Through the years, people often think I’m organized because I keep spreadsheets for everything (except cookie molds). I would say “I’m so disorganized that I appear to be organized!” Kinda like coming full circle but not quite closing that circle! By now, you readers probably believe me and you know how disorganized I am.
I’ve kept my yarn on spreadsheets for years. Here’s just a piece of the Eat, Sleep, Knit spreadsheet:
That one is simply to know which yarns came from ESK and the invoice number for Yarnathon purposes.
The spreadsheet that I use the most lists the yarn and the tub number where the yarn can be found.
You can imagine my horror when I walked into the sewing room and saw Vince had emptied tubs of yarn to use as packing material in boxes. He was digging through and finding bulky yarn to fill big holes, fingering weight yarn to fill small holes. My spreadsheet system was totally blown. He had no idea that I even had it all on a spreadsheet and he was packing so I couldn’t complain. Cry . . but not complain.
So, now the spreadsheet has to be totally redone but that will happen later.
The movers were fine with moving tubs of yarn and that was great because I didn’t have to dump the yarn in boxes, then move empty totes. I knew some of the totes would get broken, and they did. I kept trying to come up with a better plan.
Yesterday when I was downstairs, I thought about putting projects in plastic grocery sacks, adding a bay leaf and a chunk of soap to hopefully keep bugs away (though we don’t have nearly as many bug here as we had in Texas) and hanging the bags on the outside of the fabric racks.
It will be a little inconvenient when I’m looking for fabric for a project but honestly, I look for the fabric, pull what I need, put back what I decide not to use, then I keep all the extra fabric with the project til the project is finished so it isn’t like I’m digging through fabric every day. Having these bags hanging may look a little tacky but I think it will help keep Boots of the fabric and it will make it so much easier to find the projects.
Each bag has a label attached and the label tells me which pattern I’m using and the yarn so if I want to start a new project and don’t want to use fingering weight yarn, I can grab one that is DK or Worsted weight . . or whatever.
I can add 6 projects per row, 4 rows per unit, 6 units, so that’s 144 projects, plus I can put at least 10 projects on the back side of that one unit so that’s at least 150 projects. Don’t panic – I don’t have 150 projects started but I can bag up the yarn for a particular project, add it to a bag and hang it.
That is going to make a huge difference in the amount of tubs I have to find a place to store.
This plan may not work like I’m thinking it will but if it doesn’t, then I’ll just take the bags down, add them to a spreadsheet, put them in tubs and be back close to where I was before the yarn got used as packing materials.
You can see that I stacked fabric all the way to the ceiling. I can see Boots getting on top of those shelving units, realizing he can move the ceiling blocks and getting up in there and maybe not being able to get out so I’m trying to fill up the spaces so he has no access to get to those dropped ceiling blocks.
Joyce says
A knitting friend of mine puts everything needed (extra yarn, pattern, needles, the in-progress parts, etc.) for a project into a tote bag. Then he hangs up all the bags on hooks. All he has to do is grab the bag and he’s ready to go. I think he may have a separate pouch of little stuff (scissors, stitch markers, etc.) that he can just grab to go with the bag. I’m not nearly that organized, although I think about it sometimes…LOL
Judy Laquidara says
That’s pretty much what I do but the projects that aren’t currently being worked on – mostly projects I’ve bought yarn for but haven’t started, those are the ones in grocery sacks downstairs.
Teri says
There are ziplock bags that come in a bunch of sizes even for large projects and they can be closed so no bugs can get in….and either you can stack on shelves or put back in the bins
danielle says
Just questioning – Boots wont see these hanging bags as something fun to swat at? And end up ripping the bags?
Judy Laquidara says
He doesn’t have front claws and he’s so lazy . . we’ll have to see.
Tee says
You have enough fabric to make 150 simple tote bags so it won’t look so tacky. I don’t think I would like looking at that all day long. Make it look a bit nicer, anyway. Different colored fabric totes for different kinds of projects so you can pull one when you are wanting to knit socks vs. a sweater?
Judy Laquidara says
I have a way of completely ignoring things and those bags won’t bother me at all.
Nelle Coursey says
I think this is a great idea. Both the bags and the fabric. You have plenty of time to do things different later. Right now you are just in preparing mode.
Cindy F says
Awhile back I started organizing my quilting projects by putting each project or project to be in a plastic tote. The shoebox size is great for smaller projects or if I’m just starting to collect fabric for a project. I even started making labels for the projects in progress. That right there is my confession that I have too many unfinished projects…lol. But it doesn’t keep me from planning new ones!
Diana Glasspool says
That would look so pretty using draw string bags… you have enough material!
April Reeves says
Wait – he separated yard destined for projects? yikes!
Judy Laquidara says
Yes, but in his defense . . yarn is yarn and he has no idea how it all works (or doesn’t work)!
Judy H says
Don’t expect the bags to deter Boots from the shelf behind them. If anything, he may like it more because he’s “hidden”. Cats like hidey spots.
Judy Laquidara says
He does like to think he’s hidden. Hadn’t thought of that but I generally keep those shelves tightly packed and in Texas, I only had a problem with him getting on the very top shelf where I had quilts that weren’t tightly packed.