Organizing Yarn

Just a portion of my out of control yarn mess.

My yarn stash may be a little out of control.  Just a bit. Just a lot according to my hubby. Having two girls digging through it for their own crafty ideas makes it even worse. It's time to get it under control. Plus, I can't stand having my yarn knot up when I'm making something.  

I wish that I had a ball winder, but remember, I'm cheap thrifty. I pinned this little gadget to my "Gifts I want" board, but it's not really practical right now.  

I have a free way of getting the same result, but it does take a little longer. You just need a stick of some sort. I have used a large crochet hook like this one:

Size Q Hook

Of course, because of this mess I couldn't find it.  Instead, I used a broken drumstick. Seriously. See the duct tape? It still works for me. Take one end of the yarn and hold it against the stick with the tail pointed down.

Start winding around the tail.

Wind about 5-10 times, then turn the stick 1/4 turn to the right.

Continue this pattern until you get to the end of the yarn.  

I like to tuck the end under a few wraps of the yarn, but you can also wait until you remove the ball and tuck it into the opposite end of the starting tail.

Now you have a ball where you can pull from the center. No more tangles! Now I just have to finish the rest of them. 

*sigh*

I will store these balls according to weight so that they are easy to find when I start my next project. I'll show you that when I finish. Until next Tuesday, keep organizing! Doing a little every day will add up in the end.  That is what I keep telling myself, anyway.