Unraveled

I’ve been reorganizing all of my craft supplies lately, and my yarn/fiber stash is no exception. Since my stash and where it’s stored has changed a lot, I need to update my stash in Ravelry. If you haven’t used your stash before and need to update it, you can find your stash area by going to your notebook tab and clicking stash there.

This stash reorganization got me to thinking of all the reasons that I bother to keep up with my stash in the first place, so I thought I’d share a few.

1. You don’t forget what you have
I don’t know about you, but my yarn gets stored in a box in a closet, so it’s easy to forget about what I have. By keeping my stash updated, I’m reminded of the pretty yarn that I already have, which keeps me from buying duplicate yarns. You can even filter your stash by a variety of attributes. Now, I don’t accidentally buy a duplicate skein of yarn, I just buy a different one instead!

2. You can find that skein of yarn when you want it
I spend more time than I care to admit tearing my house apart looking for something. I don’t have to do that with my yarns because I can find it when I need it, as I’ve recorded the yarn in my stash area, along with where it is stored.

If you click on “Bin #1” there, you will see all of the yarns that you’ve stuffed in that bin. I mean, while you’re getting the bin out, you might as well get all of the yarn you need, right?

3. You can match yarns with patterns much more easily
Having your stash up to date allows you to see if you already have a yarn for a given pattern when you come across something you want to make. You can check out the other post I wrote about that for more details. Looking at your stash on Ravelry will also remind you of that pretty skein of yarn you forgot all about. Then, you can use these tips from Christina to match it with a pattern.

4. You can link the yarns you have to your queued patterns
When you add something to your queue, you can add a stash yarn to it, so you know what yarn you will use for that pattern. We’ll have some more detailed instructions coming soon. Linking a stash yarn to your queue allows you to see the yarn you plan to use listed on your queue page.

You will also see that you already have a pattern picked for a yarn on your stash page.

5. You can look at your yarn from anywhere
The ability to look at my stash from anywhere is maybe my favorite thing about the stash feature. I love being able to look at the yarns that I already have without dragging out the bins and being able to remember what I have when I’m not at home.

You may think you don’t have enough stash to bother with adding it to Ravelry, but I encourage you to start using it now, anyway! In my experience, stash tends to multiply and it’s easier to add it when it’s small. On the other hand, if you have a lot of yarns and adding stash seems daunting, just take it a few at a time. I added mine all at once, over the span of about a month. It took a while but it was totally worth it as I have used it so much! You can find instructions for adding to your stash in the wiki. I hope this post helped you to see some of the benefits.