Back in December I mentioned that I had taken up a knitting. Heidi commented “OMG, you are knitting!! That is awesome! Now you can tell all us readers how to organize our hordes of yarn. 🙂 What did you pick for your first project and where did you get the yarn?”
So…I thought I would share. Especially now that my first project is complete. Want to see?
A green scarf was project number one. I had to start it over a few times because I still haven’t figured out how to get myself out of a pickle when I’m knitting. If I make a mistake and notice it and try to fix it…well…it turns into a big unraveling of stitches. Sometimes I just didn’t know how to stop the unraveling…so I unraveled it all and just started over. But you know what…I didn’t really mind. I seem to enjoy the process of knitting as much as the end product.
So it’s funny Heidi asked about how to organize yarn and stuff. I’m still at that blissful stage of a new hobby where I really don’t have much of a clue as to my options and I don’t own much gear. For the scarf project I went to Michael’s, pulled my cell phone out of my purse and called my friend Janine. Janine helped me figure out that worsted weight yarn is different from chunky (which seems kind of obvious now) and if I look on the back of the yarn it will help me figure out how much yarn to get for my project and what size needles to use and handy stuff like that. (So nice to have a knitting consultant programmed in your cell phone.) So, I grabbed a couple of packages of green yarn, a set of size 9 bamboo needles, and on my way I went.
At this point, my entire collection of knitting supplies is stored like this, in a ceramic bowl on a cabinet in my family room.
This bowl of yarn and needles includes my daughter’s yarn, too. In fact most of it is hers. I’m liking the simplicity of these early days in a new hobby…not much to store, organize or keep track of.
So…if you knit I’d love to know what you do. What projects are your favorites? How do you store your supplies? What’s your favorite yarn to use? What’s your favorite knitting book? Do you like bamboo needles or some other kind? Bamboo is my favorite so far…need to get a longer pair for my next project, a hat for my daughter.
I’m a rookie at this…and would love to hear any thoughts you want to share about knitting. Are there things you wish you had known when you started? Do you know any good on-line resources for knitting supplies or patterns? What’s a good easy project for someone who realizes there are only so many scarves that one family needs? Oh, and what’s a good project for a boy? I made my daughter a scarf and my son wants something. He is ten…and I just haven’t a clue what he might like. But I know it would mean a lot to him. So if you have any ideas on a knitting project that’s easy and suitable for a rookie knitter but good for a ten year old boy to receive, I’d love to hear it.
Its anything and everything knitting today on the Creative Organizing blog. Can’t wait to hear what you have to share! 😉
I too love the craft of knitting and will unravel a project back to the beginning if I catch a mistake. I store my straight needles in a ceramic Coke pitcher that sits on a cabinet in my craft room. I find the easiest way to store the yarn that I buy on sale for future projects is with a hanging sweater organization that hangs from the closet rod. It works great and I can see what I have every time I open the closet!
I love knitting too. I need some help organizing my knitting stuff myself, but if you are looking for online resources you cannot beat Ravelry.com.
Go on over to Ravelry.com and sign up to get an account. It is the BEST knitting site ever. You can look up all kinds of patterns and see what everyone did with it etc. Plus there are boards and groups to chat in and you can keep your yarn and projects listed to stay organized.
I keep most of my yarn in under the bed boxes and each type in a zip lock bag.
I love knitting in the winter, there is something so cosy about curling up inside in the warmth when it sooo cold out … Not that I would call myself a ‘knitter’ – that’s my mum – she can do the most beautiful jumpers hats and the like. Last winter (summer down here now) I got inspired by the picture of a knitted cushion cover, and decided that I would make a throw rug for my lounge room. Not just plain but all different colours of brown, and different types of yarn, knitted up in different sized squares that I will sew together when I think it’s big enough, or when I’ve had enough – whichever comes first. It’s an easy project and I love all the different kinds of yarn. I also made a scarf for my son who travels by train to uni (so cold) I used a fancy varigated colour yarn, that goes from thick to thin. Was easy but looks great. Then my 15 year old son wanted one – and then his friends from school wanted one ….
I’ll second Ravelry.com for ideas and patterns. I just joined but have already found lots of great ideas for keeping my project ideas organized!
I found these playground mittens there:
http://crossroadknits.blogspot.com/2007/01/playground-mittens.html
GREAT for a boy!
And these fish hats would be great too!
http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEwinter08/PATTfishy.php
For organizing?? I’ll be watching as you figure it out! Right now I have everything in a box in the closet. Divided by yarn type. And I have a great organizer for all my needles and various tools.
Hi Aby! I’ve recently started knitting too and have been using the website knittinghelp.com which has some great videos for beginner on up.
I’ll chime in and say check out ravelry.com. It’s an excellent resource and community for knitters. It’s also wonderful for finding patterns.
Ravelry, knitty, knitpicks, Rowan, you name it – just google knitting and you will get way more info than you ever need.
I’ve been knitting for a couple years now and have not figured out a great way to store all my yarn etc. I am a glutton for punishment and jumped in to some not so easy patterns pretty quickly. I enjoy them though.
