Containing Yarn

As we mentioned before, yarn can be deadly if cats eat it. Which is why you need to keep your yarn in a safe and secure place when not in use. (Actually, you’ll probably have to guard it while in use as well. My cats are way more interested in the yarn I’m using than any toy I create with it.) If you suspect your cat has eaten any yarn, contact your vet immediately. If you find yarn in your cats mouth, you can try to GENTLY pull it out, but stop if you run into any resistance. If you don’t, you could cause damage to your cat’s internal organs.

Even if you feel you’ve removed the yarn, you should contact your vet for further instructions and advice.

That’s why it is important to guard your yarn from your cats. You can purchase devices for this. One example I got at Joann Fabrics is this plastic jar. I use it more to house yarn I’m not using than one I am because you have to feed the yarn through the hole at the top before you start. So if you pause in the middle, it doesn’t work because the loom has to sit next to it leaving a long strand of yarn.

Instead, I found a cheaper and easier way by purchasing plastic food containers and cutting a notch in the side. The one shown holds a regular skein of yarn, a flower loom and the hook. I can keep the yarn inside it when I’m knitting. When I stop, I can toss the loom and hook inside.

You can purchase yarn storage devices at any craft stores. Some of them are designed to store your yarn while working on a project. I purchase a lot of small craft bags to keep my projects in. While the cats could easily raid them, it seems to keep the yarn out of sight and out of mind.

I also like to use reusable shopping bags. The Joann Fabrics near me sells them for a $1 but I’ve also found them at drug stores and even the Philadelphia Zoo. I store projects I’m working on inside them. They aren’t “cat proof” but keeping it out of sight seems to work. (Although my cat Minx likes to lay inside the bags as you can see from the photo.)