The Dark Secret Lurking in My Yarn Stash
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- Опубликовано: 21 окт 2024
- In honour of the onset of spooky season, I present a horror story in one sentence: I saw a moth in my yarn stash.
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Cedar Rings - amzn.to/3YVhnHv
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Knit Picks Wool of the Andes (sport) - shareasale.com...
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My kitchen is still recovering from the addition of the freezer...(thanks to my Mother-in-Law who offered to get us a freezer 5 YEARS ago - the force that runs strong in my family is that of procrastination...)
Honestly, I stopped breathing for a moment at the sentence.
As did I...thankfully, the Husbeast is emergency-certified 😉
That's a serious psychological thriller you lived through. Glad that it turned out alright in the end.
So am I! 😃
AAAAAAAAAAAAA!
I'm so sorry. May the gods of the fiber arts be with you.
And yes, by all means, spin it up.
Thank you!! 😃
I work for a custom rug company. Our showroom is in a continual battle with moths, as we have literally hundreds of wool samples..... we've used pheromone traps and what I call moth candy. I think diatomaceous earth might work too but probably only on larvae. We've found theres only so much we can do, as news samples come in with eggs
Oh no! It sounds like you're doing everything you can do aside from storing everything for 2 weeks at a frozen storage/transport company (which I suppose would be another option...)
@Stringchronicity yep. Besides, even if we could freeze everything, we constantly getting new samples in and sample returned. 🤷♀️. It's generally not my responsibility though, so I just kill em when I see em and move on with life 😂
I am always down for some spinning. Now if you will excuse me. I have wool to make sure its moth free.
Moth traps really help but they take a while. Over the course of a couple of years, they've brought my moth problem down to nothing. They only trap the males, but that turns out to be quite effective. And it's also an excellent early warning/monitoring system.
My heart was in my throat when you said "moth"! I hope everything in your stash survives! Fingers crossed! I'm off to buy lavender and cedar😊
So far, so good... 🤞
you're not alone. i had to prepare myself to watch this video. it is crazy how genuinely triggering that one little word can be, especially when you're surrounded by enough yarn to last a few lifetimes.
Man, I am so paranoid about moths getting in to my yarn stash. Not only do I store them in plastic bins, but I also have them in ziplock bags within the bins (I started doing that when I noticed breather holes in the bins). Having them in gallon ziplocks also actually makes it easier to find the yarn I want when I want it!
Wow you were pretty lucky! Best wishes that you froze all the little guys and won't see them again. You might want to keep your eyes open for thinned (ie. nibbled) sections of yarn when you knit. Sometimes they've only chewed through 1 ply on 1 section of 1 skein and then moved on. Finding cocoons on acrylic yarn is kind of funny (bugs are dumb haha!) but it's really a nightmare to have to throw away absolutely destroyed stash that you've loved and fondled for years (and then completely forgot about until you find the carnage).
Because the zippered bags are so bulky, I'm putting them in the freezer a couple at a time, so it will take time to work through them all...but I'm hoping freezing kills them off but good 😃
YIKES! This inspired me to do a a thorough check of my yarn - I forget because carpet moths are not a thing in Arizona. Now I live in Oregon, so no more black widow or scorpions, but carpet moths instead. Ahhhhh!
If it's not one thing, it's another, eh?
Fingers crossed that your moth problem is thoroughly dealt with.
We've had moth in our fabric stash a couple of years running. So far the costumes (mostly out on open rails have escaped unscathed). And it's not as bad as the double-barrel infestation of moth and carpet beetle we had about 20 years ago
Moths AND carpet beetles?! You have my sympathies on that one!
I hope the costumes have some cedar or lavender around the hanger...apparently that helps a lot 😃
@@MaireColclough Cedar discs on the hangers where we could get hold of them, and anti-moth papers too (have to remember to switch them out every 3 months), but I can't stand the smell of lavendar so that isn't an option.
Hopefully, you've thoroughly banished the moths!
I bought a bag of loose lavender buds and made my own sachets; they're scattered throughout the stash and my wardrobe.
You have some absolutely GORGEOUS yarns, and I'd love to see some spinning videos! I like to see how people take raw materials and turn them into something else entirely.
Thank you! I'm hoping the moths are vanquished, but you never know.
Hopefully I can get some spinning in soon 😃
I audibly gasped when you said moths!! Not so much a problem here but we do have the dreaded silverfish with their love of finespun merino garments. I wish for a stash such as yours!!
That's the second time I've heard of silverfish being a threat to wooly garments....definitely going to be investing in solid Rubbermaid bins if I move back east... 😮
@@MaireColclough Aargh - I just squashed a silverfish coming out of my knitting!! Urban warfare about to start!!