I’m paisleypenguin on Ravelry so you can sign up to be my friend when you get your invite!
I’m a faitly new knitter too, I am learning a lot! I have a cardboard banker’s box covered in fabric that houses my meager supplies. I’m sure there is a better way to organize! Maybe buckets, LOL!
I have two free patterns on my blog, one I made for a webkinz or stuffed animal sweater and the other for a bag/purse. They are both super easy 🙂
i love knitting. but, i am a very simple knitter. simple patterns, simple projects.
scarves are always good. but, they do take a long time – in comparison with like a hat. i’ve tried several different patterns, this one is my favorite by far: http://www.marthastewart.com/article/knit-hat?autonomy_kw=knit%20baby%20hat
i’ve read a lot of articles, but the original that this pattern was found in is the best i’ve seen.
i’ve got tons of different sites and stuff if you want more.
Hi! Welcome to the knitting ‘club’! I’ve been knitting for a few years, have crocheted for FAR more. I’ve come to realize that I am a process knitter rather than a product knitter…I love the creation of an item, and have no problem frogging it and starting over (frog=ripping it back: “rip it, rip it”).
I also prefer bamboo, esp when making socks…that’s what I love to make the most. I’ve found a few sources of yarn I prefer the most for socks: Claudia’s Handpainted, Vesper Yarns, Yarn Pirate. Socks are not as hard as you would think! (google the 56 stitch 56 row sock). If you are a math geek, there is also info out there on the algebraic method for sock construction=that’s helped me a lot.
But because I live in central TX where wool socks, no matter how lovely, is not entirely practical most of the year, I make other things. I’ve come to realize I don’t want to make sweaters (it’s the precision of the sizing and seaming I dislike), so I make scarves as gifts, fingerless gloves (really practical down here for winter mornings!), pillow covers, blankets.
Best recommendation for a way to spend HOURS….join Ravelry.com. You’ll find patterns, yarns, ideas, inspiration….my stash is not huge, but it’s nice to go out on Ravelry and type in a yarn I have, how much of it I have, and get both recommendations for patterns as well as final info on completed projects by other knitters using that same yarn.
Oh, I forgot to add: regarding needles, my set of Denise Interchangeable needles is fantastic! Not bamboo, but really a fabulous plastic material with interchangeable needle sizes and circular cables. Besides my bamboo dpns for socks, the Denise are my faves.
How about a hat for the boy? These are not hard at all. Tons of free patterns out there, and a great way to practice knitting in the round and decreasing.
Can you tell I adore knitting talk?? Happy knitting!
Aby, I’m delighted to be your speed-dial knitting consultant! I’ll echo others’ comments here. Hands down the granddaddy (mommy?) of all knitting websites, in my opinion, is Ravelry. Head on over there and request an invitation (it’s still in beta). In three days you should get one and once you’re there, you’ll be in heaven. Btw, my name there is kramerscout. Friend me!
I blogged about my love of Ravelry and how great it is for organizing here: http://www.peaceofmindorganizing.com/blog/ravelry-the-greatest-organizational-tool-for-knitters . And I blogged about how I organize my knitting supplies here: http://www.peaceofmindorganizing.com/blog/organizing-my-yarn-collection-and-knitting-supplies. I love, love, love my elfa drawer set for storing my knitting and supplies.
Welcome to the knitting fold! Your scarves are lovely.
I’m a fairly new knitter and just bought this book for myself and one for a gift for a friend for Christmas: Scarves and Shawls for Yarn Lovers: Knitting with Simple Patterns and Amazing Yarns by Carri Hammett (Spiral-bound – Aug 1, 2006)
The patterns are simple with good beginner instructions for some easy new patterns and I love her combination of yarns/ribbon yarn especially!
I currently have my yarns in a large tote bag but hope to move them in to a decorative storage box in my new craft room. I’m in the process of moving my crafts in to another room. So inspired by your book and love the blog! Thanks!
Here’s some suggestion from someone who made the mistake of buying yarn, just because it was pretty – Don’t do it! Buy yarn specifically for the project. I tend to have several projects going at a time. Each knitting project gets it’s own bag & I store them in my bedroom closet (since i knit it bed a lot or take a project on a trip). Keep a small cosmetic bag with extras (tapestry needle, measuring tape, scissors, stitch markers) near the project bags so you can grab it when you grab your project. Also, I like to make a copy of the pattern & put it in a page protector in the bag so I don’t have to look for it or carry around a book.
Keep extra yarn in sealed plastic containers – I like those XXL ziploc bags so the yarn is protected & you can see it.
I have my grandma’s knitting needles in a pretty vase on top of my knitting books. I don’t use these needles, but I love having them on display. I favor bamboo circular needles, but if the yarn is really chunky, I’ll go for the metal circulars. Circulars really should be hung, not rolled up & I keep meaning to make a cute hanger for them, but I haven’t.
There are great videos on you tube that show how to fix dropped stitches, etc. There’s an organization called Knit One, Save One – you make caps for newborns and they send it off with a care package to Africa. Really easy cap patterns that you can practice with. I knit my boys beanies when I started.
