Organizing My Giant Yarn Stash & How To Start Your Ravelry Stash 

I am retired and recently moved in with my daughter & her husband. They were flabbergasted at the amount of yarn and yarn equipment (small weaving looms, knitting looms, hooks, needles, etc.) that I brought with me. I am so grateful for it all, because my retirement income is so low, I must now stop buying yarn and actually start to use it. I feel like I have a small yarn store of my very own. Thank God for the yarn and now the time to make stuff for family and charity.

Buying Yarn and using Yarn are two separate hobbies :)

There is a field called "stored in" on each stash item in Ravelry. So if you store your yarn in bins, and then for example put "Bin 1" in the stored in field and you will know which bin it is in! Alternatively, you can use the tags field for the same purpose.

My new policy is to buy yarn only when I have a pattern. 😊 I use the leftovers on my rigid heddle looms and for fingerless gloves. It’s tempting to save small bits for my looms, but I try to only save those I’m likely to use, especially yarns that are strong enough to withstand the tension of being warp. I highly recommend rigid heddle looms. They’re easy and fun.

This is like the third time I've watched this and its just so cathartic to watch someone organize their yarn. Looking forward to what the new craft room looks like :)

You are a Ravelry stash rock star! I didn’t realize how helpful this could be. I’m logging mine gradually. Thanks so much!

I laughed at "trip around the house" to gather it all!!! Amazing where we find to stash the stash!!! Great progress!!!! Great job!!!!

This video has really given me information I had no clue about. I recently inherited an entire yarn room that was full and overflowing. I have 200 pounds sitting on my front porch and a U-Haul coming in July!! I’m so overwhelmed with organization. I do have a rather large room and I’m looking for shelving now. Thank you so much for taking the time to make this video. I hope you have an absolutely fabulous day!! 💚😊💚😊

omg, i love your cat, thats so sweet

I’m actually a hoarder of mini skeins so my stash doesn’t take up as much square feet as yours, but it’s still a lot of skeins! I didn’t know ralvelry offered this! Holy crap….this looks like FUN! I, too, am a spreadsheet psycho and let me tell you…that yarn spreadsheet is EVERYTHING! EVERYTHING! I want to do this with all of my paper collections. Thank you for sharing. Just subbed 🥰

And I thought my stash was bad.. I stopped purchasing yarn because I couldn't stop my stash from growing. The stash was growing in an exponential rate and I had no place to store the new yarns. But this video just inspired me to buy yarns that I've been wanting to buy but just held off. Or maybe I just found myself an excuse 😅 so thank you!! 😄

having that dollar amount is also very smart for insurance reasons! knowing what you own and how much it is worth will help if you are ever in a situation where your items have become damaged or destroyed.

I never realized Ravelry had this function! I definitely need to work on this for my own stash

My stash is soooo way worse!!! This vid is such a great and timely one for me! Thank you for sharing, I am so happy to know theres hope for better functionality! ❤️❤️❤️

This is Ah-mazing! I had a fairly small stash when Ravelry was born, so I've had my digital stash on there from the beginning, though it gets a few gaps every now and then and I have an evening blitz of filling the holes. But having a digital stash is one of the BEST resources ever. I love being able to match odd yarns to potential projects as I figure out how to use early stash purchases from 15+ years ago. Stash organizing is essential! Way to go!

I did something like this recently but I don't belong to Ravelry I wouldn't be embarrassed... I have quite a bit, myself. Lots older than you, though, so I have collecting for decades. I've been trying to discipline myself and actually finish some projects. I need sweaters .. great job!

Thank goodness! I hoped there were others out there and I wasn't the only one! 🤣😂🤣😂🤣

What?.. I actually started. Note book writing down all of my yarns and then transferring them to a spreadsheet. 😞. I have been on ravelry since 2011 and didn’t know this function is available. THANK YOU! Definitely going to use this function

Nice to See im Not alone there😁😁👍I have in siutcase ,in my Sofa and in many outhers places and i Love IT❤️❤️👍...Greetings from Hamburg in Germany to you all 😁😁

"Give it a like, honestly. I like it, so maybe you should too." This had me cracking up. I rarely "like" videos, but I really enjoyed it and gave it a big thumbs up. Thanks for sharing this happy content.

