today i took back control over my yarn stash

In this video I try to organise my yarn addiction in a way that makes sense for me. I don't have a bigger plan for this more than just getting a better overview of where specifik yarns are. Hope you like it! ❤️
#garnstudiodrops #sandnesgarn #knittingforolive #yarnstash #knittingaddict #yarnorganization

[@ruthdennisKnits]

I’m 72 years old, I’ve been stashing yarn for the last 20 years. I was saving up for my retirement. I’ve been retired since 2015 and I still buy yarn faster than I can use it. I knit mostly and I also crochet. I did do a 3 year no buy and I have started to buy again this year. I have tote boxes of yarn in 2 bedrooms. Am I addicted ❓ love your channel ❤

[@anythingbymerja]

Hahaha I love that energy of yours 😍😍 yes you are addicted (and so I am) but since no one is getting harmed so why stop? 😂 what are your favorites in your stash at the moment and have you any projects in mind for some of them? 🤗

[@Illumnia548]

If you are not living beyond your means and you enjoy shopping for yarn, do what makes you happy 😊

[@marceliaposey8088]

You aren't alone. I have one bedroom that is filledcto the brim. I don't know where to start to get it under control! And I bought more yarn yesterday!! Maybe I need to end my retirement and go back to work...lol

[@mellowsdiy1774]

Ok when one of us dies first you they must have each other in their will for yarn lol

[@inapupo3308]

Your video is one of the most realistic yarn stash organizing I have seen. Usually you see ones that the have only one bin or two small IKEA slots and I’m that’s it? Where is the rest? Nice job!

[@anythingbymerja]

Oh thank you so much! 😍😍😍 I’m thinking of making an updated one since it’s grown a lot since I made this video lol 😂

[@carolmarinemom0343]

Beautiful yarn 🧶. Wait till you have been knitting for 50 years. Buying yarn 🧶 is addictive. It’s so much fun!

[@anythingbymerja]

Oh I can’t wait! 😂😂😂 if I continue like this, the yarn have grown outside my house by then haha 😂

[@gamergranny285]

You do have an overwhelming amount of yarn. But beautiful. I can relate to your wips getting lost and forgotten. My suggestions... Keep your wips in clear zippered bags you can find in a grocery store. Also keep them together so when you want to work on any of them.. they are within sight. Your storage ideas are good. I would also keep your yarn somewhere you can see them.. so you can shop your stash first and with ease, before buying more. Good luck.. I organized my stash last summer and I have a lot of yarn. I still buy more but much less than before. And my stash is going down.

[@anythingbymerja]

Oh yeah! Should have taken your tip about keeping it in sight! That is a big reason it ended up like this haha I just forgot what I had and then boredom/inspiration got a hold of me when scrolling on my phone haha 😂 such a dangerous path to take 😬😂 Great tips about keeping in zipper bags!

[@DebbHarper]

Totally love your colours and I think Phil should build you a wool storage wall, it would act as a great insulation for the room as well 😻😻

[@anythingbymerja]

Hahaha love that idea! Yeah this yarn probably is enough to insulate the whole house 😂

[@jsabri6324]

I've been knitting for 3.5 years and have easily 2 years of projects before I'd 'need' to buy more. I have a lot of yarn, but all of it goes with a pattern - I just find things to knit faster than I finish projects ;) My stash is weighing on me, so I am going to go on a1 year no buy to give myself time to complete projects. I love your stash!!! It's really beautiful.

[@anythingbymerja]

I can very much relate to have years of projects ahead of me 😂 and yes, finding something new to knit at the same time while you’re searching for matching yarn for it, and then find other yarns on sale and then need to find a project for that so you can justify buying that second yarn as well 😂 it’s a never ending circle 😍 but I love it haha! Thank you so much!

[@elainep9239]

thanks for sharing your process. i agree..... dont dump it all on the floor. 🤣 i have a lot of stash. hardest part is not adding/collecting more and using it (...2 different hobbies btw). i also purchased 14x20 inch zip lock bags and either write the name of intended pattern on it or print it and place with the hook/needles and all the yarn for the project. this has helped remove a lot of anxiety and added motivation to use stash.