Your stash is lovely. Spinning is a soothing, calmning video. You are beyond blessed with a husbeadt that assists and doesnt complain about your crafting ...... Junk.
Oh, he complains...he just has enough of his own stuff to deal with 😃
Those blue light traps for insects are pretty good for moths. I have a Zevo. Raid makes one, too. They won't fix an invasion of the moth monsters, but are a good early warning system.
I'll keep that in mind, thanks! 😃
those sticky moth traps are also very good as an alert system. i keep a couple of them tucked in where i store the many ziplock bags that house my stash.
for point of reference from the Textile Museum here in Toronto, they advised that they quarantine everything in a giant freezer for 6 to 8 weeks. I hope this helps you with the length you may wish to keep your stash in the freezer for packing it in, and best of luck with the moths
We'll see...the stash is big and there's not enough room in the freezer for all of it (and we need to freeze more than yarn around here) 😉
@@MaireColclough fair. Food stuff is also important.
I saw two moths in my basement and my heart was in my throat. So glad that you didn’t find too much damage! You have a lovely collection. I so enjoy your videos! Your honesty and humor are a delight.
Oh thank you 😃
I'm so glad your beautiful stash survived and you were able to do some damage limitation. Personally I'd love to see some spinning! 💚
It's on the horizon...I have at least one bit of fibre I've been procrastinating on spinning up 😁
Good to see you have your priorities! Though ice cream and wool seems like good priorities to me
It's been very hot lately, and making my own ice cream means I can control the sugar content 😉
I was cringing when you said you found a moth, Been there. Scary! Glad you caught it so early.
Love the zippered storage bags that fit is storage cubes. I have never purchased storage cubes because moths thrive in the San Joaquin Valley and everything tempting to them is sealed in my house.
I would love to see some of your spinning (it's what I was doing as I watched). Any and all crafts and/or non-crafts welcome.
It took a while to find zippered bags the right size. Most seem to be the kind you stow in your closet which...would be great if I had closet space 🤣
That's the reason why I packed all of my yarn and also all the made garments in air- and watertight containers. The thought of something munching away my expensive yarn or the garments I made, drove me nuts. A friend of mine found them to late, and lost most of the wool and sweaters.
Makes me very glad the bulk of my mother's stash is in plastic bins.
you make an excellent point about also keeping the finished objects in moth-proof storage. my cotton-acrylic knits get mixed with my regular clothing (stored in drawers, tossed on the back of chairs, etc.). anything that contains animal fiber is kept in ziplock bags when not being actively worn. i had to throw away several items i'd made (mostly for my husband) when i discovered my own moth problem years ago, and i don't want to go through that again.
A 30-something coworker once told me how adult I sounded when I used the phrase "my accountant". At 56, with 3 children and 2 grandchildren, I have never felt so grown up as now understanding the seriousness of moths and silverfish.
Maintaining an expensive stash is a surprisingly large responsibility.
Omg that is scary! Especially if the little bastard made a beeline for the knit picks yard. I have an open box of lindy chain from we crochet (which is essentially the same company geared towards the crochet enthusiast) I've slowly been working my way through the balls as my shawl has been taking form. I never once gave a thought to the silk thread I have been saving for a snood. As of a week ago it was still ok, but now I'm worried about it. I think i just learned a valuable lesson here. I will be giving everything a close inspection and bagging them up for protection against the elements.
Ziplocs are our friend. 😃
I'm totally here for spinning, knitting, and crochet content! I bet it was nice to have an excuse to look at all the pretties, even if your heart was in your mouth each time you opened a new box!
You spin, I’ll knit, and watch you spin!!
It's a deal!
I would love a spinning video 😊
Sorry about your moth :~( thanks for sharing how you took care of it though -- I live in a basement and keep all my stash in an ikea cabinet with loose cedar pieces floating around inside, but I also thrift a lot of my yarns and pretty much just do a visual inspection before incorporating new things into the cabinet, which doesn't feel very safe now... this is a good reminder to be more intentional!
The cedar definitely helps deter the little blighters, so you're definitely on the right track! 😃
I'm here to vote 'Yay' for spinning content. Although I do so with some trepidation. Several of your videos were a huge portion of diving head first (back) down the knitting hole. I have yet to act on the urge to try out lace, either crocheted or knitted. But spinning has started sounding like another fun hobby 😂
I am a shameless craft enabler 🤣
I really need to do this for my own yarn and fabric stash, just in case. Where did you get those cube zipper bags?
From whence all plastic seems to flow: Amazon. I've put a link into the description below the video in case anyone needs it 🙂
I might need to take a peek at my stash😂Glad it worked out.
good to hear that there wasn't much destruction
I have a very tiny stash but we got pantry moths and everything got put in plastic bags asap. Bugs give me the heebies. I think we're safe, but I totally sympathize with your experience. I find they get in to my paper supplies more than the yarn, and i can't put all that in plastic. I should go order some cedar bits.