My husband said "that's not a stash, that's a hoard". To each his own. I think your organized yarn is beautiful! 💜

I been told buy family that it not normal to have that much yarn. I am so glad you show yarn stash along with collection of needles and book. I saw a sewing machine also. My heart is all craft. Thank you again for making me feel like there is nothing wrong with me. My books, yarn, sewing, embroidery, weaving, rug, and craft making supplies.

I loved your video about organizing your Stash. I must say that I laughed so very hard as you were pulling out all of your yarn. You know why I laughed......because I also have this big amount of very precious yarn that I love. I Make all sorts of things with it too. I was so happy to see your computer accomplishments on Ravelry. You are so smart. I wish you many moments of incredible fulfillment using your STASH!

Cat all cozy in the box of yarn, adorable 😂.

Oh my god I am laughing sooo much…. I absolutely love this.

I was so pleased to see that there is a person (you) who actually has as much yarn as I do. My problem is that where I live we get a lot of silverfish and clothes moths so I can't dsplay my yarn in the very attractive way you do. Instead I have put EVERYTHING in big ziploc bags with a few cedar chips (for the natural fibres) to minimise the risk of attack by killer bugs lol. When I did this, I realised that I'm not likely to ever use up the acrylics so have focussed on the natural fibres. The acrylics I have chucked into a couple of suitcases and will keep that for toys, and not add to it lol. I've never looked closely at the Ravelry stash function but I love your spreadsheet. Maybe creating a virtual stash is my next project. Well done. It must have been a big job.

I love that I can see what projects I used the yarn for. And being able to see what others projects that the yarn has been used in.

I honestly didn't really understand what the stash thing was all about on Ravelry, so thank you for this. It must be so much easier looking for patterns I guess, to be able to access exactly what you already own and know the yardage. And I now don't feel quite as bad about my obsession with sales. I love that you have a dedicated space for only fibre arts, unlike my space which is shared with tons of plants/planting, other forms of art like paint/stitch/collage, online course materials and cat & dog beds. Not ideal so it's plastic bins for me (not as dreamy to look at).

I just found ur channel luv ur craft room ur cat the white n gray remind me of my cat Hemingway that past last summer he was 25 god bless u n felines

Oh my! I'm here to figure something out for my stash. I seen your initial pile and and almost moved on. Then I watched your hunt for the mini stashes and I told my husband, I think I found my yarn twin. Lol

Wowsers! That's a biiiiiiigggg stash.

Haha :D I love how there is yarn literally everwhere!

Beautiful :) Watch the window light many fade easily. Good Job!

oh YOU are my yarn stash twin...chuckle...I've got it spread ALL over my house, garage and extension on the garage..actually, the only room that does NOT have yarn stashed in it is the bathroom..I so need to sort and work out some projects to put it all to, AND stop buying more...

You inspired me to insert my stash into Ravelry! I don’t have much of a stash these days but it’s pretty satisfying to have it on Ravelry. Thank you! Edit: I love that you exported it as a spreadsheet and enjoyed seeing all the info you were able to extract from it 👏

It is so refreshing to see you did not use ikea i usually just bypass those videos no funds for them I say but love ideas using what you have on hand.

All I can say is “wow”. I’m also jealous of all the yarn you have!

I just did this myself recently! I have 9 giant bins full of yarn so I sorted them by fiber type first into their respective bin, and then bin by bin I added them onto my Ravelry stash! The only stuff that didn't get added is stuff I already pulled for projects that were already started, and I have a whole bin full of already caked up acrylic that I no longer have the tags for. I also bought a bunch of drawstring backpacks that I am now using as project bags so when I see something I want to make I take the time to print the pattern, pull the yarn and grab a notions bag and stick it into the project bag so it's ready to go! I made the notions bags by buying a bunch of locking stitch markers a 24 packs of kids scissors and 2 10 packs of retractable tape measures and used a bunch of old ipsy make up bags that I had and just put them all together and they hang out in the bin with the backpacks ready to go when I need to put a project together. I'm hoping this new system helps me to get through my stash more efficiently and stop impulsively buying way too much yarn everytime I see a project I want to do!

