Decluttering my yarn stash - It wasn't easy.

[@gabrielaspaull6238]

Thank you Anita, I loved the video. I don’t have a craft room either so my yarn stash is all over the house. Every once in a while I sort through all the yarn and before I put it all away, I take photos with my iPad or phone. That way, when I am thinking of what yarn to use for a particular project, I just look through my photos first, to remind me of what I have and to help me decide, without having to go through all my boxes all the time. ❤

[@GagaKnits]

Hi Gabriela. That's a good idea. I think I'll do that, print them off and stick them in my book, otherwise my phone memory will be full! 🤣

[@gabrielaspaull6238]

@@GagaKnits Hi Anita, that sounds great. Yes, I know what you mean about running out of memory on the phone. I hope you have a great week ❤️

[@Lisa-vb3gn]

I enjoyed your video! I have a lot of yarn and I keep it in boxes like you have in your dining room. Socks and hats in one, shawls in the next, followed by sweater quantities and then leftovers and unspecified yarn. I keep the projects together in the bags just like you do. I know what all of my yarn will be used for and I keep the list in a notebook. Best of luck to you!

[@GagaKnits]

You sound very organised Lisa. I love that you store all your yarn in the dining room. X

[@hazeldonner1855]

Aww poor Anita, I really felt sorry for you. What a very difficult task. I want to decorate my craft room and organise it better. I started the declutter task in October. I am lucky enough to have a large wardrobe with shelving. I bought 9 plastic boxes to fill up with yarn. My order was, sock yarns and left overs, dk weights, jumper quantities, blanket yarn, acrylics, wips, projects not started, cotton. I filled every box and still needed more. Having some yarn stashed away in another room I bought another 6 boxes. When I went to look in the drawers, I was horrified to find yet still more yarn!!! I could cry. Not because I can’t store it, I can but I’ve let things get to this point 😱. I can’t bear to part with any of it. Like you I am not looking at any more shops, emails or anything until I make a dent in my supplies. I do list things on Ravekry and that’s handy for looking through for small projects where I want scraps of yarn. I think the red striped yarn is a sport weight. The red 2 ply is most likely a dk and the three grey/blue give away looks like a lace weight.

[@GagaKnits]

Thanks Hazel. You don't realise how much your stash has built up until you try and organise it. I only gave away yarn I knew I wouldn't use and this year I'm going to focus on finding projects for the yarn I have left. Ideally I'd like to have only my WIPs, yarn ready for my next project, a couple of balls of 4 ply for baby knits and a couple for socks. Not sure if that will happen but I'm going to try. Good luck knitting through your stash. Shopping your stash is great as you already know you love all the yarn before you look through it. X

[@94hydenseek]

I'm enjoying watching your de-clutter videos. Getting rid of craft supplies isn't easy, I think you did very well. Most of my craft stash is in our smallest bedroom, which also has a single bed incase grandchildren stay over. I have drawers in the bed which have yarn in bags, mostly garment quantities, an Ikea billy bookcase with sock yarn and hand dyed yarn, and several baskets with mini skeins for my mitred squared blanket. I don't have a list of what I have but it's all fairly accessible, there is also a plastic box in the garage with acrylic yarn, I really should sort through it all again although i did have a good sort when we decorated the small room last year. Keep up the good work :-)

[@GagaKnits]

Thank you Maggie. You are very well organised. I now have a plan of how I'm going record my yarn stash. I will show you in my next video. X

[@susankorotkin3386]

I religiously put all my yarn acquisitions into Ravelry. I know I have WAY more than I should, but every time I look at a pattern in Ravelry, it will tell me what stash yarn I have that has been used for this project. So I too am on a No Buy Year. I hope I’m successful and can start to seriously draw down the stash. I do need to pull out those yarns I will never use and find a good home for them. Thank you for your video. You did a job!

[@GagaKnits]

Thank you. I didn't know Ravelry did that. I need to use it in a more productive way, not just searching for patterns. X

[@pamelageoghegan8859]

Thank you, Anita. It's so difficult when we have lots of craft supplies and no dedicated craft room. I'm enjoying your decluttering podcasts as they are inspiring me to start decluttering again. It's never-ending...

[@GagaKnits]

Hi Pamela. It feels never ending to me too and I've only just gotvsrarted! I'm glad I've inspired you, it will spur me on. X

[@brittanykrieger5828]

I have a huge stash too and I am making projects to use it up before buying more in the future. Thanks for sharing.

