Time To Organize The Yarn

                    

                 

It's a new year and what do most of us do this time of year?  We organized. It's about getting a "clean" start to the new year. Giving you environment and good clean up helps us to think clearer and help us to move forward.

You have seen her Marie Kondo with her new Netflix show on how to reorganize you home, right? Or maybe you have read her book "the life-changing magic of tidying up". If not you should check it out. I own the book and have re-read a number of times.  Her ideas are great and of course like so many, I got into the reorganizing mode too.

I want to share with you what I did last week and maybe my tips will help you to get a little more organized. Now honestly, I don't think this is in Marie's book because I don't think yarn was one of her topics though you could really look at any items and use her steps.  But here are mine.

I went through my ENTIRE yarn stash and I will be the first to admit that I have way to much yarn. I could honestly open a store of my own just on what I have now.

Tip 1 is to make sure you use a bin, a basket or some sort of container. Trust me if you just set them on the shelf they will fall off and possibly end up behind the shelf and you won't notice.  Go with a bin that works with your decor or hides the content like I did.  I use cloth colored bins so no one knows what's inside and it allows me to pack them to the max.

Tip 2 starts by dumping out all my yarn bins onto the floor.  Crazy messy is an understatement.  But it gave me the full view of all I have and allowed me to pair up by weight, color or quantity.  You pick what works for you but this round I went with color and quantity.  In previous reorganizing I went with weight. I think it's based on how you feel at the moment because there is no right or wrong way. Just what works for you.  Here is just a little peek and trust me it was so much worse before it got better. I just forgot to take a picture.

Once you have decide how you will reorg you want to start grouping skeins together in a pile.  Now remember to try and keep the same number of bins unless you have room for more of them. I did not so I really needed to keep it the bins I had and try my best not to have to get more.  Beside, I have no place to put another so problems solved there.  Remember the piles should only get as big as your bin will hold, otherwise you will have to designate 2 bins for the pile.

Tip 3 Always go through your stash and do this often. The more you do you will remember what you have so you don't buy what you don't need.  Can I say, please do this or you will end up like me with way more than you can knit up.

I've added to my goals this year to ONLY use what I have and avoid buying more. Yes, this will be a BIG challenge but I will do my best.  I truly don't need anything more unless a customer is requesting a specific items with a specific color.  Otherwise I will design from what I have. I think this with allow me to grow as a designer.

Now for my final tip and this maybe hard to do. But remember there is a plus side to this one and you may find some comfort in doing this last tip.

Tip 4 Take out the yarns you do not feel like you will ever use or have come to dislike or can't even remember why you purchased it. The tip here is that there is a chance to recoup a little money here.  You can try to sell the yarn. There are a few sites to help with this. Believe me when I say there is a big chance someone is looking for what you have. Now I don't believe you will recoup what you paid but you may be able to collect a few dollars.  It's worth a try. Now I would give it a short amount of time so you are not holding on to it to long otherwise it may just end up back in your stash.

I have a few balls of yarn I've pulled from my reorg and if you are attending one of my classes this month or next you will see me carry a basket into the class giving you the option to own one of these beautiful balls of yarn for FREE.  Watch for me.