Today I’m sharing some knitting and sewing organization tips that I use around my house, in the hopes that YOU will then share some tips that you use around your house! (Thus the contest. To get you to share!) Here are a few of mine:
I like old things, so I am always looking for jars and vases to keep things in. Like my knitting needles and my buttons.
I also like interesting glass jars, which make the perfect storage for leftover balls of yarn. You’ll also see I have a few of my favorite pattern books out. And my very favorite ones get spiral bound at the office supply store for easier use.
Old cubbies are a nice way to store thread, and I use the old heart-shaped cake pan as a magnetic board when I am working on a project that I need to keep notes for.
I got tired of re-printing patterns that I wanted to knit again, and finally organized all of my printouts in 3 ring notebooks so they are easy to fine. (The bonus is that if I have used the pattern before, I’ve probably made notes on the pages which are helpful the next time.)
I also got tired of always having to look up the directions for the Kitchener stitch, Judy’s Magic Cast On, and Wendy’s Toe Up Gusset instructions. And apparently I don’t use them enough to memorize them. (We’ll go with that. We won’t say I just have a bad memory.) So I printed them out, laminated them, and spiral bound them into a little book that I keep in my project bag.
We carry three items that I use all of the time. Pattern Holders, Needle Tubes, and Piece Keepers for quilt parts waiting to be sewn.
I gave up on the pretty needle organizers and got these hanging ones. Now I am very good about putting them away when I am done, instead of leaving them in project bags. (You can see that I left them in bags too many times and just kept buying new ones. I am a little overstocked ….) I did tuck them in a corner next to a big bookcase. They are not the prettiest thing to put on the wall, but they sure to help me to stay needle-organized. Let us know if you want to order any of these. We don’t regularly carry them, but I need to change that I think.
So tell us your tips and tricks! We will draw a winner and will award that person a $50 Loopy Gift Certificate in a week or two.
Spring Fling Goody Bag Contest: We do have not one, but TWO winners of the Spring Fling goody bags from our last contest, because I ended up having an extra bag. These are shipping out to Enid in Michigan and Cindy in Louisiana. Congratulations to both of you and thanks to all who participated!
Sheri alwayslookingfornewtipssothanksforsharing
P.S. Due to the Memorial Day holiday we won’t have yarn or fabric updates this coming week. But we already have beautiful things in for the week after that!
I use mason jars to hold my needles, smaller ones to hold dpn’s and that seems to work better than the cases.
I use a glass to hold my straight and double point needles as well as the crochet needles. All my circular needles are in their origional plastic sleeve and in a mini cube box. I also have many bits of leftover yarn wound into little balls stored in a few mason jars. They’re so pretty that way. And Tupperware holds lots of the tools of the trade. Got to love Tupperware.
I also use 3 ring binders for knitting clubs that I have joined. It helps me keep track of which yarn goes with which pattern. ( since I don’t always get them knit right away).
I leave all my circular needles in the plastic ziplock bags they come in. I keep them in numerical order in a cotton drawstring project bag. They are tidy and very easy to retrieve in one simple bag. This is quite convenient and if necessary I can grab and go the entire bag since it’s very compact.
I love my Jordana Paige tool butler for my needles and use a planner for my patterns that I write
I keep my stash in various plastic bins. I have several organized by the weight of yarn, but I found that I wasn’t knitting from my stash as much as I should’ve been. I started a separate bin in which I placed yarn that I really wanted or needed (like gift knits) to knit. I placed all of the yarn for a specific project in gallon-sized ziploc bags & marked the bag with the intended pattern name. It makes it easy to start that new project from stash. (I keep about 12 – 15 projects baggies in that bin.)
I have a small three-drawer plastic storage bin I keep my needles and hooks in for easy access, though I confess I like your hanging organizer a lot! I keep my spindles in a giant glass mason jar. I store yarn by brand and weight in plastic bags within under bed plastic bins.
My favorite circular needle holder is a fishing supplies holder. Basically it is a binder of ziplock bags in a larger canvas bag. Another idea, is that I put my stash in a under bed bag that has a see through top. I can see my projects and I got 3 so I can split it up lace/fingering, sport/dk, worsted/bulky.
