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ALL ABOUT STORAGE
lease click on thumbnails to view larger image.
Storage - keeping
organized
©Sandra Petit, http://www.crochetcabana.com
Having bunches of hooks and other supplies will do you no good if you can't lay your hands on them when you need them. You have to have place to store the hooks and also the other supplies that are essential for a good crochet experience. I have a list of these elsewhere. Of course "essential" is different for each crocheter. :-)
As to hooks, some will live with the current project you're working on. With this project, you will also attach a card that tells you which hook you are using for the project, the name of the pattern and where it can be found, color of yarn used (dye lot is helpful too), and who you were making it for if it's a gift. If you prefer, you can also keep a notebook with this information, but I find it handy to have it right with the project. If you put the pattern, hook, and project in a plastic grocery store bag, you're an additional step ahead.
I have several places to keep my hooks. Here are a few.
My favorite if my new hook holders (two), made by my sweet son-in-law and gifted to me by he and my daughter for my birthday, 2010. I love them.
Here is the hook case from Karen Whooley's Crochet Legacy. Karen is a super lady, very helpful and orders arrive swiftly. This canvas case is washable, though Karen suggests not putting it in the dryer. Be sure to click on the thumbnail to get a good look at this thing. I LOVE that it has the mm right there next to the letter. No more searching my memory (which usually fails) or rummaging for the elusive paper. There are two rows so you can fit a LOT of hooks in this sucker. LOL
The box below (a Spacemaker) I keep in my living room close by. It contains some Inox hooks, Bates, and Caron hooks as well as some miscellaneous supplies. One thing I'm always losing is my scissors!
Here's a nice little pouch that a sweet lady made and sent to me. My name is on the front.
This is a quilted pouch which, as you can see, folds up into a small package you can bring anywhere with not much fuss.
In my closet, I keep this larger box (Craft Stor), which holds the hooks I'm not currently using, the longer afghan hooks, and miscellaneous supplies that need a larger area. There are smaller boxes inside.
My daughter has a smaller version of this box in her closet. (pictures coming soon)
And I have this Tupperware container which holds needles, scissors, buttons, and other small things. (picture coming soon)
Below is a handy little item. It doesn't hold my hooks, but it does hold my yarn. You can put 6 skeins in it, pull the center-pull thread through and work a 6-strand project, or just have the 6 colors you need right there handy. I have used this to make some of my wordless doll afghans, which use 6 colors. There's a handle, but it's not presently on the box.
Another similar item is one I received during the Christmas season 2004. It also holds six skeins, has a hole at the top for your yarn to come through, and also has a Velcro piece to hold it in place when not in use. The opposite side has an open space where you could keep additional skeins, or your incomplete project or whatever else you can think of. I have found this handier than the above box because it is flexible and easier to carry and store. The only down side is that if you don't have anything on one side it flops down on that side. My solution is to keep it filled with yarn when I'm using it at home. I rarely make a project that only requires 6 skeins, so I put the rest of the skeins in there.
Here is my quilted bag. It is getting along in age and used to go with me everywhere. The outside pocket is great for holding a small pair of scissors, ruler, and needles so you don't have to dig through the bag and under the yarn to find it. Of course, you could use one of the holders above to keep that stuff in so you can just grab it as well. If you keep pointy stuff in the outside pocket, be careful around small children who tend to dig wherever they can. This bag is best for take-along projects like squares as there isn't much room inside.
For a long time I carried this large canvas bag which I purchased from Zazzle. It went with me everywhere. I loved it. But my son was discharged so I was no longer a Blue Star Mom. I purchased a different but similar in size and style with cancer ribbons on it. I'll have to take a photo of that one day.
Not to be outdone by all of the above is my yarn tree. This special item was given to me by my children as a Christmas gift and made by my son-in-law, a very skilled carpenter. I took a photo of it empty and full - as you can see, it is pretty full. The overflow is in my wire shelving. :-)
I have three baskets that I particularly use for the yarn over and above what can fit on my yarn tree. They all have cloth interiors. This is important for holding yarn. The middle basket was given to me by my husband for Christmas. I love it as it has two tiers. The top level holds my small leftover balls, and when you lift it up there is a deeper section that holds my larger balls. The basket on the right is special to me as it belonged to my mother-in-law. It was given to me when she passed away.
There are many other types of containers to help you organize your craft room. I found a lot of things under Storage at Joann's online. You should also try Annie's Attic, Herrschner's, and Mary Maxim online as well as Michael's, Hobby Lobby and such in your neighborhood.
02/20/11