Thank you!!!! Trying to figure out how to fi this!! Good to see how uou have accomplished this. Much appreciated!

Thank you so much for sharing. My quilting rooms contains probably 800 meters of fabric and I dont have the courage to do what you have done!

OMG, I couldn't. Just couldn't, with ADHD brain id be out of sight out of mind for me. I'm so glad my stash is fully visible for me. Love how much you have and your furry helper.

Thanks for the advice! Only wish my stash were that small.

Wow! I am so impressed by the entry of yarns on to Ravelry, but also the transformation of your craft space. I have been too lazy to upload my stash into Ravelry, although in the past I have benefitted from other Raveler's stash listings. A couple of people saved my projects by privately selling yarn to me even though it was not listed as for sale. So grateful.

I laughed at your opening. Your pile looks like my yarn pile. And I looked at your pile thinking…” oh, like that color. I want that one.” Thanks for the info about Ravelry. Very helpful.

Have you found the sorting option on row 1? Highlight the row, go to "Data", click filter, and you'll be able to sort by every column. Handy if you filter the yarn type column and want to know how much yarn you have for a new project.

OMG, I just attempted to find all my yarn last week 😏--- just found more in the back of a closet yesterday. I'm in the advanced beginner phase. I keep buying yarn to go with patterns, or just because it's pretty. I have at least 7 50-gallon bins. I'm afraid to see my total cost, 75% of mine is full-priced from yarn stores. I bought a suitcase full of yarn home from Germany. (just unloaded it). I have Ravelry and had no idea I could do this. Can't wait to start sorting. Now I can finally furnish my sitting/she room since there is hope for organization and purchase the online certificate course I've been eyeing. I showed your video to my husband. He said now you can start using what you have. I smiled and said nothing; he laughed.

Thanks for reminding me about Ravelry’s yarn stash functions. I SCOFFED at that! I didn’t realize it would come in handy. omg.

I love yarn, especially expensive natural fibers. I have a yarn problem...😢 "I love to come in my room, sit in a chair and just stare at my yarn...which i think is totally normal" LMAO.....yes!

Omg, that makes me feel so much better about my tiny little stash🤣

That's some lovely cat yarn you have there 😁 almost scare me when it started moving. That's a good website I've never seen before thanks for sharing it 😁👍and your room looks so pretty 😍

gosh you remind me so much of honey lemon for big hero six!!! i can imagine you as her with that colourful bag, but instead of the chemistry things it shoots out yarn haha 😆 loved this video, your energy is so warm it put a big smile on my face, thank you :D

wow I didn't know Ravelry had a data export feature! That's so neat! Inventory management can be so frustrating if you are using software doesn't allow you to export your work bc if I get bored of that software then I'll have to do the whole upload process again, but it's so cool that Ravelry allows you to export!

This is the most helpful video ... thank you for sharing

For a minute there, I swear to god you were in my house! :D

Good luck with that yarn

So nice to know I'm not alone!! LOL

I like that your cat has a middle name! This was very encouraging, I think I can do this. I like the spreadsheet that you can manipulate, I want to know how many miles I have!! Thx for sharing. 💜

There’s soo much can I PLEASE have some 😍

I’m glad I’m not the only one!!

It looks great! The cats being in my yarn, would drive me nuts.

Turned out great!! 🧶🧶

I am a beginner and I am not sure if I should be proud of me not having a stash, or should I admire yours. It is so much better when you want to knitt something you just go "shop" in that cute craft room of yours. Congratulations for all that work and showing us a feature on Ravelry I had no idea exists! Cheers!

I love your decorated craft room, so neat and tidy! I have been inventorying my stash using a spreadsheet in Open Office, because right now it's in totes and I'm keeping track of what is in each tote. I learned something new about the Ravelry stash keeper though, thank you. I love your mischievous kitties, so cute! I am finally getting a craft room this year and will get to move all of my stuff out of totes and into one space, I can't wait to organize, I can get a bit OCD about it. lol. I love to watch everyone's videos and get ideas and tips! Have a Great night!

