Stash tracking without Ravelry

picture of a brown and white springer spaniel sitting on a sofa bed you cant see. he is looking at the camera, behind him are shelves filled with neon coloured yarn

Hello, Ferret fans! I'm coming to you from a VERY wet Dundee today and possibly going to write the dullest blog post in the world. Unless like me you enjoy a spreadsheet and keeping track of things. 

6 large boxes stacked in two rows of three, filled to the brim with yarn. piles of project bags and loose skeins are on the floor and ontop of the boxes

At the beginning of this year I decided I wanted to use more stash than I brought in, I have so many beautiful skeins from way back when that deserve to not be sitting in a cupboard. This then triggered an "I must weigh my entire stash" so I did and recorded it in this spreadsheet I am going to share with you guys.

The reason I am sharing it as in the past few weeks Ravelry has become unusable for many people (you can read about it here) and I know I use rav to track my stash, so my thinking was that until (please until) Ravelry is fixed, this bad boy may help you keep a record. 

screen shot of a spreadsheet for tracking your stash coloums at the top are headered with Yarn Brand	Yarn name	Colour	Thickness	How many balls	single weight	total weight	single meterage	total yardage	On Rav?

So the first tab of this spreadsheet is to track what yarn you already have. This was a massive undertaking for me getting everything out, remembering the yarn that had lost its label and just actually weighing everything. ( i will include a wee video below on how to make these sheets bigger and extend the formula if you are not sure how) . I think these titles are self-explanatory, just fill out the brand, the base name, colourway, what thickness, how many balls of that colourway you have, the weight of a single skein. the spreadsheet will then calculate the total weight of that colourway, then add the meterage (or yardage) of a single skein, and again the spreadsheet will work out the total meterage you have of that colourway. The last box is for have I put it on Ravelry, and for a lot of my stash I haven't. 

you will also see at the bottom a box for the total weight in the stash and total meterage in the stash. THIS is the number you need/want. I don't have the total meterage worked out but my total weight of yarn in my stash at the start of January 2020 is 39956g. According to the internet that is half the weight of a kangaroo! 

so for this sheet, I say go forth and WEIGH EVERYTHING! if you are being thorough like me, weigh your wips too.

screen shot of a spreadsheet for calculating meterage of a partial ball of yarn. column headers read ball weight now	full ball weight	(current ball weight/full ball weight	full ball meterage	meterage now

OOk the purpose of this sheet "meterage work out" is to help you calculate the meterage (or yardage) of a partial ball if you know what it is and what the full weight of the skein is. I have put instructions in a box to help. My maths is fairly rubbish and this is just quick and easy. I have to say personally I'm more focused on weight used but to know the meterage would just be fun. 

screen shot of a spread sheet for tracking yarn you buy. the column headers are Yarn Brand	Base	Colourway	Thickness	How many balls	single ball weight	total weight	single meterage	total meterage	On Rav?

This sheet "yarn in" is simply where you track what yarn you have purchased or added to your stash this year. Pop in the brand of yarn, the base, colourway and thickness. How many balls you purchased of that colourway and the weight and meterage (or yardage) of one ball or skein. Again the spreadsheet will work out the total weight and total meterage. And again a tick box for if you have added it to your Ravelry stash. I just put an * or x in that box. Also at the bottom, you can see the total weight and total yardage boxes to see how much you have brought into the stash.  I have brought in 1932g of yarn which I also include any Rusty Ferret yarn that I use for personal use or samples. IT COUNTS! according to the internet that's about six times as heavy as a Human Heart. The more you know.

screenshot of a spreadsheet for tracking yarn used. column headers are Pattern name	Yarn Brand	base name	Colourway	Thickness	Start weight	Weight used	Weght left

This is the sheet that I ADORE, the Yarn Used sheet where I track exactly how much I used for a project.  The first column is for the pattern name, I drag this down for all yarn used as often I'm working on like 4 projects at once. Then the usual information of the brand of yarn, the base name, the colourway and thickness. You then put in the starting weight of that skein of yarn, weigh how much yarn you have left and pop that in the last column "weight left" and then the spreadsheet will work out in the centre column how much weight was used. And again down at the bottom is a box for the total weight of yarn used. So far this year I have used 2425.48g which is gaining on how much I have brought in. I have used about half the weight of a cat.

So by the end of the year, let's say the 31st December 2020 the used number will be higher than the brought in number. I will report back just to keep me accountable! 

So the link for the sheet is on that button below. feel free to download and use and let's keep track together. Let me know if you use it or if you have any issues with it. However I won't be giving lessons on how to use a spreadsheet, that stuff is easily found on google.

GET THE SPREADSHEET HERE

 

Saying that I have made a wee video on how to extend the formulae and add extra rows. 

 


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  • LJ on

    i really am trying to use more than im buying, but its not happening. Its more of a space issue, and using yarn that has been neglected, and a little bit of money reasons too!

  • Pip on

    Oooo looks great! I like the brought in and used option to track if you’re using more than you buy!


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