[@GagaKnits]

The best shop is your stash as you know you love everything in it. 🤗

[@mywonderfulknittinglife]

Hi Anita! I hear you loud and clear. I have many crafts and this year I am going to organize and declutter. Some things may get donated so that I have less and can focus on my favourites. Wishing you luck on your decluttering! (Margaret of My Wonderful Knitting Life podcast)

[@GagaKnits]

Thank you Margaret. I've not heard of your podcast. I will pop over later and say hello. X

[@mywonderfulknittinglife]

🥰

[@michelleking3073]

Hi Anita I enjoyed this video so much. I still have Kid Mohair that I purchased in the 1980s in my yarn stash . I’ve got no hope of doing as well as you have in reducing “ The Stash “. Michelle. xxx

[@GagaKnits]

Thank you Michelle. I worked out that light green cotton I waivered over has been in my stash for over 10 years! It's hard to let go but you'll soon forget what you gave away and be able to see more clearly the yarn that you will use. X

[@sharonarrendale8418]

I feel so bad for you. It is so hard to get rid of our yarn. We obviously had plans for it when we purchased it. I wish you well.❤

[@GagaKnits]

Don't feel bad. A lot of what I decluttered was leftovers. It felt good to donate what I know I wont use. My friend wants quite a bit too, so that's nice. X

[@suehillman7189]

What a grand job you have done, it’s always very hard to be ruthless and declutter. If like me you are always thinking, it might come in handy. But you are passing it all to your knitting group, so I’m sure people will make good use of it. If nobody request that fine wool you are offering, I could make use of it. I went to the big craft show at Exeter last year and whilst there I purchased a Lacey shawl pattern and haven’t yet found the right wool for it, this looks perfect. Anyway, keep enjoying your declutterring. Sue.xx

[@GagaKnits]

Thanks Sue. Yes, I'm like you I can find uses for every little scrap of yarn, fabric, old cards, the list is endless. You are very welcome to the yarn. If you private message me your address on Instagram gaga.knits I will send it out to you on Monday. X

[@suehillman7189]

Hi Anita, I’ve sent you a message on instagram. Thankyou.xx

[@janescarisbrick6986]

Love seeing how people sort their stash. I'm lucky to have my own small craft room so I keep my yarn sorted into clear plastic tubs inside a small built in cupboard. It is sorted by weight. Projects are on a shelf in bags. Every year I try and use more then I buy...I do try 🤣

[@GagaKnits]

I love that kind of storage idea. Like having your own shop, where you can browse the shelves and choose what you like. Hopefully one day. 🤞

[@jenniemills5093]

Hi Anita. I have all my WIPs in project bags that I made. Those live on shelves. My stash lives in 6 smallish totes. The totes are clear plastic so I can see through them. The yarn is organized by size, so all my sock yarn together. Every now and then, I have a sort out and take the unwanted skeins or leftovers to the charity shop. It does help to have it all in one room. Great video.

[@GagaKnits]

Thank you Jennie. You sound very organised. When my son eventually moves out I shall have a splendid craft room as I have first dibs on his bedroom. 😊

[@lindaconnaire4488]

Have you thought of using the vacuum bags? You could fill one then suck all the air out and they go pretty flat. You could store them in your suitcase, I got over 300 in mine and there's still room in the suitcase. Once flattened they fit in the smallest of places. Try it you'll be very happy with the results xxx

[@lindaconnaire4488]

And when you understand vacuum them they bounce back lovely, leave them overnight and the yarn is like new. The ball bands get a bit tatty. What I do is write on paper what it is and once I take it out I put the original band back on. It really works

[@GagaKnits]

Thanks for the idea Linda. I love it when yarn is delivered vacuum packed and magically poofs up when opened but I aim to have a small stash so need for extra storage. X

[@NotQuiteEnoughYarn]

You are doing well - that's a tough early de-clutter. 350 yds/100g suggests a plump/heavy four ply or a fine sport weight? Lace weight - can be held double as a approximate equivalent of 4ply. Good luck with the next de clutter project xx

[@GagaKnits]

Thank you Lesley. I think a plump 4 ply describes that yarn very well. I never realised I felt so attached to my yarn. I'd look at the random balls and think that was the leftovers of such and such project and it would bring back a happy memory, but I feel much better now it all fits in those 3 boxes. Next week I should have a system that lets me know exactly what yarn I have at a glance and then it's time to get some new projects on the go. X

[@susanleach8639]

You did very well with your decluttering. I need to do the same, even though I don’t have as much yarn as many people, I am finding that the amount I do have is overwhelming for me. Like you, I am not certain how to organise what I do have. It can also be quite difficult to let go of things that have been gifted to us. When I first started knitting, I would go to the local wool shop and buy what I needed for one project and finish that before buying anything else. I have no idea why I turned into such a magpie, but I am determined not to buy anything else (at least until Wonder Wool😂).

