Favorite Knitting Storage & Organization
Keeping all those knitting supplies organized is a skill all by itself. If you’re lucky enough to have a dedicated craft room or even a spare closet to hide your yarn stash, you might not need these tips. But, for the rest of us, who have to fit our knitting into our everyday spaces, this is definitely for you.
Below you’ll find my favorite knitting storage and organizational tools (specifically for small spaces) and, after that, I share some tips and advice for keeping things organized and under control.
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Favorite Organizational Tools
These are my favorite knitting organization and storage tools. You can find out more about how I use them to keep things organized further down the page.
- 3-tier storage cart (I picked up mine at Michaels but you can also find different types at Amazon) – I adore my rolling cart. It stores all the things I use when I’m knitting and can easily be moved around the house (if you get the same one, be sure to pick up the Cart Topper too).
- Cloth bags in a few different sizes (I like the cloth bags at Knit Picks) – I admit that I usually have a few projects on the needles at any one time. To keep them organized, each project gets its own bag with one or two skeins of yarn. I keep the remaining yarn for all the projects in one large Knit Picks tote.
- Knitting needle cases (there are lots of options at Knit Picks) – if you have lots of random needle sets, the best way to keep them organized is in one or two cases along with all their cables, parts, and pieces.
- Storage containers (here are some choices at Amazon) – if you need to keep your yarn stash organized, clear storage containers that have lids are a great choice (that can easily be tucked away in a closet or on a bookshelf).
- Notions bags (there are some cute ones at Knit Picks) – I like to keep all my notions in one place and a bag or tin is a perfect solution. I also use smaller bags with just the needed items for each project right in each project bag.
- Yarn bowl (Knit Picks has some pretty choices) – a yarn bowl is a nice place to keep that yarn that keeps rolling off the couch and across the floor (I’m not the only one picking dog hair off my yarn, right?).
How I Organize My Knitting Supplies
I don’t have the luxury of a whole craft room (I’m working on the craft closet – sharing it with office supplies at the moment) but I do have one bookshelf and my rolling cart. The bookshelf holds all my knitting-related books, magazines, and binders as well as a few small storage containers and totes for yarn that I use for knitting swatches and samples for classes or potential designs along with a growing pile of swatches.
Any other yarn is stored in a few closed storage containers in the closet. I don’t have a yarn stash – just the yarn for upcoming projects, classes, and videos. Leftovers get separated into totes and bins of yarn that can be used for swatches, the leftover yarn I donate, and leftovers that I use for scrap blankets or other small quick-knit projects that can be made with leftover bits of yarn.
My rolling cart holds all needles, notions, and other random supplies. It can easily be wheeled around our small house to any room I happen to be knitting in but it usually stays in my “knitting office” (which is a fancy way of saying I have one bookshelf and a small desk in a corner of our living room). The bottom tier holds leftover yarn, any current scrap-related blankets or projects, and empty project bags. The middle tier contains a yarn bowl (that usually has a pair of scissors and some random stitch markers and bits of scrap yarn inside), yarn labels for current projects, a ruler, sock ruler, and any projects that need final finishing (like weaving in ends or seaming). The top tier (with the lid) holds all my knitting needles, notions in a tin, small notion bags, notebooks, and a nostepinne for winding yarn. On top of the lid I have a small llama dish that holds random stitch markers and a coaster for my coffee or water.
You may be wondering where all my actual knitting projects are. Those are not in the cart or on the shelf. Each project is in its own tote or drawstring bag (which is usually slung over a chair where they were last worked on). When I start a new project, usually when it’s in its swatching stage, the yarn (at least a skein or two, the rest is stored on the bookshelf or closet), a printed copy of the pattern, a pen, and a small notions bag with any notions I think I’ll need while I’m knitting the project is kept in the bag. That way, all I need to do is grab the bag and knit wherever I like without having to search for a random stitch marker. When a project is ready for finishing, it gets tossed on the second shelf of my cart and the project bag is emptied and everything is stored away until it’s filled with a new project.
By keeping everything organized this way I don’t need a large space (really, it’s just one bookshelf and a rolling cart with the odd bin or two stored in a closet) and can easily find any knitting-related tools or supplies.