You can learn more about my New Year’s resolution to use the yarn I already have here. I hope to declutter my stuff, make some space, save money, and change my mindset to be more content with what I have. Join me on my Instagram page or through the hashtag #attackmystash2020.
Why Do I Need to Take an Inventory?
One of my first steps in this journey to use a majority of my yarn stash was to take a detailed inventory. I can’t effectively use my yarn if I don’t know what I’ve got.
But in reality, being organized is the best place to start. Although I already had some kind of method to put my skeins away in bins, there was a whole lot of Tetris to make it fit where it could. In my efforts to organize my yarn, I wanted to get a better understanding of the magnitude of this project as well as unearth some long-forgotten yarns that I accumulated years ago. Also, quite a bit of my stash was purchased within the past year or so, and most of that was bought with specific projects in mind (or so I thought). By pulling all of my yarn out and categorizing it, I would be able to group like yarns together and reenvision those projects in my mind. With my goal to decrease my yarn supply by 75% by the end of 2020, I need to get those projects accomplished that I already planned on making.
Organizing My Stash
Our spare bedroom looked like a natural disaster had struck for a few days. I took every single skein of yarn out of their bin/box/drawer/bag/etc. and laid it out on the floor according to yarn weight. The piles eventually blended into one big fiber mass.
I painstakingly input data about each skein into my spreadsheet file. I included company-established characteristics like the brand, name, weight, and colorway, as well as information for me to use such as how many skeinsI had, if any of those skeins have been used (aka I have less than a whole skein available), and if I had any project in mind for that yarn.
Grand Totals
In total, I classified… (drum roll please)… 354 skeins of yarn! But in reality, that number did not include all of the DK weight cotton yarn that I had been gifted in bundles (118 more mini skeins). Or the box of unnamed skeins of yarn from my youth (another 26). Or any skeins currently being used for works in progress (WIPs) (11 more). So in reality, I discovered that I had 509 skeins of yarn in my possession. And as I am writing this, I know that my cousin wants to give me a bunch of yarn she is getting rid of. My total amount of yarn fluctuates quite a bit on a regular basis, but hopefully on average my supply will going down over time! My ultimate goal by the end of the year is to use up 75% of my yarn, which means I would be left with 127 skeins. That sounds like a lot, but compared to what I have now, that would make a huge difference in my home.
Lessons Learned
By taking the time to actually sort through all of my yarn stash, I learned quite a bit beyond the quantity of yarn I own.
I have a lot of WIPs that are close to being finished. They account for 11 skeins of yarn, but that also involves quite a few projects like headbands that just need the ends weaved in, or a large dragon amigurumi that just needs some small details to be finished. I need to work through these projects, especially since I already invested time and energy into them! I don’t ever work on just one project, I like to hop around between different things to keep me engaged and focused, but these WIPs have been hanging around for long enough.
I actually have a lot more yarn than I thought that lacks a purpose. I thought I bought most of my yarn with intentions to make a certain pattern, but that was not true. I bought a lot of my yarn because I wanted to try it out or loved the color. But my maker’s inspiration often fell far short of actually making something with that yarn. Granted, I had also been gifted quite a bit of yarn that also had no purpose, but I was responsible for a lot of my stash being stagnant in my collection.
As far as the yarn I have that was purchased intentionally for a project, I had mostly intended to sell completed items. In a lot of cases, I had bought eight skeins of yarn to only have time to use three skeins before my next craft fair. So there are a lot of projects that I can sell, if only I make them!
Now It’s Your Turn!
So you want to try organizing your yarn stash too. It is definitely a big task that may take a bit of time, but it is totally worth it! Now I have an electronic record of every skein that I own. This makes it easier to track down which bin my yarn is in when I am looking for a specific skein. It also feels way less cluttered already since I don’t have random grocery store sacks with yarn strewn about; everything has a place now. I learned a lot about the yarn I have, which gives me a better understanding of the task I have in front of me to use up my stash (like they say, you need to first acknowledge the problem in order to deal with it appropriately).
My tips for successfully organizing your yarn (or really any craft supply for that matter) are simple: group like items together, classify more information than you think you need, and keep your record updated. Keeping similar skeins of yarn together will help you track down the item you are looking for that much quicker. You will also be able to see easily what options you have (say you are looking for a DK weight yarn for a project). I found that classifying as much information as I could helped me to have the information I need even if the labels get ripped off my yarn. That way, you don’t have to remember every detail; you have the label information stored away for reference. It takes more time to classify this way, but it is so worth it! Finally, just like any system to organize your belongings, you need to keep with your method or else your things will become a disorganized mess again. Every time you use up a skein, take it off your record; every time you buy more yarn, add it in. That way your record is always current and useful to you.
Check out my other posts under the Attacking my Stash tab to learn more about this journey to declutter my yarn in 2020. Make sure to share your experience attacking your stash in the comments or on Instagram!
XO, Emily