[@GagaKnits]

I used to do the same with the wool shop and I kept everything for the project together in the plastic bag they gave me. I think KZbin, Instagram and the internet are our downfall. Now everything is available at our finger tips! And it's all so tempting. We all seem to be restraining ourselves until Wonderwool. They're going to have bumper sales this year! Have you decided what day you're going? I've got tickets for the Sunday. X

[@susanleach8639]

@@GagaKnits I am hoping to go on the Sunday as well, but I haven’t bought the tickets yet. I really want to go this year, so I need to get them booked. You are right about the internet, it can be a great source of inspiration and also a great source of temptation. It would be nice to say hello at Wonder Wool, I have been watching your podcasts pretty much from the beginning.

[@GagaKnits]

@@susanleach8639 I would love to meet you too. Let me know when you've booked your tickets and we can exchange telephone numbers. Last year I met up with Anne from No Excuses podcast and Helen from Mousie Makes podcast and several others and we all had our lunch together. The more the merrier. Although I'm not sure Helen will be able to pursuade her husband to travel all the way down from Durham again. Thank you for watching my videos for so long. That's very nice to hear. X

[@susanleach8639]

I had to check that my friend still wanted to go, but the tickets are now purchased and we are planning to go on the Sunday as well. I am really looking forward to it.

[@GagaKnits]

@@susanleach8639 That's great news. You'll love it. It's very cold there with concrete floors. So wrap up warm. Don't forget to private message me your phone number on Instagram gaga.knits so we don't miss each other. X

[@cat5787]

I am really loving your videos! You have inspired me to declutter along with you and also buy no more craft supplies. I think you did really well with your declutter, l find it so hard to get rid of any yarn, I have tons. 😬I had some lovely lace weight yarn and had no idea what to do with it and then I had a eureka moment - double it up and use it as a 4ply! Don’t know why I hadn’t thought of this before but it gives you more options. Also, I really like the way you creatively and neatly store your craft supplies around the house. Thank you for your great motivating videos. X

[@GagaKnits]

Thank you. I'm glad you're joining along and enjoying the videos. It was a shock when I realised just how much stuff I had tucked away. It might take me a whole year to declutter my craft supplies, never mind the rest of the house, which was my intention. 🥺 I think I'd get in a bit of a mess trying to knit with 2 strands of that lace weight yarn but thanks for the suggestion. X

[@epiphany8276]

It seems that quite a few of us are going through the same thing with our yarn. May be it's the time of year or seeing other podcasters talking about their yarny past and present plans. For me it was time to sit down and do some knitting with 2 yarns held together so I feel I'm using it up a little more quickly! I'm making the Italian Winter Shawl with two special souvenir 4 ply yarns held together. I've also cast on several other projects for the 12 cast ons 2024 MAL. Which although it has added to my WIP pile was fun. Thanks for the podcast. Jane

[@GagaKnits]

Holding yarn double is a great way to use up more yarn and you'll have a very cosy shawl at the end of it. It's probably the time of year, everyone wants a good clear out. After donating so much AGAIN it has made me realise I shouldn't buy yarn unless I have a specific project to use it in and I mustn't keep it because I think it's too nice to use. 😁

[@mousiemakespod]

That was a great video, Anita! It’s really helpful to see you talking us through the kinds of dilemmas that so many of us have. It makes me smile to think about how many of us have bags and boxes of yarn stashed away all around the house! I don’t keep a record anywhere of the yarn I have - but most of it is on view in clear plastic labelled boxes or bags. I don’t often make large garments so don’t have garment-amounts of anything. I do have lots of yarn left over from blanket-making though, which I would like to bring under control!

[@GagaKnits]

I was quite shocked when I realised just how much of the house has been taken over by my craft supplies. It's ridiculous but I have to put it somewhere. It's a good idea to have an ongoing project that uses scraps, like my granny stripe blanket and then any leftovers can be worked into that. X

[@jennylarking1936]

I think you have done well. You have got rid of a quite a bit and you have done some preliminary organising. I don’t have as much as you but I store it in the organza bags after photographing it and putting it on Ravelry. Mind you I don’t keep the stash up-to-date as much as I should. Today I sorted my knitting patterns and got rid of most of the downloaded patterns. I followed your guide by checking the patterns were in my library and then throwing out the printouts. So, thanks Anita for that. Keep organising and you’ll get there. Xx. PS. By the length of your mystery yarn I should think it is 4 ply.

