Major Knitter: Tidy Mind, Tidy Stitches

It's Day 3 of the 2nd Annual Knitting and Crochet Blog Week - 2KCBWDAY3

Today's theme is Tidy mind, tidy stitches.

How do you keep your yarn wrangling organised? It seems like an easy to answer question at first, but in fact organisation exists on many levels. Maybe you are truly not organised at all, in which case I am personally daring you to try and photograph your stash in whatever locations you can find the individual skeins. However, if you are organised, blog about an aspect of that organisation process, whether that be a particularly neat and tidy knitting bag, a decorative display of your crochet hooks, your organised stash or your project and stash pages on Ravelry.

Tips: Many people use their blogs partly as an organisational tool – logging and cataloguing projects and newly attained skills, projects and modifications. Did you bare this in mind when you began blogging?

Once upon a time there was a girl named Jennifer who only knit one project at a time. Even then, she was beginning to purchase more yarn than necessary and there was inevitably leftover yarn. Twenty-five years later, that "little extra yarn" has gotten a little bit out of hand. I know have an entire room, adorably dubbed my Knit Nook that is my happy place and knit haven. It was once a home office or library. Now the only books found there are by authors such as Elizabeth Zimmerman or Charlene Schurch or have the phrase "Vogue Knitting" somewhere in the title. The bookshelves now showcase my overabundance of yarn which cause this bright room to be thought of as The Happiest Place On Earth

Since it's a creative place, it's an organized mess. There is sock yarn on the upper right hand shelves, Wonderful Wallaby yarn (aka Encore) on the middle top shelf, donated yarn on most of the middle shelves, yarn for felting on the upper right, miscellaneous baby yarn on the bottom right, cotton, filing, and "all other" yarn on the side shelf. The mess on the floor by Curious George's feet is the hiding place for all the knitting bags with WIPs in them. If it's not organized, at least it's hidden.

This is the happy shelf across from my desk. It showcases the entire KnitPicks Palette. Isn't it beautiful? The white binders are my filing system for printed out patterns. I thought about doing away with these once I got into Ravelry, but I'm so glad I didn't. Some websites and patterns of old favorites have up and disappeared with all traces of aforementioned favorite patterns. Now I have my own collection of print-outs if and when needed.

OK - not sure what happened there... but half my post disappeared. Hmmmm. Here I go and try to recreate it.

A favorite part of my organization method is the way I keep my knitting needles.

This antique Hero Standard knitting needle store display was a treasure I found on ebay. It took a lot of elbow grease, disinfectant and TLC to get this puppy to its current state. I store old needles that are mostly for show - but sometimes used for teaching or whimsical knitting. Some of these needles may have been used for a recent hen party.

My truly fastidious nature comes out in the filing system I came up with for storing my favorite circular needles. I use a file box with hanging file folders. The needle sizes are visible on the right from US 000 to US 15.

Why so many US Size 4 needles? Well, despite my desire to be organized, I go all wild and crazy when it comes to knitting projects. It used to be a common occurrence for me to have 25+ projects going at once. I'm proud to say I keep it under ten nowadays. But with so many WIPs and UFOs, I would often go to start a new project only to discover that the needle I wanted was in use. I would also visit the LYS when I traveled and get inspired to start a new project, so yarn and needles were purchased and the stash just kept growing and growing and growing. Turbo Addis are my favorite by far, but Brittany Birch 5" dpns and Lantern Moon straight needles tie for second. While I don't knit much lace, there is nothing like Signature needles with their sharp points for doing K2Tog and YOs. But I digress. Back to my filing system. I know there are many methods out there, but this is the best one for me. I save the original packaging for each needle. After I finish a project I put the needle back in its pouch and refile it. Sometimes, all mismatched needles go into one tote bag - a mess of needles and pouches - waiting for a day when I'll devote myself entirely to needle sorting and filing. It's worth it to me as it means I always have the needle I need at my fingertips.

How about you? Which method do you prefer?

Comments

WOW!
I think LUST and all is one of the deadly sins....but I am lusting after your room and your organization....

Posted by: danielle | Thursday, March 31, 2011 at 12:28

Oh, I want to come and sit in your Knit Nook! It really does look like a fantastically happy place ;)

Posted by: Nat | Thursday, March 31, 2011 at 08:36

I love your room. Your organizational skills are enviable...I can only dream about being that organized! A big part of my issue is lack of space, but I am bound and determined to make it work!

Posted by: Jaimie | Thursday, March 31, 2011 at 01:45

I can't decide if I am impressed or jealous. What a WONDERFUL room! I think it's time I redecorate...

Posted by: MayaMoonie | Wednesday, March 30, 2011 at 23:24

Holey........that is amazingly organized!
I love it. Your home looks like a yarn store.

Posted by: andigal | Wednesday, March 30, 2011 at 22:11

The color of your knitting room is absolutely gorgeous! And what great shelves, too. The perfect place to sit and knit.

Posted by: Cathy | Wednesday, March 30, 2011 at 17:08

I love the hanging file method of storing your circs! I have a plan in my head for mine but for now they're just in a box.

And I also love the white shelves, rich-toned wall, and yarn. Lovely! Jealous!

Posted by: RebKnitz | Wednesday, March 30, 2011 at 15:21

I do love your system of organizing circs. I hope to follow in your footsteps one day!

Posted by: Michelle | Wednesday, March 30, 2011 at 14:18

Oh my goodness, I love your Knit Nook! It's a dream!

Posted by: Dani | Wednesday, March 30, 2011 at 14:13

That's a lovely display - what a gorgeous knitting room! And how clever to use hanging folders to organize your needles.

It's so easy to get suckered into multiple WIPs - I think that's how I started to expand my stash, and well, it's since taken on a life of it's own...

Posted by: anji | Wednesday, March 30, 2011 at 12:04

I love your knit nook and that knitting needle display case is fabulous.

Posted by: Laura | Wednesday, March 30, 2011 at 10:57

Wow. Wow. Wow.

When I grow up I want to have a knitting nook, just like you! It's stunning and you are lucky to have such a place and have the attention to detail to maintain it.

Thank you for sharing, you've given me something to aspire to.

Posted by: Kelly Monster | Wednesday, March 30, 2011 at 10:40

What a beautiful room! I am in LOVE with the wooden box for your needles. What a treasure!

Posted by: Shelley | Wednesday, March 30, 2011 at 09:04

Fireman will be very very afraid when I show him how you organize your yarn!

Posted by: kathy b | Wednesday, March 30, 2011 at 08:37

Wow, it looks like a yarn shop! You have everything arranged so nicely. It makes me want to come over to your place and hang out. I wish my stash organization looked a bit more like yours! :)

Posted by: Misty | Wednesday, March 30, 2011 at 07:32