Strip Sorters

Strip Sorters

When you are using the strip sorters, remember "inside-out."

Remove an individual ring from the larger ring. Open the book ring by twisting slightly before pulling apart. If you look closely at the ring you should be able to see which way to apply pressure to open the ring.
Cut your strips and lay the center of each strip inside the open ring. Do not remove the expandable cover.
Close the ring.
Pull the stretchy cover to the top while letting the strips hang down.
Turn the cover inside-out. Your strips are now inside the protective cover. This cover stretches to the correct size for the amount of wool you put on the ring. It will hold the strips secure while you pull one at a time from the bottom.
Place the ring on a larger ring for storage.

Additional Ideas

Use the medium 1-1/2" ring (you get 3 of them with each set) to combine various wools for individual motifs. For instance, when I was hooking "Village of Pemberville" I had a medium ring for each building so that I could keep the colors straight. I used a tag to label the medium ring, Beeker's General Store, Town Hall, etc. Each color was stored on one of the small rings with an expandable cover. Several of these groups can be stored on one 3" ring.

You can also use the medium 1-1/2" rings for background storage. Since you will be cutting larger quantities of wool for backgrounds a larger ring will allow for additional space.

The ring shown here has only 5 colors of wool on a 3" ring. Each color is on a 1-1/2" ring because it is a primitive rug and I can safely cut large quantities of wool in advance - I know I'll be using it. Because the color plan is simple, there is no need to organize by motif, building, etc.

The picture below shows strip storage for a 10 value swatch. This strip storage method gives you access to your wool and keeps it organized even if you don't have a table nearby. Connect the values to each other in order from light to dark. Your values will never get mixed up and your strips will not get tangled. I often tie strips directly to the ring above the cover to keep track of the smaller pieces. Pull out one strip at a time when you are ready to hook.

I developed this system while hooking for several hours at a time in the car. You can hang the large ring with several swatch strings from a visor while you hook. You wool will stay organized and untangled. Those strong gusts of wind that seem to hover at roadside rests are no longer a problem. You strips will gently sway in the wind, not scatter across the parking lot. --Yes, that's from experience. :-(

Apply a strong magnet to a corner of your Puritan frame and you can hang your ring by magnetic force from the corner of your frame, even through completed loops. This magnet also makes a great place to rest your scissors and stays in the same place on your frame even when you move rug.