Her Handspun Habit: Fiber Stash, Meet Ravelry

As a believer in keeping a well-stocked fiber stash, I would be lost without a solid way to track exactly what I have on hand. Because I am by nature somewhat lazy and a whole lot scattered, my digital organizer happens to be readily available and even fun to use. More than likely, you already have it on hand, too!

I’m talking about Ravelry’s “stash” function. Consider the benefits of having a searchable stash at your fingertips.

1. Select fiber for your projects in moments, not hours.

Ravelry allows you to search your stash with multiple filters, including fiber type/blend, color, dyer name, and more. Looking for blue? Rainbow? Longwools? It’s all right there.

2. Avoid “black T-shirt syndrome.”

Have you ever come home with a new goes-with-everything black T-shirt and put it away . . . right next to three others you’d forgotten buying? When you know what’s in your stash, or can look it up in a jiffy, you can avoid bringing home that same color and/or fiber type over and over again (unless that’s a goal) and instead spend your dollars more purposefully.

3. Visit your pretties for a pick-me-up.

Sometimes I simply enjoy ogling all the future possibilities in my own stash; other times, I’m daydreaming about my next projects. No matter where I may be physically, my stash is as good as with me. I can even add notes to my stashed items and link to patterns I’m considering.

4. Gain accountability.

It’s one thing to see your fiber and the space it commands. It’s a whole different feeling to face your fiber in numerical format.

5. Destash with ease.

Not that you’d want to get rid of your fiber, but in the event you wish to sell off a bump or two, it’s as easy as moving them from “stash” to “for sale or trade,” for all seekers to see.

6. Experience the glow that comes from being organized.

Implementing a workable system feels so very good. I’m hoping that eventually, this will spread to other facets of my life. (And if not, at least I have this . . .)

See all your spinning goodies up close (without making a mess) by saving the details on your Ravelry stash page. Photo by Deborah Held

Get Started Tracking

How difficult is it to get your fiber stash all Ravelry-ized? Not difficult at all, if you commit yourself to a few hours of data entry on a weekend or weeknight. Truthfully, I haven’t messed up my fiber stash pages since I first committed to keeping it all tidy a couple of years ago, for fear of a backslide of epic proportion. At this point, when I make a new purchase, I actually enjoy entering the photo and its accompanying data.

If I had it to do all over again, though, I would take advantage of the “stored in” option so that I’d know immediately which bin to go to for the fiber itself rather than having to search all my bins or go by my failing memory. It just never occurred to me that I would one day be fortunate enough to have more than the one storage bin.

If you’re worried about the judgment of others, don’t be. Your stash is your own. Anyone worth knowing or caring about realizes that we are all of different means and life stages. One spinner’s idea of excess is another’s example of restraint.

Give updating your fiber stash page a try!

Featured Image: Ravelry-fiber-stash.jpg; caption: Ravelry makes searching your fiber stash a snap—all based on the user’s preferred settings. Image courtesy of Ravelry.com.