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Today’s post is a long one! I thought it was time I shared my favourite yarn hacks with you to make your projects so much easier. In my time as a happy hooker (10 years) and a new knitter, I have employed lots of these little hacks and charts and they really do help to make a project easier.

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Some can even stop cats from picking up your ball of yarn and wandering off with it! Which is something that happens to me every single time I start a project. I can also never leave it unattended lest Pooperses thinks they’re free toys for her.

On To The Yarn Hacks!

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DIY Yarn Bowls

Before We Get Started, Have You Taken The Customised Craft Furniture Quiz?

There are so many ways you can organize yarn and create your very own inexpensive yarn bowl.

Some of these projects are fabulous.

The CD holder is especially genius and cat-proof.

I bought myself a cream enamel colander, like this one and it’s stunning but the cat still loves to eat the yarn coming through the holes. Go figure.

One for yarn and one for the kitchen but they can also be transformed into vegetable planters.

2. Shoebox yarn organiser

3. CD Holder Yarn Organizer

Yarn Organizer 4. Plastic Basket Yarn Organizer

This is an amazing way to organise your yarn for a project that requires a lot of skeins.

My cat hates it because she can’t steal the yarn and booby trap the house! Especially since I found these baskets with lids so I’m able to store my WIP’s with their yarn and she can’t steal anything. Bahahahhahaa.

If you want to see the trail of destruction she likes to leave, check out this project: Love Crochet: How To Crochet a V-Stitch Blanket.

This blogger did an amazing job of hacking those little Tupperware style tubs but I would recommend using glass bowl versions with the hole punched in the lid, unless you have containers you can already use or upcycle.

All you need is an eyelet setting tool, some eyelets and use with a floral hammer like this one (or a regular hammer) to make sure that the plastic doesn’t catch on your yarn as it’s fed through.

Get yourself a small glass bowl and some large binder clips to organise the yarn you have for different projects.

Via A Girl and her Needle

7. How To Soften Yarn

This is a great tutorial to get your yarn all fluffy.

Since a lot of yarn projects in my house are blanket-related, I stopped using acrylic yarn because of its scratchiness and moved to the more expensive 100% cotton yarn like this stuff.

I would be tempted to use this tutorial on some acrylic yarn (like this) from my old stash and see how it goes. Incidentally, my favourite acrylic yarn to use is Stylecraft DK.

Let me know if you decide to try it.

Via HowToSpinYarn

8. Unravel a sweater and make sweater yarn

There’s nothing worse than your favourite sweater starting to unravel.

Or, you might find a wooly jumper in a charity shop that is the most gorgeous colour you have ever seen, this tutorial will teach you how to unpick the sweater and get a gorgeous skein of yarn.

Via LetBirdzFly

9. Create your own T-Shirt Yarn

You might also have a big collection of cotton t-shirts that you want to turn into a rug or a little basket!

With this tutorial, you can make t-shirt yarn quickly and easily (or go the lazy route and buy this stuff).

I actually went and did a little bit of research to find the best t-shirt yarn, because I’ve purchased t-shirt yarn in the past and made my own. The stuff that I purchased was much easier to use but that just could have been the material make up of the t-shirt that I used.

Top Tip: Zpagetti is the original T-Shirt yarn that is available on the open market and their make up is 90% Cotton, 10% Synthetic so if you plan on making your own t-shirt yarn, you should look for that makeup on the laundry label.

If you’ve got glue and bits of tape caught in the scissors, you will end up with straggly yarn.

Via Stitchli.com and DesignByMiranda

10. How To Translate Laundry Labels

This is possibly one of the best infographics you will ever see, containing all the info you need to know when picking yarn for projects.

From the Craft Alternative

11. A Repurposed DIY Yarn Stand!

An alternative to the yarn bowls is a stand made from a toilet roll holder (I like that you can store extra yarn in the bottom with this stand).

This is another cat proof one (sort of, they can still pull the yarn until it is all over the floor unless you cover it with a shower cap or something).

I think this is a gorgeous yarn holder and the perfect height for when you’re sitting on the couch. You could use a toilet roll holder and store extra yarn in the bottom. With a little spray paint, you’ll be all set.

The best spray paint IMHO, is Montana Gold Matte Spray Paint, look at all the lovely colors–

12. Blocking Your Crochet Squares

This is one of my FAVOURITE tutorials!

When I first started crocheting granny squares, they were all different sizes and looks insane. I tried joining them together and well, you can imagine. Just laugh, it was laughable!

This is a great tutorial that teaches you how to make them the same size. I usually use for this type spray starch of blocking now.

13. Crochet hook conversions

Crochet Hook conversion is something I tend to google regularly when I’m looking at patterns or choosing my next project.

14. How To Pull the centre of a ball of yarn

Learn how to wind a ball of yarn with a centre pull! I just roll it in a ball and let the yarn bounce everywhere when I’m working, I will definitely be trying this tutorial.

15. Organize Your Yarn Stash

Organising our yarn stash can be a time-consuming exercise but it’s totally worth it.

Especially when you want to start a new project and you recall a gorgeous yarn you used two years ago and you wish you could remember what it is.

That’s when this type of organiser comes in handy!

16. Protect knitting needle ends

If you’re stopping a knitting project mid-row, sticking two corks on the end is a genius idea to make sure you don’t drop any stitches by accident.

Quick! Grab the wine!

17. Yarn Colour Combos

I am the worst when it comes to having the vision required to choose colour combinations for a project.

This guide is great! There are many ways you can figure out colour combinations but this little chart is very handy.

18. How Much Yarn Do I Need For A Project?

It’s handy when projects already tell you how many you will need but if you’re changing sizes or making it up as you go along, this chart is handy to refer to.

from Flax and Twine

19. Make Gigantic Pom Poms!

If you’re planning to trim a blank with pom-poms, this tutorial will help you figure out how to do it in a relatively painless way! (It saves a lot of time!)

20. More Gigantic Pom Poms!

I don’t know why I would possibly need gigantic pom poms but I’m going to keep this in mind.

Finally

You can view lots of crochet inspiration here and free crochet patterns right here on the blog!