Helpful Yarn Tags

My yarn stash was starting to be everywhere, rather than in the boxes meant for it, so it was time to reorganize.  While I was winding the skeins into balls, I thought of these yarn tags to mark which ball is what.  It will be easier to choose a yarn for a project or buy more without having to keep track of all the ball bands (I have a bag with many in it, but I have, of course, already lost some). Some of my yarn looks pretty similar to each other as well, but the difference can be important (a yarn with some wool vs. an almost identical yarn sans wool).

To make yarn tags you will need:

• two pair of pliers
• paper punch the shape and size of your choice (I used a 1" circle) or scissors
• hole punch (a standard one should work; I used a punch that makes holes about half that size)
• pen
• 1 lobster clasp for each tag
• 2 jump rings per tag
• cardstock

Start by punching or cutting out the tag shapes. Punch a hole in each tag near a corner or an edge. Open a jump ring* and thread the tag onto it. Close the ring. Open the second ring, thread a clasp and the ring with the tag onto it, and close.

And that's all there is to it! Now you can label your ball of yarn with whatever information you feel is important. On each of mine I wrote the brand and type of yarn (e.g. Wool-Ease, Classic, Sox, etc.), the weight, the recommended knitting needle and crochet hook sizes, the fiber content, and the manufacturer's name for the color.  This kind of tag is useful to keep track of the end of the yarn ball and make it stay put as well: just hook the clasp over the end of the yarn plus a few more strands a couple of inches from the end.

*Remember to open the ring by twisting the ends, one away from you and one towards you, rather than trying to pull the ends apart, one to the left and one to the right. This minimizes distortion of the ring and it's also much easier to close again.