# Cone yarn storage ideas



## nannie343 (Aug 15, 2012)

Okay, I have a mess and I need to FINALLY organize my cone yarns for my knitting machines.

I have one cone tree which holds 88 cones....FULL already..
Do most of you sort by color or fiber? I am trying to put some shelving in my knitting room closet to hold some of my cones. I have the cones covered with the gallon plastic bags (the old fashion twist tie kind) to keep them protected from dust. I have tried using plastic tubs, but then have to pull out and dig through...I would love to display them somehow, maybe I would get some Inspiration to actually knit something....I do have one closed cabinet I store sock yarn in, it's nice to open the doors amd admire my beautiful yarns.

Any ideas would be appreciated.

After I get some of these cones organized, I'll list some of my stash for sale! I really just have too many cones!! It will be my loss and your gain..watch the classified section after the holidays for some bargins. Need to sell some machines too!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!


Rhonda
Marietta, Ga


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## Weegie (Sep 1, 2012)

Hi Rhonda, I have MOST of my coned yarn in a couple of tall cabinets like you can buy at Staples or Home Depot, etc. I inherited 172 cones when my sister passed away and had no idea what I would do with it all. The cabinets hold maybe 3/4 of it! I tried to organize it buy type....sport wt, fingering, etc. (I'm in Canada and they may be called different things). I couldn't bear to part with any of it! Good luck!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you as well.
Betty


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## Linda888 (Mar 6, 2012)

I have an 10 foot long wall in my room. My husband got some 8 foot long boards that are 1 inch by about 4 inches. Screwed them into the wall. spaced them about 6 to 8 inches apart from the ceiling to the floor. Drilled an angled hole in each board every 6 to 8 inches across and glued a dowel into it. Now i have a whole wall full of cones. Over a hundred easy. Hope i described it so you would understand what i was trying to say.


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## KarlaHW (Jan 6, 2012)

The shelves are 36" wide and 18"deep, ceiling is 10'. On the left side are synthetics, right side mostly cotton. That is not all, I also have about 8 large tubs. All wool is in 2 tubs, some in the freezer to keep the moths out.
I bought a knitting room full of stuff at an estate sale, came with 500 cones of yarn.


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## Entity (Sep 13, 2011)

My yarn set up is similar to Karla's. I too, sort them by fiber type. This photo was taken when I first set up the shelves. I now have all the cones in plastic bags and curtains hung around the shelves to cover them up.


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## nannie343 (Aug 15, 2012)

Thank you everyone for your help, love your ideas! I think I too will sort by fiber, most of my yarn is acrylic and acrylic blends, lots of cotton, sock yarn which is super wash, wool/nylon, and some 100% wool for felted slippers and socks.

I think I need more of the shelving units! Home Depot here I come! I'll wait until January since that seems to be organizing month here in the USA! We all try and get more organized every January!! 

Thank you all so much,
Rhonda
Marietta, GA
USA


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## Entity (Sep 13, 2011)

You may want to check your local Craiglist or similar listings before going to HD. I found mine on Craiglist and paid a fraction of the cost from brand new units. My unit is the commercial type. They're strong and shelves are adjustable. I don't think HD carry something like that.


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## nannie343 (Aug 15, 2012)

Great idea! I'll check there first..

Thanks,
Rhonda


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## run4fittness (May 22, 2011)

You could always send me some! :lol: :lol:

Actually the shelving would be the best idea!


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## nannie343 (Aug 15, 2012)

Thank you, I am thinking that too. I've been at it off and on all day! I'm finding yarn I had forgotten about! It's like a treasure hunt!, the more I pull out the bigger the mess! But I do see an end in site......maybe before I go to bed!

Rhonda


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## JeanneHolmes (May 4, 2011)

Do we ever have enough room or yarn? But I can see by the posts that there are some people with a lot more yarn than I have. Now we just need to knit it up!


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## Stitch Witch (Aug 24, 2013)

Glad, or maybe not, that I'm not the only one with cone storage difficulties. I have mine on shelves. Ergo, the dust problem. Anyway, I'll be looking for your sales in the classifieds. In the meantime, due to a computer upgrade, I have lost all the email addresses for purchasing cone yarn. Can any of your lovely folks aid me in getting back into the buying business? Thanks.


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## cheridachat (Dec 25, 2011)

I have some in tubs and some on shelving, but the best advice is keep exposed ones dust free with plastic bags, and DEFINITELY keep them out of sunlight! Nothing worse than finding that your cone of yarn has sun faded on the top edges and you get that mottled look when you knit it into something!!