[@anythingbymerja]

Oh yeah, they are definitely two separate hobbies 😂 that sounds like a really great idea! I have plenty of yarns that I just bought for the sake of buying 😂 but some are for specific projects. Makes sense to separate these out! Will keep an eye out for those zip bags!

[@jamiethrogmorton2540]

Wow you’ve collected a wonderful stash. I hope (and recommend) you’ll “shop your stash” for projects now. The yarns just get prettier every year, there’s always more for the garments that catch your eye in the future.

[@anythingbymerja]

Thank you so much! Oh yes, I’ve been eyeing a few yarns already but have managed to stop looking since I couldn’t figure out projects for them. I guess everyone needs to go through certain phases of the addiction and then see things differently when one phase ends 😂

[@wendemina]

Oh my, that is a big stash. I'm jealous 😂

[@anythingbymerja]

Haha oh yes, but also a lot of stress knowing how long this will take to knit up 😂😅

[@nata6025]

I'm so glad for you that you finally got it all organised, I'm a bit afraid about tackling my own stash. I think I have about a similar amount of yarn as you, so I can appreciate how overwhelming it feels!

[@anythingbymerja]

Oh it does feel so good when it’s done! And start small if it’s too much, like organizing same skeins in one bag. A little goes a long way 😻

[@nisoZ]

your colours and yarns are gorgeous and quite alluring. Totally get how you got to this point. I have way too much as well, not all as well thought of as yours. So I am keeping it visible and planning my makes around it, and buying only little amounts of yarns needed to complete projects that goes on sale. Good luck for all of us yarn addicts :)

[@anythingbymerja]

Thank you! Yeah it is so easy to just get drawn into the world of yarns and suddenly you are sitting there with more yarn than you have the time to knit it 😂 at least it’s good to have for a rainy day! That’s so smart to do, I’m trying that now as well, to think out a project before buying. 😍

[@JennyFleming]

I love seeing all your stash!!!! Thank you for sharing.

[@anythingbymerja]

Thank you for watching 😍😍 I love watching yarns all day long 😂

[@khewitt2873]

Lovely stuff! I have a lot of yarn too. I sort mine by weight & fiber. Everything goes into clear zipper bags ( I love the ones from IKEA they are very strong) the bags go into totes much like you have. You most certainly are not alone having a bit of a yarn addiction!☺️

[@anythingbymerja]

That sounds like a very satisfying way to organize 😍😍 I can just imagine everything being put away neatly in their own spaces ❤️ one day I hope to have it organized like that too, I think I’d need to get some sort of shelf for that :) glad I’m not the only one with this addiction 😂

[@anneakay775]

You have a beautiful collection of yarn! It certainly looks gorgeous

[@anythingbymerja]

Oh thank you! 😍😍

[@evilcutie.]

I thank the KZbin gods for recommending this video to me 😄 Just binged a few of your podcast episodes after watching this video, and I can only praise the quality of your content! Wonderful music selection ✨ Looking forward to seeing more from you!

[@anythingbymerja]

Oh thank you so much for watching more from me 😍 and I hope to be able to make equally good content for you in the future too!

[@Tea-not-tea_media]

Hi! i'm new here! watching this already in May 2024, but i wanted to share the idea for the Rowan Felted tweed yarn in amethyst color in case you haven't already knitted using this - i used this yarn to make a pair of gloves, 1 skein should be enough. these gloves are super warm, i wore them during whole winter, even in -20 degrees celsius and less and it feels great! alpaca in the composition can make a piece feel a little prickly, but not that much, and to my mind this helps not to get cold in winter, but i won't recommend to use this yarn for hats or scarfs or any piece that is in touch with sensitive skin parts like neck or forehead. hope that my comment helps 😊 and i can really relate to this topic of buying yarn faster than knitting from it. i'm trying to make purchases more rationally and have a specific project for yarn i'm going to buy and honestly estimate my already planned projects and yarn stash. so you're not alone in that!