I was thinking at the weekend that I wished I could have my stash in a spreadsheet, not checking whether it can be done from Ravelry. Thanks for the tip!

I love it!!!

I would be crazy happy with that stash!!! Enjoy it thanks for the videos

I resemble this amazing hot mess! I'm so glad I found your video! I LOLd when you opened that trunk!! I have one just like it and just as full!!

Beautiful 🤩

Love the yarn wall! Great job on organizing your stash and craft space.

Oh wow! I thought I had a lot of yarn 😂. I was searching for”organizing yarn” and stumbled across your video. Very helpful! Subscribed.

Looks awesome!

Oh my gosh! A yarn hoarder. Love it. Thanks for sharing.

When i first started the vid i thought "ok that is a good stash for clothes and blankets" and you just kept pulling yarn from spots that i would have forgotten about. You madame have a stash big enough to make big beautiful blankets and comfortable clothes.

Your stash is my stash goals!

I love using the stash functionality and really need to add my entire stash to ravelry. Honestly my stash is also probably way worse than yours and to organize it would be a good idea because I will pull a skein to look at it for a project and then it doesn’t go back to the other skeins so I have yarn separated all over the house. Totally my ADHD at work. UGH.

I enjoyed this I just started my Ravelry

I love all your yarn ❤️

Love your yarn room

Pretty cool!

I love the way your craft room looks, and the statistics about your yarn were very interesting! I'm a big fan of statistics and spreadsheets too!

“Invested $6000 in my fiber future”. I cracked up.

That Ralvery file is so cool!! Your room is beautiful! I love having a stash of sewing, craft, yarn supplies! I can go in craft room and the wheels in my mind just start turning at all the possibilities! Thank you for sharing!

Very inspiring and motivational. I need to do this with my spinning fiber too!

Thank you so much for sharing this! I am about to start this stash project on Ravelry and u have given me and my messy craft room hope!

Wow! I thought I had a lot!

I had never heard of that site. How cool!

Wow. I am so inspired (and a little relieved) I thought I had so much, but not a fraction of your yarn store. But I still need to better organize my stash, as it is my intention to use a great deal of it this year. I already have finished 4 hats (ok. Just a drop in the bucket, but I have 2 sweaters planned) and am working on a baby blanket from my stash. Problem is I am needing to buy a bit more yarn to add to be able to complete my projects . Just today order we some silk mohair to pair with Iona Bunny for my first Ranunculus. I had thought not to buy any yarn at all this year, but thinking instead I will set a dollar limit, and a goal of using some per cent (50%?) if what i already have. I am so inspired to see what you have done.. Thanks for sharing so candidly. Great job.

What a huge project, but turned out great! I love spreadsheets, but never thought to track my yarn. I know what I’m doing this weekend :)

This was so much fun and educational! Thank you!

I love all the steps on Ravelry! I had no idea how to add 2 types of yarn from the same brand and the spreadsheet option, thank you!

I am so impressed with your organization!

I love yarn!!!

Love your craft room. I wish I could display my yarn stash but I have a cat that has a taste for yarn.😂

Ok I’m only 10 min into the video and am in the EXACT same position! Lol . We moved to another state and my husband didn’t exactly know how much yarn I had until he walked into the room after I pulled it all out to pack it and it looked exactly like your room. His eyes got sooooo big and then he looked at me and said you have a problem. hahahaha he was flabbergasted and slightly upset. I need to do what you are doing and put it all on Ravelry. Thank you for doing this video. I’m not even thru the video yet but I know it will help me. And then I’m going to show it to my husband and say see it’s just like mine! Haha

Oh my I am on this! I am a huge Data girl too. Started a spreadsheet but so much better Ravelry. Thank you for such a detailed truly helpful video!!

Great job! You inspired me to begin organizing mine! Great tips here!!

This was so much fun to watch! I recently added all my yarn to ravelry too and reorganised everything. It's so satisfying to export that data list 😃

Fabulous work and ideas.

Love this podcast. I have a huge stash and in many places - love how you went around the house collecting - I am giggling here!

Your room is awesome!!! Thank you for sharing your organization process!!!