With 3 kids, I spend many, many hours to at practices, games and activities. Most of my time seems to be spent waiting. I can’t stand to just sit and wait, I have to be doing something. I usually spend my waiting time crocheting. One of the hassles of crocheting on-the-go is that the skein of yarn gets tangled up in the carrying bag. I spend as much time unraveling the tangles as I do crocheting on the project. That’s where this free portable yarn keeper comes in. And did I tell you that it’s a free way to organize yarn?!
Several years ago, I read a tip from allfreecrochet.com to keep a skein of yarn from getting tangled. The tip involved repurposing, so I was interested and immediately gave it a try.
Free Portable Yarn Keeper
Once you have your bottle opened, simply insert the skein of yarn into the bottle and pull the yarn from the middle of the skein through the mouth of the bottle.
The bottle gapes a little but it stays closed and contains the yarn. Even with the gap, the yarn pulls out smoothly without getting tangled. Of course, if that gap bothers you, you can use tape to secure the bottle all the way closed.
I was using 2 skeins of yarn for my project so I put them both in bottles and stuck the bottles in a canvas bag. I was able to crochet at my son’s practice with no tangling and no problems at all. This is a great solution to prevent yarn projects from tangling, especially for busy on-the-go crafters.
And did I say that this portable yarn keeper a free way to organize your yarn?
I’m a mom of 3, a veteran and military spouse. I’ve moved into 20+ homes all around the world. My passion is helping busy people make the space and time for what’s really important to them.
Meg says
such a good idea! could use smaller bottles for smaller balls of yarn and just toss in your purse on the go.
Susan@Organized31 says
Oh. I hadn’t thought about using a smaller bottle. That’s a great improvement for easy of carrying a smaller ball of yarn!
Anonymous says
You could use a piece of Velcro to keep the bottle shut.
bmicheau says
You could use a piece of Velcro to keep the bottle shut.
Susan@Organized31 says
Brilliant idea! Those sticky Velcro dots would be perfect.
Beth McC -- Midwest Redhead says
I just cut off the curved bottom of clear plastic soda bottles, and it’s easy to insert the skein of yarn. I always find my starting piece of yarn (I like to work from the center of skeins), and use a long piece to dangle through the open neck of the bottle.
I also recycle a nice gift bag to stand up the bottles I an using for a particular project; this keeps the bottom of the skeins clean without having two pieces of bottle to worry about. Gift bags are generally a little sturdier than regular paper bags, and if I use a larger one, I have room to tuck in the project when taking a break. Printed patterns or magazines with patters are easy to stand up inside the bags, too.This keeps everything in one place when I have to stop crocheting to tend to other tasks.
susan says
Such a smart adaptation to my hinged bottle idea, Beth! I’m definitely trying it on my next crochet project (and I’m suddenly inspired to start a new project 🙂 )
Cecilia Gonzales says
I think this portable yarn keeper idea is great.
Susan says
I love easy solutions that really work, Cecilia, and this works great to keep yarn organized and neat. Happy crafting!
Virginia Benson says
You could put a zipper on the bottle to hold it shut.
Susan says
That’s a great idea, Virginia!
Janet Johnson says
I cut the bottom off put the yarn in the top half; squeeze the bottom top to fit into the bottom section; it use to be a black bottom that worked so well. Have to adjust to the changesl The nicest part is the ability to carry the yarn and work it out of the bottle while watching games, sitting-relaxing while camping and the few minutes on catches during a busy day at home.
Susan says
That’s a great version of the yarn keeper, Janet. Happy crafting.
Jolene Miller says
I used to use those for yarn keepers. I miss those bottles.
Pamela Vehrs says
This is such a good way to keep my yarn from tangling.
Thanks, Pam
Susan says
It really helped me and I love that it’s free! Have fun crafting, Pamela.
SAS says
Disinfecting wipe containers work well also
Susan says
That’s a great tip, especially in these times of everyone using disinfecting wipes so frequently. Thanks for sharing it!
Jolene Miller says
Are used to do this when they had the black bottoms on the 2 L soda bottles. You could pull it loose from the bottom piece cut the bottom out put your yarn in and it started back in the black bottom. I miss those bottles.
Susan says
That would make it much easier! Thanks for sharing, Jolene.
Jacqui says
I was amazed when I saw the portable yarn keeper, surprised that anyone would think the way I did. I use the plastic container that the cheese balls come in because there larger with the wider top, I cut a hole and drag the yarn through it. It also works well to hold the the smaller leftover skeins. I croched a market bag to hold them for tag along.
Susan says
Ooh, I’m excited about your idea, Jacqui! The fact that it can hold larger skeins of yarn makes it a great idea! Thanks for sharing it.