Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Yarn Wrangling & the Dangers of Yarn Hoarding


I remember the first time my boyfriend opened his forgotten suitcase and discovered my dirty little secret: I hoard yarn. After a trip to Galena this past fall, Matt had left his travel bag at my house and, when he still hadn't taken it home a month later, I decided to put it to good use.

At least I'm set for vacation knitting?
 You see, when you have other space-consuming hobbies (book collecting), there isn't really much room for anything else. I still live at home and whenever I received a yarn order, about every week, my mother rolls her eyes at me and throws the package on my bed. Because there is just too much yarn and not enough space, which means you need to get creative...especially when underneath the bed/the closet/project bags from your LYS are all full. Which they are (not pictured).

Wine Bar Yarn Storing

I bought this wine bar at World Market, my other place of employment, at a crazy low markdown. It retails for over $500, but I think I paid $60 for it after my discount/coupons/etc. And it's great! But sometimes the shelving pin falls out of the second shelf, which makes me a bit apprehensive about placing wine glasses on it. So why not use it for yarn?

My straight needles
I'm still working on needle storage. Right now, my straights are all housed in a jar on my computer desk. All others, including my interchangeable circular needle sets and notions, are stored in cute little Halloween tupperware I bought on clearance at JoAnn last year. As dorky as it sounds, this is actually a pretty good storage unit for me and, when I think of a better solution, I can use them for cookies :)

I know it won't always be like this. Working at Wool & Company has definitely shown me what some pretty fantastic yarn storage can look like. Considering I'm in charge of maintaining tidiness over all our yarn 20-25 hours each week, I thought I should share some inspiration for how things might look...someday.



Our store is pretty large, meaning there is a constant need for creative organization. The first picture is of an old card catalogy thing full of Koigu. It's my favorite storage unit in the store and I would love to have a real, legit card catalog for my own yarn someday. Except mine will have drawers. The second photo is of our Malabrigo Lace yarn. We have a few of these "trees" throughout the store and, while they take up minimal amounts of space, they can still hold a lot of product. The final photo is out Rowan Purelife collection. Kate set this one up last week and I love the idea of using an old box for yarn storage. I would love to use wine crates someday or hat boxes, as Ysolda does. But that, dear readers, will not be for a long while.

Until then, I will continue to shove yarn into every nook and cranny. And, once those are full, I guess there is always the trunk of my car. Oh, wait...




















Remember, friends don't let friends hoard yarn...alone.


10 comments:

  1. Your post was super funny.. I think I am on my way to the every nook and cranny XD

    ReplyDelete
  2. I'm desperately trying to confine my stash to one room. Otherwise it will try to completely take over the house. I'll be helpless to stop it!

    ReplyDelete
  3. LOL; love how you put that bag to good use. Shoot, if he ain't usin' it...

    ReplyDelete
  4. I'm liking the pic of the straight needles...
    p.s. I'm originally from the Galena area - high five!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I love the yarn/wine combo, I think I need to get some wine to mingle with my yarn. And the store you work at looks so pretty.

    ReplyDelete
  6. You have such great yarn. I love your wine bar too. How cool is that to store yarn in LOL

    ReplyDelete
  7. hahah, I love these photos!! Glad I'm not the only one with yarn tucked away in all sorts of nooks and crannies...

    ReplyDelete
  8. Josiekitten: That, I imagine, is easier said than done :) Good luck with that! Two of the girls I work with have their own knitting rooms. How jealous am I? Insanely.

    Kepanie: My thoughts exactly! It was taking up room and my yarn was taking up room. Why not create some more room (for yarn)?

    Cyprienne: Thanks. I really enjoyed our week in Galena. There was a lot of stuff to do and it's such a nice town. Are you still in Illinois?

    Ohdessa: Yarning and Wining is always a good idea. My "sister-in-law" and I always talk about how we're going to open a knitting and wine store someday. We're thinking something to the tune of "Wine and Twine."

    CraftyCripple: Yes, but what happens the next time I go to Trader Joes and restock my wine? Eeek!

    Julie: Oh, you have no idea haha. I'm running out of crannies!

    ReplyDelete