After I finish a project I like to keep a little sample of the yarn, as well as the yarn label, so I can remember the colors or brands of yarn I used for projects and have the care instructions available if I need them.
Until recently, my storage system consisted of me throwing a couple strands of each yarn and the accompanying label into the depths of my yarn stash. With a few inexpensive office supplies and craft store finds I created a more practical way to store my samples in a simple yarn swatch book.
Many thanks to the folks at Tombow for providing the adhesive that I used in this project. If you are looking for some cool tips and project ideas, stop by the Tombow Projects Page or the TombowUSA blog.
Materials
- white cardstock
- Wilton clear party bags
- Tombow Mono Adhesive Dots
- 1 1/2 inch binder ring
- paper trimmer
- hole punch
- scissors
- pen
Directions
Even though I'm a little embarrassed about it, let me show you the mess of labels I started with.To make a yarn swatch, use a paper trimmer to cut your cardstock into 3 7/8" x 5 7/8" rectangles. I was able to get three rectangles out of an 8 1/2" x 11" piece of paper. | |
Slide the paper into the plastic party bag. The bag is going to be like a mini sheet protector for your swatch. | |
Punch a hole about 1/4-inch from the side and closed bottom edge of the bag. Remove the card from the bag. | |
On the front of the card, apply a strip of the Tombow Mono Dots Adhesive. I really liked the dispenser because it's easy to use and you don't ever have to touch the sticky part with your hands. | |
Attach 3-4 strands of yarn to the adhesive strip. You may use more or less strands depending on the thickness of your yarn. | |
Use a scissors to trim off the ends of the yarn. | |
Now, write in the name of the yarn color. | |
These are all of the colors I used when I made my Knit Leaves and Branches Afghan pattern. | |
Turn the swatch over and apply another strip of Tombow Mono Dots Adhesive. | |
Attach the yarn label. | |
If the label is longer than the card you may wish to fold it up after it has been attached. | |
Gently slide the swatch into the plastic bag. | |
Place the card onto a binder ring. Here's the front of my swatch. | |
And here's the back. | |
I am going to keep a bunch of cards ready in their protective sleeves so I can make a new swatch whenever I finish a yarn project. |
This little book is so much better than the chaotic pile of labels that used to linger in my yarn stash. Each swatch contains samples of the yarns I used for a particular project. It's quick and easy to find specific colors if I want to repeat a project and the washing and drying instructions are always handy.
Again, my thanks to Tombow for providing the Tombow Mono Adhesive Dots that I used in this project. They worked perfectly for creating my yarn swatches.