Organising and storing Yarn

[Lynseymac]

Hi, I started knitting a few months ago and my supply of yarn has been building up. It is mostly dk wool but I've just bought some balls of 4ply and as I become more adventurous and buy more I'm going to forget which yarn is which weight. Do most people store their yarn seperately according to weight?

[salmonmac]

I think storing it according to weight is a good idea. When you want to find yarn for a pattern, all of the possibilities in your stash will be right in the same place.

[LoveBugAngel]

I've been knitting jut under a year and am having the same problem. I get my skiens wound up and they take the tag off when they do it then I end up mixing up which yarn is which. I have a small basket of unknown yarn, so frustrating

[nanasaidso]

When I started back to knitting, I found a large attractive basket to store my stash. It's looks lovely, all the different colors and textures heaped up together. "Isn't this just lovely," I say to myself with gritted teeth while I'm digging through trying to figure out what's what.

Then, I started clipping a 4" to 12" sample of yarn (depending on the color pattern) when I first get a new skein. I staple that sample to the band that came on the skein, and the band to a note card. In lieu of a band, I write the particulars directly on the card. My goal is to set up a card file organized by 1)weight, 2) type, i.e., wool, cotton, acrylic, etc., 3) color. Or maybe by type first, then weight. I'm not sure what's best.

So, I can now have piles of pretty balls of yarn and still know what it is. Also, I can write on the cards what was made with the yarn so I can track care instructions. And, perhaps the file should be in two parts, one for yarn still in stock, and one for yarn that's been all used up but for which I still want history and care instructions.

Right now, of course, I have a big pile of bands with yarn stapled to them

[ABC's Mom]

When I wind my yarn I fold and put the label from the skein in the center hole of the ball of yarn. This helps me remember which yarn it is and how to wash/clean it.
If you have it done at the yarn store have them give you the labels so you can do it yourself when you get home.
Hope this helps.