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## euvid (Apr 2, 2011)

SOunds great. You are very lucky. 


Linda888 said:


> I have an 10 foot long wall in my room. My husband got some 8 foot long boards that are 1 inch by about 4 inches. Screwed them into the wall. spaced them about 6 to 8 inches apart from the ceiling to the floor. Drilled an angled hole in each board every 6 to 8 inches across and glued a dowel into it. Now i have a whole wall full of cones. Over a hundred easy. Hope i described it so you would understand what i was trying to say.


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## linalu (Jun 20, 2013)

I have those white plastic coated wire shelves that you get from Home Depot or similar. I put them about a foot from the ceiling around the room. They are out of the way, so don't take up any room, yet I can just glance up and see everything. Covered in plastic and sorted by fiber. They get no sun because of being up high.


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## euvid (Apr 2, 2011)

One thing to think about. It is not good for natural fibers to be stored in plastic. It needs air or the fibers will rot over time. THe Smithsonian found years ago that the clothing that they had protected in plastic fell apart while clothes exposed to the air did not.
I have these wonderful bags that I put in some of my yarn that is plastic on 3 sides, and the 4th side is material that breathes and doesn't allow moths to get to it.
If you leave it on shelves you could put up a mesh mosquito net draped over the shelves to keep out moths. 
For yarn just stacked on shelves that are in a place where dust could get on them you could drape a cheap sheet over the shelves and it will keep the dust out and let air in.
You could even put up a pole and hang fabric on hooks.


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## Susieris (Nov 20, 2013)

I have tried a couple ways of organizing. At one time I had my cones sorted by color, but now have sorted by fiber. I have a pair of bookshelves with basic white and black synthetic & 1 shelf of lurex (stored in those neat tins alchol used to come in). Since I restored 10 antique trunks, some serve as storage..one trunk has mohair cones, one has dress yarns, two have Shetlands, etc. It combines an old hobby with the knitting. The nice part of trunks is you can keep full cones in the bottom, & the trays are great for partial cones (those ones we save for quick fair isle patterns or scrap)


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## nannie343 (Aug 15, 2012)

I order tamm yarns from Cindy's knitting room...very nice lady and so helpful. Just go to her website and send her a message as to what you're looking for and she'll email you back....be sure to check your spam folder, some of my mail has ended up there lately.
Rhonda


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## nannie343 (Aug 15, 2012)

Thanks everyone for your comments and ideas. I thought I would be finished last night, but found more yarn in another closet! Will work on it more today...and night!

I like the idea of the breathable bags for the wool, I only have four or five cones of 100% wool, but do have too much sock yarn that is super wash wool, will be listing some in classified section soon.

Rhonda


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## Obsessedwithfibre (May 29, 2013)

nannie343 said:


> Okay, I have a mess and I need to FINALLY organize my cone yarns for my knitting machines.
> 
> I have one cone tree which holds 88 cones....FULL already..
> Do most of you sort by color or fiber? I am trying to put some shelving in my knitting room closet to hold some of my cones. I have the cones covered with the gallon plastic bags (the old fashion twist tie kind) to keep them protected from dust. I have tried using plastic tubs, but then have to pull out and dig through...I would love to display them somehow, maybe I would get some Inspiration to actually knit something....I do have one closed cabinet I store sock yarn in, it's nice to open the doors amd admire my beautiful yarns.
> ...


I am also a weaver and have a lot of cones. I am the consummate organizer with a hefty dose of CDO. (That's OCD with the letters arranged alphabetically as they should be.)

The most efficient method I've found is to use a peg board and the longer hangers. I put the first cone on the hanger as high and as far left as I could and worked down, then across. I arranged by colour (in rainbow order followed by browns, blacks, greys, whites and creams). I then placed the next hanger so as to minimize wasted space. Some of the cones are placed on the hanger top first and some base first; again to minimize wasted space.

The board needs to be securely fastened to the wall or supported from the bottom as cones are very heavy. I arranged by colour because I have a lot of other peoples cast offs which have lost their labels. I did try the burn test but it's not conclusive. I suspect that many of my cones are blended.

The result is that I can see each cone. For the ones where I know the fibre content I attached a small tag.

I wish I could show you a picture but due to my quest for the perfect method I dismantled this and tried narrow shelves instead. The narrow shelves do not work as well. There is a lot of unused space between the cones. Some day when I have some time I'll go back to it.