I keep what might be called a “portfolio” of all my knitting projects. I save the copy of the pattern with notes I made, the yarn label, a sample of the yarn, when I made it, who I gave it to, plus photos of the knit item. This is put in a sheet protector and then into a 3 ring binder. Sometimes I print out my Ravelry page where I posted my project and add that to the knitting notes all in one sheet protector per project.
I somehow always lose my darning needle- setting on the arm of the chair, or on the table beside me, and inevitably it gets buried or falls in between cushions, etc. I found a small tin that I had gotten some commemorative candies in. It’s perfectly sized to hold my needles, and much easier to find!
I have pottery that I love (mug-size) and have them next to my knitting spots. They hold scissors and a tape measure and all of the bits that get snipped from my knitting. I use project bags for my current and next projects. And since I like to look at yarn, some sits in a beautiful, big, antique, wooden bowl and some is in metal baskets hanging on the wall. I also drape shawls on a peg rack and over book shelves.
I use a curtain rod to store my zippers. I hang them from the rod by size and color.
I use Knit Companion for any patterns I buy electronically. It’s worth every cent. No more printing things out and there is good support in Ravelry which I rarely need.
Before I leave my sewing room, I clean for just 5 minutes. Amazing how much that keeps things organized and tidy.
Scraps are separated by color.
I love the Knit Happy Fold-N-Go Notions Box – a roll-up bag with zippered plastic pockets inside that are perfect for notions. Plus the sheep logo on the front is really cute!
Needle storage should not be an issue as I have the interchangeable Hiya Hiya needles but apparently I have been forgetting to put them back in the pouches for a while…
I love your use of jars, and I do the same, so many of our supplies are pretty and it’s nice to use them as decoration.
Two tips from me.
I use plastic boxes (shoe box sized, which are pretty inexpensive) for my projects. When I start a project I assemble materials, needles, pattern and a pencil into the box. They stack up and I can see contents easily. The boxes are also cat-proof!
To keep a detailed record of my projects I’ve started to use MS PowerPoint. I’ve used it to do quilt designs, I can add photos (of the work I’m doing and of photos that inspire my design or ideas), make notes on my plans and my progress, even take screenshots of shopping lists. I also create a folder for each project on my computer and I dump any pictures, notes, e-patterns into the folder as I work on the project and once it’s complete I organize and keep the folder as an archive.
I, too, use glass jars for leftover yarns and have organized my printed out patterns in 3 ring binders according to type of garment. Patterns I have knit and will do again have a special binder. You’re right, my patterns are covered with notes. I also have one pattern holder for socks which has my template, as well as photo instructions for kitchener, Judy and Jeny’s cast on/bind off, and German short rows. I add to this as needed. I use more interchangeable needles so do use a zippered case for the needle tips I use most often which has a pocket for cables and tightening key, etc. Another ‘always by my side’ is my little Loopy Notions Organizer with darning needles, 3 kinds of stitch markers, and other frequently needed tools. I have organized my entire supply of needle tips into ‘snack size’ zip lock baggies marked by size. The baggies are divided between two cloth zippered bags so whichever type of tip I want (wood, metal, bamboo, whatever) are in one place by size. I use large tins (like the red cookie tins from Trader Joes at Xmas time and a gift tin for the marriage of William and Kate!) to keep all my small notion items together. I have my stash entered in Ravelry and I label my bins and usually sort by yarn brand. One bin is current and another future projects, and the bins are marked in my stash notes on Ravelry. I have one large shelf in my linen cupboard where I keep my swift and ball winder and tins of less frequently used items. If I wasn’t organized, I would spend all my time looking for whatever I need instead of knitting!
I use binders with page protectors to store my needles and keep them on my bookshelf next to my knitting library.
I also print my Rav project pages and keep them in a binder because I have this fear that I will one day accidentally hit the “Delete Account” button and lose all my notes.
I use three ring binders to keep all my paper patterns (stored in clear plastic sheets) that I have acquired over the years. I have separate binders for shawls, cowls, socks and miscellaneous. All are organized alphabetically and for those patterns I’ve used, I’ve included all my notes. All my PDF patterns are sorted and stored in IBooks on my IPad.
