Have you thought about a peg board on the wall. You could hang the yarn from hooks then and still be able to move it about and see exactly what you have. Also the matal baskets that people hang from the ceiling in their kitchens for vegis might work. I don't know if you can get those in France but they probably have something similar. I remember seeing metal bars to hang kitchen tools off of in Holland a few years ago, that might work.

Hi Kate - I just tried e-mailing you back, but needlesonfire@kategilbert.com had a permanent error....I will try to resend in a few hours, but I just wanted to let you know...

Oh no! I hate unraveling those messes! I have a bag obsession and collect them from all over. Some of my favorites are the cloth bread bags--the needles don't poke through and they have a nice long strap. My storage consists of throwing a project in a bag and the bag into a pile between the sofa and a chair. Then I can grab the bag on the way to catch the bus.

(I don't think I've commented before, but I really enjoy reading your blog.)

I have two big flat Rubbermaid under-bed bins (with lids that hinge in the middle), and two different hanging closet/shelf fabric things -- one designed for sweaters, one for shoes. That way I can keep the projects together on the same "shelf." I have also contemplated using those Ikea mesh hanging things sold in the children's department, but I suspect that my cats would either shred 'em or hurt themselves.

I keep my yarn in a Post Office bin... though the other day I bought a big plastic, flatter bin to store away more yarn.... Maybe try some stackable drawers or something that can squeeze into a corner? Good luck! I feel your pain a bit :)

My LYS puts purchases in big clear plastic bags. I keep my projects in these bags and I reuse the bags to store stash by project. The stash bags go into a big plastic bin. Don't squish the air out though or the yarn will lose some of it's loft. For current projects, the bags go in a large canvas tote wedged into a corner between a bookshelf and my nightstand. I know it sounds really anal, but it's the only way I have the slightest hope of keeping anything organized. It also keeps my child from making off with the yarn for her own nefarious purposes.

I use a big rubbermaid bin for my yarn. Just like most people. I also use it for stash limiting. I can't have more yarn than fits in the bin. It forces me to be more creative with my projects because I can't just buy yarn and have it unless I have knit up something out of the bin. This may not work as well for you since you are designing and not just knitting for yourself. but for the rest of us too.

There is never enough room for yarn. Or babies. Right?

I also use the freezer bag technique for smaller projects, and a bin compartment thing for larger ones. It's definitely nice to have a separate space for current projects, although sometimes there are so many I run out!

Hope you are feeling well, sweetie!

For in-drawer storage, IKEA sold these little boxes, that have a zipper diagonal across the bottom, so when they're unzipped, they fold up and lay flat, and when they are zipped up, they turn into mix and match drawer storage. They woule be great to store individual projects in.

Oh, yarn storage- it's a never ending battle, right? I share with my sweetie a "charming" (read: tiny) apartment in a neighborhood we love... with absolutely no storage, and no real room even for plastic bins. I keep my stash yarn in plastic baggies by color for smaller amounts and by type (if I have enough for a sweater or afghan). I squish the air out of them and fit them into some covered baskets- a big one that I think was intended to be a hamper, with a very large open basket stacked on top of that. Spare, especially pretty yarn is artfully arranged on top. I pretend it looks bohemian and not cluttered. Projects in Progress go in big baggies on a shelf (I took over a bookshelf to hold knitting books and WIP's- the extra space I claimed as "mine" was quickly forgiven when it became clear that when my yarn is organized, the whole apt. is organized!). And, oh yes, big purses I have that are in my closet are filled with yarn when not in use...

I agree, big clear bins that stack. In the drawer, a box of 2-gallon ziplocks go a long way towards keeping the balls from tangling. I put each project in a bag, you don't even have to seal it.

I don't know what your closet space is like, but I've been considering this solution for craft project storage: http://www.stacksandstacks.com/html/55156_canvas-drawers-set-of-2.htm It's like a hanging shoe stacker that you can slip drawers into. You just need a closet rod.

I don't know what your closet space is like, but I've been considering this solution for craft project storage: http://www.stacksandstacks.com/html/55156_canvas-drawers-set-of-2.htm It's like a hanging shoe stacker that you can slip drawers into. You just need a closet rod.

Just yesterday I converted 1/2 of our office into my new yarn room. I got some 8 cube shelves at Target for all of my tools and current projects the cool thing is that you can add doors or fabric drawers to them or just leave them open. And they stack securely (with larger cabinets, drawers, and smaller cubes available too. You can go vertically and only take 4'x1' of floor space. I'll still keep most of the stash in under bed bags in the guest bedroom.

My boyfriend is an engineer and still can't figure out a way to keep my stash under control. haha. We happen to have very tall ceilings in our apartment and he is always complaining that we don't use the vertical space enough. I think his dream would be to suspend my projects in baskets about ten feet above our heads.

I have a series of different sized rubbermaid bins. I have found it key to have the clear, stackable ones with the "click on" lids. That way even if one takes a small tumble, yarn doesn't go flying out, and you can always see what yarn is where. They've been a lifesaver in my small apartment.

What a guy, that frog!

I've got the stash mostly organized on a tall-ish bookcase. Going vertical is definitely a help when you have limited floor space. Then I have a big old wicker basket with my current WIPs, each in its own canvas tote bag to keep them separate.

(We won't talk about the cardboard boxes filled with yarn and fleece that are piled up in the corner of my office. Let's please pretend it's only the bookcase and the basket, okay?)

Oops, my links did show up in my post. You can look at my yarn cupboard at http://childsfamily.com/knitting/?p=23 and The Container Store boxes at http://www.containerstore.com/browse/Product.jhtml?CATID=71227&PRODID=62422.

Sounds like you need a flexible storage solution. Check out my yarn cupboard. I love these clear plastic boxes for all sorts of things including yarn. They're from The Container Store. The reasons I love these boxes: they're clear so you can see what's in them, they're modular and stack well, they come in many sizes appropriate for a sock project to an afghan, and the lid snaps on (easy for an adult to open but not a toddler).

Your Frog is such a cutie, I love that he gave you 50% of drawer space, and wants to make a custom storage space for your stash! How about some of those rubbermaid bins for the yarn, they at least stack and take up less total floor space.