Organizational Tips for Knitters and Crocheters

Organizational Tips for Knitters and Crocheters by Kelsey Innis, San Francisco, CA

When knitting or crocheting, if you need to put down your work and you don't have a point protector handy, try using one of those erasers that fits over the end of your pencil. It's soft, so even if your needle doesn't fit snugly into the opening, you can jam it in. This is also useful when you are crocheting, especially with slippery yarn.

To use up yarn scraps, start a yarn ball! Just tie the scraps together. As long as it doesn't get too big , you can stash it in your bag. Just make sure you don't start using it for a project!

When knitting or crocheting, to help keep yarn tension even, wear a smooth gold ring on your ring finger and thread the yarn through it. This is especially helpful to those with arthritis or carpal tunnel syndrome.

To remove wrinkles from yarn that has been ripped out, wind the yarn around a large box, like a suit box. Tie it in four places with contrasting color yarn and remove the hank from the box. In the microwave, boil a bowl of water, turn off the microwave, and put the hank beside the bowl. Leave it in the microwave for about 20 minutes. Then lie the hank flat on a towel and let it dry completely. Wind it loosely into a ball.

When knitting or crocheting, try putting your ball of yarn into a Ziplock bag, almost completely closed except for where the yarn comes out. This prevents tangles and knots.