[@anythingbymerja]

Oh what a great way to use up that skein! 😍😍 I’ll definitely look into patterns that could work with this yarn. Did you use any specific pattern for your gloves or did you just come up with something yourself? Oh yeah, yarn shopping is a never ending struggle/pleasure 😂 but I have gotten better at making less purchases now but the stash is getting out of hand again 😂 I might have to make a part 2 soon 😅

[@Tea-not-tea_media]

​@@anythingbymerja I knitted 2 pair of gloves using 2 videos on youtube, they are step by step tutorials with all techniques how to calculate on your hand measures. 1st one is @AnnaPaulBlog video with knitting starting from fingers, and 2nd one is @HelenYakovleva video where you knit starts from wrist. They are super detailed and i didn't have any struggles following the tutorial. they are free and i hope that you enjoy knitting them! what i can also suggest regarding yarn collecting is to meet with other knitters and do swapping! my local community of knitters decided to take a challenge of the year without buying yarn (it sounds quite ambitious) and each creates the rules to follow for themselves. personally i just wanted to be rationally in my yarn purchases and didn't plan not to buy any. so with this group of knitters we meet each month to exchange the yarn and instruments that are not relevant for us any more, and it feels like purchasing smth without actually make purchases! and also we share our progress and what we knit and how much yarn we spend on projects and how stash is decreasing and support each other!

[@courtnsession_]

Very relatable diving through all the yarn bins but a great way to start off the new knitting year! Great job! Please if you could, let us know where you got your llama yarns from, the colors were very beautiful :)

[@anythingbymerja]

Oh I’m glad I’m not the only one feeling like this about yarn, it’s a love that takes over your whole life both in a bad and a good way 😅😂 if you refer to the green/pink/black llama yarn, they are from Svarta Fåret and is called Soft Llama fine. I haven’t knit on it yet (like most of my yarns 😅) but just the feel of it in a skein is lovely 😍

[@missdead1]

i just got a roll of clear plastic bags, gamechanger!

[@anythingbymerja]

I might have to get something like that too 🤣 feel like the stash is getting unorganized again 😬😂

[@pvolunteer3449]

Thank you for taking us on this journey, it's time for me to do the same but mentally I am not prepared....

[@anythingbymerja]

Thank you for watching! That is exactly how I felt thinking about the stash and just before doing it. But if it helps, then do the sorting in steps and take breaks! And see it as a way of hanging out with your stash! Have some good music on and a nice fresh beverage with you to make it into a more fun and manageable situation ❤️😍 and when it’s done, you will feel so much lighter and happier for having it sorted! Sending you lots of energy and positive vibes 🌼

[@valeriea.gladstone6440]

After many many years, I organizes by yarn weight, than fiber content. Yes put your mohair/silk in a clear bag. Just 2 years ago I began also put photo in my Ravelry stash, so I know what I have and how many. My advice…control your stash, don’t let it control you.

[@anythingbymerja]

Yeah I have to get a better overview of it all, and once I’ve been able to get my room done for crafting I’ll be able to sort it all a bit better 😍 this was just done in the spur of the moment and just so I can find a specific yarn. But organizing by weight does make a lot of sense! Although that sound like in that way it’s also easy to “fill up” a weight when that weight starts to go empty 😂 I’m guessing it’s a good reason to buy more yarn 😂

[@CazkiwiNZ]

I put all my yarn in 3 of those plastic 3-drawer boxes stacked, a colour to a drawer (but I do have 99% acrylic only so it’s easier) - Red/Browns, Orange, Yellow, Greens, Blues, Pinks, Purples, White/Creams, Grey/Neutrals (tans) and my Blacks in a duvet cover plastic zipped up bag on top… I also have one large duvet plastic suitcase with bigger balls/overspill that won’t fit, that I put in the wardrobe, but I’m making myself not buy until I use some of it. I like it in rainbow order because it’s looks prettier than hodge-podge colour in yarn type, to my eyes. Plus I bought a yarn winder so it’s all tidy with a label on each drawer 🫶

[@anythingbymerja]

That makes sense too! Comes in handy especially if you mainly have yarn in one material 🤩

[@siggaraven]

I have a much bigger stash but I have also been knitting for over 17 years. I definitely enjoy buying yarn as a hobby on it's own. :D I do plan on not buying anything new this year though and using up stash.

