I keep a record of my stash. All new skeins get weighed and added to my stash. The amount of yarn used in a project is recorded and the stash records are updated. Now with any patterns that strike my fancy, I search my stash to see if I already have the supplies I may need.polyester filament yarn

I want to do this pattern that requires a fingering-weight yarn? Darn! I don’t have the necessary yardage! But wait, I have this skein of a grey lace-weight and that skein of a blue lace-weight. I’ll just hold the two yarns together to make a beautiful grey-blue marled fingering-weight yarn.

Ah now, there’s a multi-colored pattern that needs one whole skein and two partial skeins.

These hand-knit self-striping socks are going to need to be darned. I’ll wind the yarn into one of those pretty balls that shows off the stripes and put it in the gallon-sized canning jar that is on my coffee table.