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## babysnapdragon (Nov 14, 2012)

I have just shown my husband the wonderful pictures of stored cones and went on to say that I am not alone in my love for yarn. He then said that he would be very interested in what the measurements of the shelves were in the photos as he reckons I have a lot more than they show. I keep mine in the sort of cupboards you would have on the walls in a kitchen with doors to keep out dust and moths..all colour and yarn type sorted. I think he is trying to make a point but I have gone selectively deaf all of a sudden.


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## nannie343 (Aug 15, 2012)

Peg board sounds like a good idea, unfortunately I don't have enough wall space at this time. Would love to see pictures when and if you get it set back up.

Rhonda


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## roseknit (Apr 2, 2011)

Looking forward to your selling some of your cones,


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## Obsessedwithfibre (May 29, 2013)

euvid said:


> One thing to think about. It is not good for natural fibers to be stored in plastic. It needs air or the fibers will rot over time. THe Smithsonian found years ago that the clothing that they had protected in plastic fell apart while clothes exposed to the air did not.
> I have these wonderful bags that I put in some of my yarn that is plastic on 3 sides, and the 4th side is material that breathes and doesn't allow moths to get to it.
> If you leave it on shelves you could put up a mesh mosquito net draped over the shelves to keep out moths.
> For yarn just stacked on shelves that are in a place where dust could get on them you could drape a cheap sheet over the shelves and it will keep the dust out and let air in.
> You could even put up a pole and hang fabric on hooks.


I use these bags as well. They are inexpensive and come in various sizes from cleanersupply.com.

Does anyone have any experience using space bags that you use your vacuum cleaner to suck out the air!


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## sross512004 (Mar 4, 2011)

You all have such great ideas. I'm just starting my cone collection but it's already difficult. And I like to wind skeined yarn into cakes to get them ready to knit up. But then I have to figure out where to store them.

My sister asked me a while back, "Don't you have enough yarn?" Of course, that does tell you she's not a knitter.


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## Obsessedwithfibre (May 29, 2013)

sross512004 said:


> You all have such great ideas. I'm just starting my cone collection but it's already difficult. And I like to wind skeined yarn into cakes to get them ready to knit up. But then I have to figure out where to store them.
> 
> My sister asked me a while back, "Don't you have enough yarn?" Of course, that does tell you she's not a knitter.


There's no such thing as enough yarn! :-D


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## shawcountry (Jun 10, 2012)

I have pegboard attached to one wall and have the cones mounted on the pegs. Some of my stash is also in totes. I agree that totes can be a nuisance. I have a lot of stssh to knit up though before I am down to a size that can all be displayed LOL.


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## MarciasKnitting (Sep 23, 2012)

Friend mounted a large peg board on my wall. Each cone slides on to metal pegs that attach to the board. Holds both large and small cones because you can move pegs to accommodate each cone. Also in between you can stuff small cones upside down. No looking, I can see just about everything. Couse I also have plastic shelves, and plastic tubs, and garbage bags and.... you get the idea.


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## Jenya (Dec 26, 2011)

Do you have a good idea of when you will be listing the yarn for sale? I live in Chattanooga, and would love an excuse for a nice drive in the near future. Also, what knitting machines will you be needing to sell - any bulky machines?


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## imaxian (Dec 17, 2011)

Is think you all made me feel better. I just recently set up my knitting machines again after moving 11years ago determined to use up some of my yarn. I thought I had a lot of yarn! My storage is far from ideal and I find that the yarn refuses to stay organized! Often I find that the type of yarn I am looking for for a particular project is NOT in my stash :-( but am having a hard time justifying purchasing more. Why am I looking forward to seeing your cones for sale? Its a disease! there is no use fighting it we are all infected ;-)


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## sross512004 (Mar 4, 2011)

imaxian said:


> Is think you all made me feel better. I just recently set up my knitting machines again after moving 11years ago determined to use up some of my yarn. I thought I had a lot of yarn! My storage is far from ideal and I find that the yarn refuses to stay organized! Often I find that the type of yarn I am looking for for a particular project is NOT in my stash :-( but am having a hard time justifying purchasing more. Why am I looking forward to seeing your cones for sale? Its a disease! there is no use fighting it we are all infected ;-)


Yep, it's a disease and it's fatal. No cure, no hope. Just keep licking our lips when we see more color, more texture, feel the softness and drape........ Ah, well, of all the vices or diseases to have, I think this is one of the best. 
:lol: :lol:


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## Maryknits513 (Feb 12, 2011)

Obsessedwithfibre said:


> Does anyone have any experience using space bags that you use your vacuum cleaner to suck out the air!


Space bags wouldn't work with yarn on cones. The yarn is wound tightly with no air spaces between layers.