I use coloured vases and canning jars for lots of goodies like buttons, pins, and knitting needles. Mine aren’t as organized as yours though, with your buttons organized by colour. Baskets not her favourite way to hold and display so many times. When all else fails, it’s time to sew another organizer!
I use pill bottles for stitch markers
I keep my circular needles in page protector sleeves in a binder. I haven’t found a solution I love for my DPNs or crochet hooks yet.
All of my quilt basting pins, clips, etc, are keep in a variety of jars I threw on a pottery wheel. They aren’t the prettiest, but since I made them, I am partial to them. 🙂
I love old boxes and baskets. Wood, metal, paper or glass, doesn’t matter. Great way for storing stash, needles, etc.
My favorite needle organizer for my circs is a fishing lure binder. It is about 8″ x 8″ and has zip top heavy duty plastic bags that are in a binder. All my circs are together by size and there’s room in the back for my cable needles and needle gauge. The whole thing zips closed for safety and is waterproof.
Unfortunately, my stash exists in boxes that I hide in my closet 🙁 but I discovered that having a yarn bowl goes a long way toward keeping your current project looking presentable for company!
I forgot to mention that I keep all my stitch markers, tapestry needles, row counters and such in a silicon eyeglass case. It’s soft and fits in all my project bags.I used to carry my Knit Kit, but the back door doesn’t stay closed anymore.
I recently bought two of the Cubicle organizers with 9 cubes each. I will use binder clips and index cards to document the contents of each cube. I will use a couple of cubes for next-in-line projects.
After looking at your pictures and reading some posts I’ve come to realize how disorganized I am…I need to start using some of these ideas!!
I had my son make me a tall wooden vase to keep tools in. I always had such a mess on the table beside me and now it’s neat and tidy with my tools close at hand. In it are my needle sizer, pen, glasses, a small case of stitch markers, scissors and a nail file. Now no searching for something I need.
I’ve used many of the same storage techniques you have. 🙂 Old metal needles from my grandmother in old mason jars. Also my two favorite storage things – a small table lamp made from a large old mason jar (2 quart size – in a blueish green color ) and inside the jar I toss all the little bits of left over sock yarn balls which makes it very colorful and the other favorite is a metal tote with dividers in it that’s painted with pretty flowers outside that is to put gardening tools in – great for holding scissors and rotary cutters, etc. and pretty too.
Oh I am so impressed by your organizing. I am a mess. I’ve been known to buy a new set of needles because I can’t find the size I need.
The only thing I have that is organized is my current project. I keep the pattern in a sleeve with the paper I use for notes. The yarn, needles and my tool pouch are kept in an appropriate size project bag. Then the project bag and the pattern sleeve are put in a larger tote bag so everything is right where I need it wherever I plan to knit.
This may not be helpful to everyone but it really works for me. I have a “make up” pouch that has snips, my favorite sock pattern, size 1 needles, a Chibi, a Sock Doctor that shows how to do kitchener and a ball of sock yarn – READY AT ALL TIMES! Those items never leave the pouch and I always have something ready to go at a moments notice!
I don’t have quite the inventory of circular needles that Sheri does, so I keep mine in page protectors, one for each size in a big 3-ring binder. I also have a heavy, antique white ceramic pitcher for my straight needles, and use a cute Boylan’s Ginger Ale carton as a DPN caddy. With a little plastic cup from individual yogurts or applesauce inserted at the bottom of each bottle opening, the DPNs don’t slip through, and I can keep the colored metal needles sorted from the plain silver ones, the six-inch needles from the 8-inch length, and give the wood and bamboo needles a cubby to themselves.
I’m afraid I’m not that organized a person. I do have my yarn stash mostly on a bookshelf, sorted by what it probably wants to be. One shelf for yarn to be socks or gloves, one shelf for yarn to be shawls or cowls, one shelf for sweater quantities, and one shelf for yarn that doesn’t know what it wants to be when it grows up. I have a basket on my coffee table for yarn scraps, stitch markers in use, etc.