[@anythingbymerja]

Oh thank god that I am not the only one with this addiction then 😂😂 I really agree on yarn shopping being its own hobby 😂😂 Sounds like a very healthy plan! I have to do something similar too but i think I would need more skeins of certain colors I already have and that’s an easy way to then add a few more yarns into the stash while already ordering 😅😂

[@ivettabauman]

hi:) Happy New Year! OMG, it's real yarn shop there:) now I see difference, at lest compering to my stush, how it looks, if you are a new knitter or, knitter time to time but more than 20 years. I have too much old stash, and I am really planning, this year, to knit it out. Actually I have video about my yarn organization. But i love to touch my yarn and dream about what I will made:))) And currently I am knitting from that "weird green" alpaca silk a cardigan, using also a dark green merino wool from my old stash.

[@anythingbymerja]

Hello and happy new year to you as well! 😍 haha thank you so much! Yeah it’s a crazy collection that I hope to reduce this year 😂 oh what a dream to have been able to knit for 20 years! I have recently fallen in love with the craft so I’ve been knitting for a little over a year. I will definitely take the time to look at your video! 😍 how exciting! Love watching other peoples yarns and collections and what ideas they have for that kind of stuff 🤩 Great tip! I might actually mix it with something! I ordered it thinking it’s going to be like a forest green color but it just reminds me of a green garbage bin that we have here in Sweden 😂 so mixing sounds like a good plan!

[@ivettabauman]

@@anythingbymerja garbage 😂 well yes I was too surprised by color in reality, but I ordered 10 balls. And I’m afraid I will need more, because I am holding two alpaca silk mohair strands with dark green merino, also I have heard that drops taking out this yarn. I love alpaca mohair more than kid silk mohair. And in this 20 years , only past two I am in to knitting world, I didn’t know that there is such a big community! Absolutely new world for me:)

[@NORArt17]

So happy for the KZbin algorithm: Your channel was suggested to me and I am so happy :) New follower here ♥ Girl, I can relate to you so much!! You are definitly not the only one with forgotten WIPs and "messy" yarn containers :D However, I think yours isn´t as messy as mine As long as you have fun with your hobby, I don´t see anything bad in it :)

[@anythingbymerja]

Oh so glad you found your way here too! 😍 I really love connecting with like minded people and especially through knitting! And you are so right in having fun with the hobby! Even if it is a mess and chaos and that’s part of it, glad I’m not the only one having a chaos with it 😂

[@theNamesPhillip]

Wow that is a lot of wool! Jeez you need your own sheep!!

[@anythingbymerja]

Well one day hopefully! 😍🐑

[@YvettePritchard-o2e]

Great job i have ton of yarn also

[@anythingbymerja]

Thank you! It’s fun having a lot isn’t? Like going into a yarn shop 😂

[@satsumamoon]

I might be able to fit my yarn into the back of a small van if I compress it in vacuum bags.

[@anythingbymerja]

Oh wow! That sounds like a dream and nightmare at the same time 😂

[@satsumamoon]

😁 There are advantages to having less. If I had no yarn , and began all again then I might plan my projects for the year ahead and buy/stash yarn only for those projects. I know such a plan would have its own issues, but Id like to do it anyway for at least one year. @@anythingbymerja

[@debbieharman1160]

Loved that thankyou,you didn't say where in England you got the wool? 🙂🌸⭐

[@anythingbymerja]

Hello and thank you! 😍 I bought the yarns when I was in Nottingham, the shop is called Yarn loft. A small shop but so many beautiful yarns!

