If you’re like me, you’ve got a lot of craft stuff… arguably too much craft stuff, am I right? I love local yarn stores and can’t help but buy a couple of skeins every time I visit one, and that stuff tends to pile up! With a relatively small 1200 square foot apartment and five other people (my husband and four kids), there’s not a lot of extra space. I don’t have a nice studio with huge windows letting in ton of natural light (yet – but I can dream, right?), so my crochet and craft storage is literally one closet in my bedroom. Here you can get some ideas about how to organize your crochet stuff as I walk you through my craft storage and give a few tips and tricks that I’ve adopted for keeping everything organized.
*Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, which means if you click on them and make a purchase I may, at no additional cost to you, earn a commission. Read full disclosure here.
Work with the space you have
Some people have a ton of beautiful, open space and can fit gorgeous shelves and organizers. Some of us… well, can’t. Don’t let the limitations of your space stop you from having a well-organized, enjoyable, and usable crochet stash! One thing that I try to do to make sure that I don’t overfill my space is I try to only buy yarn if I have a project in mind for it. I started doing this a few years ago, and it has actually really helped with keeping my stash under control. An addition to my rule that I’m tacking on for this year is that I have to plan to make that project within the next year. That’s a tall order for me, and definitely helps to keep the yarn buying to a reasonable level! Now I’ve got to work through the stash I’ve already accumulated…
To help me with this endeavor, I’ve designed a cute crochet project organizer so that I don’t forget which yarn I bought for which project. You can Sign Up Here to get your own free PDF download of the crochet project planner!
Okay, let’s dive in! First of all, welcome to my closet. For reals, just one closet! In front of my closet I’ve got my mannequin, because there’s no way it would fit in my one closet. It works double duty for me as a belt holder when it’s not trying on crochet projects. Right now it’s also wearing my first attempt at a beaded crochet necklace. I do love having a mannequin for trying on projects so I don’t have to keep trying them on myself. I made sure to get one about my size. If you’re interested in getting your own, there are lots of options!
When you open up the door, you’re faced with boxes, of course, to start off with. Keeping stuff in boxes isn’t actually my favorite thing to do, but I don’t have a lot of choice in the matter. I do make sure to keep things organized well – I have one box that is all cotton yarn, one that is all acrylic, and one that is chunky yarns. These are usually not fancier or more expensive yarns, but the workhorses that I’d use to make things like baby blankets that are going to get washed a ton and need to stand up to some abuse. The two big white boxes on the bottom are actually new additions. I was recently gifted something like eight boxes of yarn. Some of it I passed on, but I kept quite a bit… mostly ribbon yarn, which I’ve never used before, so I’m trying to think up ideas for it. I also have one box with fabric, because I do occasionally sew a little bit, and one box with finished crochet projects that are available for sale.
Use what you’ve got to organize
The last box actually contains two separate bags. Queen sized sheet sets come in these large plastic bags. I like them because they’re a good size and they have a little structure, plus they have clear sides so I can easily see where to find what I am looking for. I use one bag for general craft supplies and another for more crochet-specific supplies. Small makeup bags are great for sorting out little things like buttons, shawl pins, or little crochet appliques and things that I’ve made. I once had a subscription to Ipsy (which was silly, because I rarely wear makeup, and when I do, it’s only a little bit) so I had a few bags lying around ready to go. Super helpful!
On the right I have a hanging organizer. This is where I put the yarns that I’m more excited about. I keep changing how I sort them. Sometimes it’s by yarn weight, but more often I’ve been trying to sort them by project. I really like this because it’s easy to see what I’ve got, and it helps motivate me to work on projects instead of letting things sit in boxes, unseen and forgotten. I found mine at a yard sale, but I highly recommend picking one up for yourself. They even have options with built-in drawers!
The top of my closet boasts one single shelf. Up here I keep my blanket that I use as a background for product photography, my mannequin heads, yarn swift, ball winder, kitchen scale, and a few other odds and ends. For some reason I also have a completely empty box *shrug*. Finally, a few last items… the blue and yellow bag is a project bag with what should be my current project, but in this case is actually a project I thought up and never started (shhhh…). I do tend to accumulate project bags – it’s something I’m working on. The brown and blue little bag is actually another makeup bag, and this is where I keep my crochet hooks, stitch markers, tapestry needles, a pair of scissors, and a tape measure. It’s my go-to crochet grab bag. It can’t fit everything I need for every project, but it can fit the essentials, and it’s super handy!
If you can’t tell by this, I’m a big fan of using what I can find. I’m sure you’ve got stuff around your house that could help you whip that yarn stash into shape! I’d love to hear how you organize your crochet supplies – let me know in the comments!
If you want to see a video walkthrough of my supply closet, check out the video below, and don’t forget to sign up to receive the FREE crochet project planner PDF to print out. tape it to your closet door, laminate it and put it on the wall of your craft room – use it and get those projects made!
Happy crocheting!