - I can do crochet-do, knitting-jitsu, and knitting-boxing.