[@GagaKnits]

Thank you Jenny and I'm glad my video helped you sort your patterns. I thought the yarn was probably 4ply. I'm so used to using it, it doesn't seem all that thin any more, previously I only ever knit with dk or above. X

[@pattysmith9266]

Congrats that is a tough job. I have given away all my yarn many times when I have taken a break from knitting but no more lol Let us know how you decide to keep track would love to know. Happy crafting Patty

[@GagaKnits]

I remember giving away all my knitting needles when my children didn't want me to knit for them any more. Of course, that was back in the days when we didn't have huge yarn stashes. Anne from Spa Knits is very kindly sending me a stash notebook where you can log all your yarn. I love a good book rather than everything digital. I will share how I get on in my next video. I have a list of projects people have requested and I plan to match patterns and yarn, so hopefully, that book will really help. X

[@Pine-uc7pm]

I just found your you tube channel. The name Gaga knits caught my eye. I have been called Gaga for 40 years. How is it that you have the name Gaga? The subject matter of declutterring also caught my eye. I’m ready to donate yarns that I know I will not be using. You really did a good job. You have inspired me to get on with it. I would love the alpaca yarn, but I live in the United States. I’m going to binge watch your other videos. So happy to have stumbled across you!😊

[@GagaKnits]

Hello and welcome Pat. I'm called Gaga because when my grandson, Harry was born my daughter wanted me to be called Grandma in honour of my lovely Grandma but he couldn't say it and called me Gaga. Both my grandsons call me Gaga now and I love it. How about you? I'm glad you enjoyed the decluttering videos. I was shocked when I realised just how much craft stuff I had tucked away. Where in America do you live? My brother lives in Florida. X

[@Pine-uc7pm]

@@GagaKnits originally the Gaga name started as an acronym for Girls Awesome Golf Association. Four of us ladies tried to take up golf decades ago. It was hilarious. So we ended up with Gaga nicknames. Gaga stix, gaga putt, gaga chip and Gaga flip. Anyway long story short, we had a rip roaring fun time. So two of us have grandchildren ladies that call call us Gaga. Gaga also means adore or love. Another acronym for gaga is Grandchildren Are God’s Angels. I live in southwest Georgia, not far from Florida. Both of my children live in Florida, the Gainesville area and the Naples area. For 4 1/2 yeas I lived in S W Florida, but didn’t care for it. Where is your brother? Do you ever visit? I am originally from Michigan and lived close to Ontario Canada. My crafting stash is out of control. I have large totes of yarn that I could never get through. This morning I put some yarn in a plastic bag to give away. Each morning before I start my morning chores I will fill up another bag to go. I am also a wool rug hooker so there is a wall of wool fabric in the guest bedroom along with frames. So much decluttering is in my future. Pat

[@GagaKnits]

@@Pine-uc7pm I love those acronyms. I will share them with my daughter. My brother and his family have lived in America for many years now, firstly in LA, then North Carolina and now Grant, Florida. I visited them when they lived in LA but haven't for a long time. My cousin lived in British Columbia for many years too but has moved back to UK now. I had booked a flight to visit her before she came back but then Covid hit. I know it's of my own making but I don't like having so much craft stuff, but like you, I'm on the case. Little and often is a good idea. You'll have it all done in no time. X

[@kathiep.7734]

I just found your channel and subscribe. Love how you went through your yarn. Wish I was closer. We could trade. I like some of that that you were going to get rid of.. I would love that baby alpaca..Andean sun.. but I think I'm a little late in finding you for that. Anyways, can't wait to see your next video!

[@GagaKnits]

Thank you Kathie. Where do you live? All the yarn went to good homes. Sorry you missed out. X

[@kathiep.7734]

@@GagaKnits hot springs Arkansas..been here a year and a half!

[@spaknits]

I've been knitting a swatch while watching this grinning a lot as I know exactly what you are going through. It's never easy getting rid of things you presumably bought for a reason at some point in the past I keep my stash on Ravelry but I do have a stash book that you might find useful. It's got holes to put a sample of the wool in and then a space to write any details on if needed such as where you are keeping it and how much you have. I have 2 of these blank books if you want one, They are made from card so are quite sturdy and have a wire spine so they sit flat. I won't be using them but bought them to put in giveaways Well done on getting rid of some yarn. Another step in the right direction xxx

[@GagaKnits]

Yes please to the book. That would be great. Thanks Anne. As I was reading your reply about the stash book I was thinking I need one of those books but how can I when I've challenged myself not to buy anything craft related this year. 😣 So thank you for preventing my from falling at the first hurdle. I could use Ravelry but I'm not very good at keeping things up to date on there. I just tend to use it for patterns. Perhaps that can be my goal for next year. X

[@spaknits]

Excellent, you are helping me to thin out my things too, I'll pop it in the post xx

[@GagaKnits]

@@spaknits Thank you. I think I'm going a bit decluttering mad as I'm now thinking about the one in one out method. When the stash book arrives another book will have to go. Yikes. x

[@JoniCade-TheFireflyAndTheMoon]

I would love to purchase some of your yarn if you have some to get rid of.

[@GagaKnits]

I'm sorry it's long gone. X