[@debbieharman1160]

Thankyou 🙂

[@patriciahickman-cl5rc]

I just turned 70 years old. So I got about 7 totes of yarn in my craft building. But I have started so many things. I have been playing catch-up.

[@anythingbymerja]

Congratulations on turning 70! 😍 That’s amazing and a great achievement! It’s wonderful to have a stash to reach to when finding new projects to work on. One projects is usually never enough 😂 I also have so many projects going and want to start more 🙈

[@22mononoke]

12:55 you're not the only one with this issue - sigh 😥

[@anythingbymerja]

Glad I’m not alone in this matter! Have you managed to get any solutions for it?

[@22mononoke]

@@anythingbymerja lol I'm working on it. What helps is if you stop watching too many knitting podcasts as then you're not being shown more lovely yarn. Helps too if you stop following yarn shops on Instagram as then you don't get sucked into sales. These 2 things have helped me but might not work for everyone 🙂

[@Oozarooful]

I also have boxes of yarn and forgotten WIPs ! It's normal.

[@anythingbymerja]

Glad I’m not the only one 😅🤣

[@junimondify]

I just found your channel - I think I need to organise my yarn someday soon, and this video reminded me of it. Although my stash is smaller than yours, I am quite good at bringing chaos into anything, and our space is limited, so I should really get going... By the way, would you mind sharing where you are from? Because I took a Swedish course some years ago and your accent reminds me of that!

[@anythingbymerja]

Oh, organizing the yarn just creates this feeling of having your whole life in order 😂 oh cool! Yeah I live in Sweden and have done for most my life but born in Finland and also speak it so it it’s a mix on Finnish/swedish :D

[@pppetra]

I put everything i have in ravelry.. lets say i was occupied for a while. I have everything in boxes. Like 2 huge and 4 big ones. I could knit for almost a decade i guess. I collect yarn and i knit. Those are 2 separate hobbies i belief.

[@anythingbymerja]

Yes, ravelry is a great way to get an overview on all yarns in one’s possession. It was also a hassle to find a yarn I knew I had, because they were all just everywhere in the containers 😂 and sometimes one color in different boxes 🙈 but they are slowly and steadily getting emptier, but I cannot say I have not bought any new yarn since filming this video 😂

[@elaineboone8567]

I am surprised the shop owner selling you sock yarn did not know that Nylon is the commercial name for polyamide manufactured in a certain way. You don’t need to add anything to make the yarn stronger. You have a lovely collection of yarn.

[@anythingbymerja]

Oh wow! Thank you for letting me know! That’s what I was thinking too and that it should work! I still haven’t knitted up that yarn but now I might go for it for socks :D just hope one skein is enough. Thank you for leaving a comment! ❤️

[@elaineboone8567]

@@anythingbymerja one 100 g skein is enough for my daughter's size 11 feet. Not quite enough for son-in-law size 18 Lol fingering weight.

[@anythingbymerja]

Oh yeah this will definitely not be enough, this skein was 46 grams (meant to be 50!) and a dk so I’ll have to combine it with something more then :)

[@elaineboone8567]

@ you could combine it wit another sock yarn if you have one that is dk. Or if you have a dk that is not combined with nylon, you could use that for the legs and use the reinforced one for the feet.

[@hilarycohen1470]

some people call that chartreuse color you like “absinthe”. Or “poison green”

[@anythingbymerja]

That’s a good way to describe it 🤩

[@katherinehill3958]

I would send you a picture of my stash if I could figure out how to attach a picture in comments. This year I have committed to knitting from my stash as I have so many beautiful yarns languishing on my shelf.

[@anythingbymerja]

Oh it would be wonderful to see what you have in your stash 😍 if you are using instagram or ravelry you are more than welcome to contact me there! AnythingbyMerja there as well! 🤗

[@katherinehill3958]

@@anythingbymerja I sent a pic

[@hilarycohen1470]

Why organize by brand? Also it doesn’t feel as if you had a plan…….

[@anythingbymerja]

Well why not? And I have a feeling you skipped reading the description… 😅