Chantal Miyagishima is a knitwear designer who designs patterns with the beginner knitter in mind. She is a self-taught knitter and started Knitatude in 2012 as a place to inspire and educate people about knitting. Today she has over 29,000 followers on Instagram and regularly shares her love of all things yarn, knitwear and small business savvy.
Without further ado, we are happy to share with you Knitatude’s Happy Place!
What system do you use to organize your yarn? (by color, by fiber content, by project, etc.)
Both! I have all of my thicker worsted+ together and then colour coded, and my lighter weights together and colour coded in a gradient on my shelves.
What furniture/storage systems do you use to organize your yarn?
I use crates as well as those square boxes from IKEA. They are lifesavers!
How do you like to de-stash? (i.e completing projects, yarn swaps, yarn sales, donations)?
I love using it all up in projects, but I do de-stash by selling it when I realize that I really won't be able to use it! It's hard to let it go, but sometimes it's needed!
More often than not, what colors are always in your office/yarn corner?
Grey. I am absolutely in love with dove grey and would knit every project in it if I could. I also love blushes because I find they go well with my skin tone and purple hair! #neutralsforlife
Do you like to work in the same space where your yarn is stored? Why or why not?
It's a half and half. I mainly knit on the couch in my living room as I can then watch netflix, but I do all my lives and computer work in my stash room. I like being surrounded by all the coziness and colours!
When you are working on a project, do you have a specific spot you put it when you aren't working on it, or does it follow you around beyond your space?
Since I work full time I usually bring my project to the office to be able to work on at lunch, so it's always being transported around. To stay organized I've been trying to put it in a specific project bag if I can. Otherwise you'll find all my projects on the extension of our couch - which I know my hubby just hates haha.
How important is a well-organized yarn corner/office to your mental wellbeing?
Essential! I choose my projects by what I am being influenced by that day. If I can see it all in neat order, it makes me feel more organized and ready to take on my craft that day. It also reminds me what I have in "stock" before I go purchase more yarn.
Where did you purchase everything shown in the photos you submitted?
Oh gosh. There's too many: We Are knitters, Wool of Andes, Madeline Tosh, Allison Barnes Yarn, Drops, Sugar Bush, KnitCrate, Woolfolk, Lion Brand, Song Byrdy, Katia, Wool and The Gang, Betta Knit to name a few!
Was the majority of your yarn bought with a project idea in mind?
Yes! Every. Single. Skein. I hate wasting yarn, so I find it very hard to purchase just a few skeins at a time not knowing if I will have enough in that particular dye lot. Do I get to all those projects? Maaaaybe not!
Share any tips or advice you have for someone who is trying to reorganize their stash.
Be ruthless and de-stash first! Take all your similar weights out and see if there's something in there that you will never use. It's super cathartic to make your stash a bit smaller, especially when there are things you know you just won't ever use in the future. Then put all your similar weights together and put them in a gradient colour order where you can see them all! I suggest in shelves, or even see-through Tupperware containers. Yarn is so pretty, so it's wonderful to be able to showcase them together, while also being able to see what you have in your stash. It also means you won't forget about that one hidden gem of skein or hank when you go look the next time. It will be like shopping in your own personal LYS, but you're not spending any money!
Share any current projects or promotions.
I just finished my first ever top down yoke sweater design called the "Easy Eyelet Yoke", and it's the perfect beginner knit for a knitter wanting to learn how to do a top down sweater! You can find it as a kit on Lion Brand’s website as well, with all my other kits!
All photos courtesy of Chantal Miyagishima.