A Less-Tangled Web: Online Yarn Organization Solutions

January 15, 2019 9:12 AM

I want an app to track/organize the yarn that I'm using for projects. NOT RAVELRY! Anyone have any suggestions of a good visual project organizer, knitting-specific or otherwise?

I want something simple--basically the ability to snap a photo or two (yarn and/or yarn label with dye lots, etc.) and very basic notes, e.g. my gauge with it. This does not need to be a knitting app, just a good visual-organization app without a ton of bells and whistles. (NB: I do not like using the stash or project features for yarn on Ravelry--too fiddly with the many drop-downs and autofills and menus, and the mobile experience isn't great. I just want to be able to take a picture or two and annotate it free-form.)

posted by HonoriaGlossop to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (10 answers total)

I mean, if visual is most important, you could do this on Instagram. That's kind of what I do with the yarn I spin, since I've long since given up on keeping a spinning journal. You can take the pix and then note what you need to note in the description, and then use tags if you want to be able to group all of one thing together (like #worsted or #singleply or #crochetthread or whatever). You could also save them to different collections. The mobile experience is super simple.
posted by fiercecupcake at 9:38 AM on January 15, 2019 [1 favorite]

Oh, and you could set it as private in case you don't care for others seeing your Stash Acquisition Beyond Life Expectancy (SABLE) like mine ;]
posted by fiercecupcake at 9:39 AM on January 15, 2019 [2 favorites]

Best answer: Instagram is a great idea. If you want something kind of spreadsheet-like, Airtable is wonderful.
posted by suedehead at 9:56 AM on January 15, 2019

Have you tried any of the Apps that connect with Ravelry? They're still a bit fiddly because of the way Ravelry is database driven, but they take away a lot of the pain of trying to use a desktop interface on mobile, at least.

The other option I'd suggest, aside from Instagram, would be Pinterest.
posted by jacquilynne at 10:17 AM on January 15, 2019 [2 favorites]

Best answer: I use Airtable for my sewing pattern library and fabric stash. It's great!
posted by crush at 10:38 AM on January 15, 2019 [1 favorite]

OneNote would do this well.
posted by soelo at 11:12 AM on January 15, 2019

Google Keep (a phone app) can take a photo and then add freeform title and notes, and labels from a list you've made.

(Keep doesn't work for the problem I installed it for, but I have wanted a fabric and pattern stash record, and here it is!)
posted by clew at 11:14 AM on January 15, 2019

I like Keep, but I would be wary, given Google's track record of shutting down side projects. (Am I bitter about Allo? Yes, I am.)
posted by fiercecupcake at 12:45 PM on January 15, 2019

If you are looking for something that isn't part of the walled gardens of the corporate Internet, check out pixelfed.org. A free, federated, Instagram alternative.

If you plans are to collect things that are mostly for your eyes only, then PixelFed may be a better option.
posted by terrapin at 12:53 PM on January 15, 2019 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Thanks all! On initial inspection, Airtable seems to be ideal, but also good to have some back-up options if I ended up not liking it. (And I am verging on a multi-generational SABLE. No willpower.)
posted by HonoriaGlossop at 8:43 AM on January 16, 2019