TONI'S JOURNAL ...from the studio

Keep track of your stash with crochet expert Toni Lipsey's top tips for creating a system to organise your skeins, balls and notions once and for all...

Whether you've been crocheting for five days or 50 years, it's likely that you have a yarn stash. But do you have a strategy for managing every skein and hank in your collection? An effective stash management system helps us remember what yarn we have and encourages us to regularly use it in our new projects. I'm here to share some tips on intentionally adding to your stash, keeping it organised and knowing when it's time to let a few things go.

SIZE AND SHAPE

Managing your yarn stash starts from the moment you acquire your first skein. Unless that yarn is going directly into a project, you'll need to store it for some time. Start your organisation system by deciding how large your stash will be..

Will you keep your collection small, with just a handful of yarns, or are you diving feet first into the craft, with the potential for 100+ skeins? Determining the bounds of your stash will help you decide what space it will occupy.