how do you store your stash?

along the lines of the crafting rooms, i've also read blogs about how knitters store their stash.  some are in tubs, some sit openly on shelves, others are stored in baskets.  i ask you, what's the best way to store stash?


the majority of my wools/animal fibers are stored in sweater bags (and sorted by color).  the sweater bags are stored in a large wicker hamper.  long ago i thought that the yarn would breathe better in a sweater bag than a tub.  i've long since outgrew the hamper and now have my animal fiber yarns in 2 picnic baskets (one tin, one woven).  these yarns are stored in ziploc bags, with lavender and cedar sachets tucked inside the baskets.  my sock yarns are in 2 flat boxes (one straw, one a stationary box) and a knitting bag (those yarns are in ziploc baggies).  since i'm not worried about moths eating my cotton and novelty yarns, those yarns are in less secure bins and baskets.

i question my storage arrangements becos i read a blog post recently about winding skeins and hanks into cakes, and whether or not to store as a hank/skein or as a cake.  unless i'm super busy when i bring new stash home, i try to take the time to wind my yarn into cakes (especially hanks).  apparently i'm in a minority doing this, as winding and rewinding can cause yarn to stretch, especially if it is an animal fiber. i did not know this, and now i am worried that my crammed full sweater bags and bins and baskets could have damaged my stash more than i realized.

oh well.  the beauty of blogs.  always educational