Welcome to knitting!!!
Hefty Zip Top bags, two gallon size, will hold most small project. Keeps them dust free and you can write on the bag so you know what project that is or is going to be. I put the yarn, the required needles and the pattern inside. Bags go into lidded boxes. Ikea had some perfect ones. Perfect for their cubby shelves that I then put the boxes into!
Circular needles. Ziploc FREEZER quart bags (they are thicker and hold up better). A binder of about the same size (Staples has them). Three hole punch the bag, label the bag with the size and length of the needle. Eventually you will need more binders. I have four, one is waiting in the wings. Sort by what makes sense to you. Mine are sorted first by size (1, 2, 3…) and then by length, (16″, 24″….). If a needle is “in use” then the bag is empty. Every now and again I round up all the needles that I tossed in my baskets and refile them. Then I ponder the new project possibilities!
You will buy random yarn. If you have it wound at the time of purchase, keep the tag/label. Store random yarn together with like yarn. Maybe that’s by color. I prefer by content. All my wool yarn is together. All my silk yarn is together. Then I can go to “wool” pull out a skein and knit up a hat for a friend who’s having brain surgery without much hassle. Or knit myself a green scarf cause I don’t have a green one and it would be good to have one.
You will have “the rest of the yarn” too. I am currently compiling all my left over wools in one ball. I will eventually knit a scarf with it. It might only be pink for two rows, and orange for 12 and blue for 7… but it will have all the different projects in one place.
I am a Clapotis knitter. (see: Knitty.com > Archives > Wraps & Scarves > Clapotis) and I mostly use silk. I am doing the same with the left over Clapotis silks. My goal is to make a Clapotis using all that left over silk yarn. It will be awhile!
A travel cosmetic case is PERFECT for your notions. I keep my stitch markers in a small plastic box that started life as a small first aid kit (got it at Target for a dollar or two). I emptied the contents into our usual kit and filled it with stitch markers. My tapestry needles and needle gauges and stitch counters… all go into my cosmetic case. I keep a couple of pens and Post-It notes (great for keeping track of where you are in a pattern and making notes) in there too. I also keep my crochet hooks in a toothbrush holder in that too. Crochet hooks help with fixing dropped stitches.
I echo the advice to make a copy of your pattern to work with. It will get all beat up and tattered. You can legally make a copy of a pattern for such a use. The bonus is that you can enlarge the pattern, especially good for lace patterns, so you can glance and see it better. It really isn’t a “reading glasses” issue. It’s just easier to see a larger print when you are glancing back and forth! You can also make notes if you change something for “this time” and not muck up your original pattern.
Ravelry is a great resource. But so is your Local Yarn Shop (LYS). Not to mention the fellowship of your fellow knitters!
oh.
And ENJOY the process!
Aby, I just got bamboo needles and some French blue-ish yarn for Christmas! And I’m knitting a scarf. So I was so excited to see this post. The bowl is adorable. 🙂 I’m going to go find one right now.
I was big into knitting for a few years, but haven’t knitted anything in awhile. Most of my straight needles are stored in one of those “wine gift boxes” – usually Tuesday morning or Marshalls will have some. I also bought a bait bag at Bass Pro – it has several zippered bags inside that can hold various circular needles, small yarn scraps, needles, scissors, stitch markers, etc. Some of my yarn is stored in Ikea zip top boxes.
My son loves the hats I make him. He is out of college now, but I have made him oodles of hats, mostly from the same pattern, just varying the yarn colors. They are super easy and quick once you master circular needles (I like the Turbo needles).
hi Aby!! I am glad the projects are going well. I am full force into my charity knitting for Spring, myself. My “trademark” has always been super traditional DK fair isles, the more colors the better. (DK = about size 5 needles) . But that was before knitting became more trendy. The new trend is chunky, more forgiving yarns..I’ve seen a lot with varigated colors so you get a multi look without having to change strands. I made my son (by request) a chunky flap hat with size 15 needles. It took about 2 hours. there are some books in our local library, the Stitch n Bitch series and others, that feature a lot of this kind of stuff. Good bang for the encouragement buck.
I did an exciting thing for my school auction stuff. I pulled out every half-done project and finished it, so now I have a bunch to donate. I found these plain flat knit half done mittens that were blah, and , drumroll please…..I taught myself to crochet and decorated them with flowers. now they are cute, unique and will sell for sure. (I got the idea from the recent issue of Knit SImple magazine)
As you know I am not the most organized person in the world. But if you start collecting yarns, you must keep them from tangling, so I sort them by color into 2 gallon bags. My tons of hoarded yarns are in some of those Home Depot type of bins.
I am going to check out Ravelry as well.
I learned how to knit when I was a teenager, but hadn’t done anything in the last few years. Last week I finished my first not square project! I found it on momadvice.com and she found it on peonyknits.blogspot.com
It is called the anthropologie inspired capelet. It turned out really well and it is a quick project as well.
I would also recommend the book Knit Fix by Lisa Kartus. It has really clear instructions on how to fix your mistakes without unravelling everything – which is exactly why I gave up knitting in the first place!