I use an over the door pocket shoe organizer to store my circular needles–each pocket a different size and an extra gauge to make sure I keep them straight!
I thought we would be able to post pictures so I put my thread storage idea in the ‘other’ picture category
I finally broke down and bought a fishing organizer that I use for my knitting needles….It has handles and I can keep it right next to the couch when I start a new project!
I have a mason jar pin cushion I use for buttons, stitch holders, yarn needles, and hand sewing needles. It’s cute.
My best organizer is for travel. I never go anywhere without my knitting, and I need a place to store stitch markers ( both closed rings and coil less pins), scissors, a small crochet hook, dental floss, etc. Fof all of these, I use a little plastic box. It was intended for toilet wipes, I think, but everything fits inside it, in small separate plastic bags. It’s sturdy enough to stay closed, and it keeps all of my notions in one place, so I never have to wonder.
By the bye, I also store my jewelry in a plastic pill container – the kind that has a little space for each day of the week. Each compartment holds a pair of earrings or a necklace, or a ring. Easy peazy!
I use containers meant for beads in the jewelry supply section to hold stitch markers. I’m currently using a toy bin to hold knitting projects and my needle organizers.
I have fancy single point needles in a Wile Coyote glass and longer wooden needles in an old glass pitcher. My circulars are in a Bass Pro Shops Worm Bag that my sister got me many, many years ago when I heard about others using it, I think in a Yahoo group. My patterns are in 3 whole binders. My stitch markers are in a zippered Three Bags Full bag.
I use various mason jars for mini skeins. They make pretty decorations. I’ve put together several notions kits in small zippered bags- needle, row counter, stitch markers, tape measure and small scissors. It makes it super easy to have what I need when I start a new project!
I use an accordion file for my circular needles. Each tab gets labeled with a different size needle. I have a pottery vase that my son made for straight needles. My favorite spindles are in another pottery jar made by my daughter. I use metal cookie tins for notions and supplies. Most of my stash is in large plastic bins. I keep a piece of paper on the top of the bin on which I write what is in the bin by name of yarn, color, # of skeins and yardage. It makes finding things MUCH easier!
I have my yarn stash stored in a beautiful old cedar chest. Like you, I’ve got needles in vases, little yarn balls in jars and sock darners, etc in a lovely hand carved wooden bowl.
I keep printed patterns (by category) in file folders in a file drawer with knitting magazines. So I have a file labeled baby, mitts and mittens, socks, scarves, cowls, adult sweaters etc. The next drawer down has my quilt patterns and magazines. I moved my knitting books to two shelves in my study. I keep some older straight needles from my Gram in one of her pitchers on top of the file cabinet. I keep circs and double points in a big basket in the closet (away from grandchildren). The circs are in a large ziplock bag, interchangeable needles in another bag, and DPN’s in a third bag. I keep a needle-sizer in the basket. The needles are all in their wrappers but I’ve learned the hard way to size needles before use. Better to know than to assume. I hang on-going projects and project bags from hangers in closet.
I think you are more organized than I am. I recently put all my WIPs into big plastic bins so that they would all be in one place and organized. Well, to be honest, I had to use two big bins because apparently I have a lot more WIPs than I’d originally thought.
I would definitely make use of a holder! I’d attach it to the inside of my yarn cabinet door…
I am in the process of organizing my craft room so I appreciate all of the ideas you’ve mentioned! I do like to use old jars etc. for needles & buttons. Thanks for the giveaway!
When I buy yarn I keep it in a bag with the patten so I remember what I am going to make with it. I also have a small built in shelf that I keep my books and magazines on. One shelf has a small basket with my needles in it.
I love all of these great ideas!
I use a small bead storage container for stitch markers.
I’ve got nothin’….my knitting stuff is all a jumble so I’m looking forward to reading everyone’s tips! I’ve got yarn all mixed together with a very vague fingering section that bleeds into the rest. My needles are in three places and all my notions are in a bag, either in little containers or, you know, just floating free in the bag. The only thing I really try to do is to put ball bands in a ziplock bag….but I don’t even do that consistently! Help?