I decided before I could pack to leave on the Christmas whirlwind tour that I needed to organize the projects I would take with me. Well in order to do that I also needed to organize my craft room and stash. Then I decided that if I was going to do that, that I wanted to put it back in color wheel order.
The one suggestion I would make is if anyone else would like to organize their stash is to not do it with your spouse at home. 
It seems that when all your stash is out in the open and getting organized that spouses wonder just how much stuff you have. This is a thought I would rather he not entertain. I got all kinds of comments from “Just how much do you have?” to, “You could open your our store with all this stuff” to, “How much do you have invested in yarn?” Well, we all know that there is never enough yarn and knitting things in our lives. And that there is always a need to be able to put your hands on a new project quickly. I also could never walk past a good yarn sale. You never know when you will need something; especially if you are teaching someone else to knit. I will give him that my knitting book addiction has taken a real hold lately but I can quit when ever I need to or want to. (yeah right!) However, I wasn’t organizing my books (at least not in front of him) so I will not worry about that right now. Well actually, I did organize the books but Paul wasn’t home that day so I don’t have to admit to anything at this point. I did also change a bit of the furniture in the craft room. I wanted the table up higher. It was harder on my back when I used the ball winder when the table was low. I visited target and got a few more pieces of the white closet organizer pieces. I put two double door shelves with a wood top on it for a table. I increased my storage area with more cube pieces and added a double drawer. It has really worked out nice. I did not get to use it all very long because we needed to leave on our adventure but I really like how everything had a storage place. As you can see by the pictures I was able to put everything in color wheel order. I also was able to create a new stash book and now know what is what. I am very happy with how it all came out. I hope I can keep it all together.
Getting Organized
Why organize by Color Wheel?????!!!!!
Why Organize by Color Wheel? There are several reasons why you would want to organize your stash by color wheel order.
First is that it is visually attractive
Second you can then choose other yarns colors for a project both visually and logically. There is a great web site about color that explains this very well. It is called Color Matters. It will teach you about color and how to match color. A great reference book is Color Book & Color Wheel by Nancy Shroyer. She states that you will choose color fearlessly with her book. Another helpful item is The Magic Marble Teleidoscope by Gemini Kaleidoscopes. There is a great Teleidoscope Tutorial on the Knit Picks site. 
Yarn:
Gather all your yarn in one place. This allows you to have a good idea just how much you have and how much storage space you need to keep it together.
You can store your yarn in containers, baskets, shelves, cubbies or just about anyway you can think of. But I think the most important part is to make sure you can see the yarn. (Out of sight out of mind!)
Sort:
To sort I recommend you sort in this hierarchy:
1. sort by color
2. sort by weight
3. sort by fiber
4. sort by amount
I then recommend that you log your yarn in a Stash Book to keep track of what you have. I list the yarn by color then describe each yarn by
1. yards/meters per ball/skein and total
2. weight and type of yarn
3. how many balls
4. fiber content
5. weight total
6. small sample taped to the description
When I use a yarn I write in the book what I used it for and when. When I get new yarn to add I enter it in the book under the color so leave several blank pages in-between the colors. The book can be very handy when you are just thinking about a new project or if you have a pattern you want to use and need to see if you need to buy yarn or if you already have it. This helps you not over buy but most of all it helps you just wonder about what you can create next.
Me working on my new Stash Book
Books:
How you organize your books will depend on how much space you have and if you can have them out. Sorting books can really be personal. I like to sort by type.
1. whom they are for; Adults, children, household, gifts, you get the idea.
2. by what; Sweaters, hats, gloves, household items, socks, what ever you like
3. by type technique: felted, cabled, spin first, etc…
4. by difficulty
5. by yarn type worsted, finger yarn, DK, Arian, Bulky Homespun
I like to have all my reference books in one area too. But there are a few that I keep close at hand or on my work table for quick reference. How you sort your reference books will depend on your style of working on a project. Think about what would be most helpful to you. Are you looking for a book to help with the finishing techniques or Oh my goodness I don’t have any idea what they are asking me to do or how to make this look like that!
I always copy my project directions to follow while I work. That way I don’t beat up the book. Plus if I lose my directions or leave them on the plane I don’t have to buy the whole book again. It also keeps my project bag lighter. I put these copies in sheet protectors and when done put them in binders. I usually write a note on when I finished the project, whom I made it for, and if I liked the pattern and the results. I also have binders with pattern directions in sheet protects of patterns I have gotten off the internet or from friends. I sort these into binders and sections in the same manner I sort my books. I have a baby binder, children’s binder, will you get the idea from the book section.
Projects;
I organize my projects by first picking out the ones I want to do. I usually copy the pattern and put it in a sheet protector right then. I like to have a color copy of the project on the front and put the sheet with all the information about the materials. yarn, sizing, needles, gauge showing on the back side. Then I sort the patterns by what I want to do the most or have to do now order down to, the I like it want it maybe soon or maybe later. I usually stack these next to my computer so I can look on line at the yarn they recommend and get any needed information about it. I also like to throw an index card in side to write down the sites I looked at and the price of the yarn. Once I get the yarn either from my stash, from the internet, or from a wonderful trip to the yarn store. (my favorite being Knitch in Atlanta) I gather it all together and place the pattern sheet and the yarn in a bag. Project bags can be as simple as a zip lock bag or as pretty as a cloth bag from Patagonia. (I like the Patagonia cloth gift bags. They come in small medium and large in different patterns for $2.) I put in any needles or notions needed too. I can then grab the bag when I want to start and I am off and going. I also enjoy going through the project sheets sorting and resorting. Sometimes I just read over the instructions to make sure it is what I want or think I can do. When I think I can’t, I always remind myself what my mom would say, ”If you can read you can do anything you want to do! Can you read Emily? Well then do it.” Here are the pictures of how my craft room organization project turned out. I think it came out really good. I am happy with my new work space.
I hope you enjoy yours and happy organizing.