Space bags work very well with skeined yarns because they are loosely wound. Although after the information about fabric rotting when stored in plastic, you might not want to store yarn that way for very long.

I use clear plastic bins so I can see what is inside without opening. I try to sort by weights and fiber content.


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## cybernana (Sep 28, 2013)

wowwwww im not able to keep cones long enough to create a stock like some of the ones pictured I just keep knitting them up now that creates another problem though where do I store all the knitwear lol merry xmas to you all and all the best when it comes from ann in bonny Scotland


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## Maryknits513 (Feb 12, 2011)

cybernana said:


> wowwwww im not able to keep cones long enough to create a stock like some of the ones pictured I just keep knitting them up now that creates another problem though where do I store all the knitwear lol merry xmas to you all and all the best when it comes from ann in bonny Scotland


If you knit long enough, you will! After 45 years of machine knitting, I've got quite a stash. My husband and I tell jokes about the only reason I work is to support my hobby!!! 
:lol:


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## cybernana (Sep 28, 2013)

ahhh well I don't work anymore I look after my grandkids to allow my daughter and her hubby to work although daughter quit a while back and is now at uni so I have plenty time to knit arthritis permitting I have just bought 20 cones off ebay but knitted one up tnite lol


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## Obsessedwithfibre (May 29, 2013)

Maryknits513 said:


> Space bags wouldn't work with yarn on cones. The yarn is wound tightly with no air spaces between layers.
> 
> Space bags work very well with skeined yarns because they are loosely wound. Although after the information about fabric rotting when stored in plastic, you might not want to store yarn that way for very long.
> 
> I use clear plastic bins so I can see what is inside without opening. I try to sort by weights and fiber content.


Thank you for your reply. I'm interested in space bags for skeins and hanks to save space but I think you're right about the risk.

I'm at the point where I've started to fill our suitcases with yarn. Heaven help me if my husband decides we need to take a trip. I'll be busted for sure!


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## Obsessedwithfibre (May 29, 2013)

nannie343 said:


> Peg board sounds like a good idea, unfortunately I don't have enough wall space at this time. Would love to see pictures when and if you get it set back up.
> 
> Rhonda


I finally have my peg board up. I haven't organized the cones at all.


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## jeffgillies (Nov 25, 2013)

Wow! That is quite a stash of coned yarn. I like how it's all on display so you can be inspired by all of your yarn at once. 

With my stash, I found I was tired of 're-discovering' in the bottom of a bin or the back of a drawer some luxurious skein or cone that was bought with a specific project in mind, only to then be forgotten all about because I wasn't constantly seeing it and thus being reminded of it (you know how it is -- out of sight, out of mind).... 

My remedy has been to replace (a portion at a time) my old bin storage with more open shelving where my stash is on display. I can see all of it at the same time, and not sorting thru bins has made everything much more accessible (and therefore used up). I love how your peg board wall does the same thing, and I think I'm going to borrow some of your ideas to incorporate into what I'm doing . ;-)


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## Obsessedwithfibre (May 29, 2013)

jeffgillies said:


> Wow! That is quite a stash of coned yarn. I like how it's all on display so you can be inspired by all of your yarn at once.
> 
> With my stash, I found I was tired of 're-discovering' in the bottom of a bin or the back of a drawer some luxurious skein or cone that was bought with a specific project in mind, only to then be forgotten all about because I wasn't constantly seeing it and thus being reminded of it (you know how it is -- out of sight, out of mind)....
> 
> My remedy has been to replace (a portion at a time) my old bin storage with more open shelving where my stash is on display. I can see all of it at the same time, and not sorting thru bins has made everything much more accessible (and therefore used up). I love how your peg board wall does the same thing, and I think I'm going to borrow some of your ideas to incorporate into what I'm doing . ;-)


I tried open shelving but found it was inefficient. With the peg board I can position the cones so that no space is wasted. I told my husband that I would get rid of any cones that wouldn't fit so I had to put a few in "head first" between other cones.


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## jeffgillies (Nov 25, 2013)

Obsessedwithfibre said:


> ... I told my husband that I would get rid of any cones that wouldn't fit so I had to put a few in "head first" between other cones.


LMAO!!! Clever clever clever! Are you a lawyer?? ;-)


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## Obsessedwithfibre (May 29, 2013)

jeffgillies said:


> LMAO!!! Clever clever clever! Are you a lawyer?? ;-)


I'm an accountant!


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## showperson (Mar 7, 2012)

Wow, I wish I had this problem. I need more yarn!


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