Glad you've gotten through the worst of it!
Cedar bits and lavender sachets! We'll bring back the trend of smelling like our grannies 😃
(Seriously, though, I put a link to Amazon in the description in case folks need it)
We had pantry moths that came in a bag of peanuts we bought for feeding Bluejays, probably came from a tropical warehouse somewhere. We took the containers out to the garage and left them out there in very cold weather to kill anything in them. Searched the whole closet and kitchen. Thought we got rid of them, but we'd get a few fluttering around every few months so clearly they were laying eggs somewhere and hatching. The key is to find where they are laying eggs, which can be very subtle. We got the sticky pheromone traps to get the flying ones and eventually trashed the peanut bins because I dont know if they were lying dormant in the winter and then coming out again. Found out they can crawl in and out of plastic containers. We haven't seen one in ages, so the measures we took helped. Thankfully they've never been in my yarns or wool garments and Ive only been a knitter for about 4 years so my stash isnt huge. I had products I'd knitted in that closet where they were discovered.
Hope everything survives! Also just like to say that I really appreciate the captions :)
You're welcome! I appreciate captions too, so I just assume anyone would find them handy. 😃
Wow, that was scary! I crochet, only things I can't find in my size, 😅. My yarn stash is one 18 gal. bin, but my fabric stash is 25 years worth of 6 yards of each fabric. Including some crushed panne that really needs to be cloaks and capes. I've been putting off a stash organizing party/sweaty going through, and I have been putting cedar balls in as I shelve it but...yeah, I really should have a look. Fabric goddesses forbid ther are (shudder) mice. In a bid to prevent pests, I looked for the least dangerous hacks, and ended up with sachets made out of dryer sheets with mint tea, lavender, and cedar. I put those puppies everywhere! The whole house smelled minty fresh! 😂 should do that again.
Mmmm...mint!
I need to swipe a couple more rubbermaid bins from my Dad. I have some fabric that ought to be protected as well...
Oh my god, my worst nightmare. I lost some of my favourite clothes to the little ******.
That truly is an amazing stash though, and some of that fiber has some great colours 👀 I wouldn't mind some spinning content, personally.
(I got into spinning thanks to you actually, hah)
I am nothing if not a happy enabler (craft-wise) 😃
I think spinning shall be in the near future, as my kitchen (fabric cutting venue) is still torn apart from installing the new freezer...
@@MaireColclough oof I'm sorry about the kitchen, but also I'm not complaining
Hoping all is well, irl. Missing your content. Hope to see you post again soon.
Well this just motivated me! Time to redo my storage system.
firstly, commiserations. and, secondly... treat EVERYTHING you plan to keep after the thorough inspection as though it IS infested, and subject it to the WHOLE disinfection routine. i "thought" i had taken all the proper steps to sort out my own moth problem, but i would still occasionally find evidence of moth activity inside ziplock bags of fiber that i had given the freezing treatment. in those cases, the ENTIRE suspect bag went directly into the trash.
it hurts like hell to throw out yarn you love, especially your own handspun and hand-dyed yarns, but it hurts far less in the long run than to put your whole stash at risk by trying to "save" any thing that looks questionable. if you do have to open the bag to get out any needles or notions, do that outdoors, then make sure you wash those items with hot soapy water, just to be safe.
my policy these days is that any new fiber coming into my home go directly into ziplock bags. that way, it's safe from any rogue moths that may be lurking in the shadows, and my stash is safe from any stowaways that may have come in with the new stuff. i have also been working with more cotton-acrylic blends, and there is no bigger middle-finger you can give a wool moth than yarn it can't eat.
Thank you! I've bought more acrylic lately and bagged the newest yarns as they came in. Now it's freezing the cubes as I can and hoping I've done enough. 🙂
I've never lived in a place with moths before, but then I moved to a place that does just a couple weeks ago. Of the wool clothes I left at my partner's house/the new place had a wool skirt destroyed, but nothing else I could find. Oddly enough, the wool blouse I had hung up wasn't touched at all. I took everything out, shook everything out, inspected everything and put in with lavender/anti moth sheets. It wasn't bad, except the ruined very nice skirt, but just a scare. Hope all this stuff works because I don't have freezer room and don't really know what I'm doing for moths.
I'm so sorry to hear about the skirt! Hopefully it can be patched back together? Glad to hear the blouse survived!
@@MaireColclough It was a really fine suiting wool, so not something I know how to mend. If only it had been one of my chunkier weaves, then I would, but I didn't leave that skirt at his place. Maybe the moths preferred the item in the drawer vs the hanging one because it was easier to lay eggs in?
I enjoy your spinning videos, they're very relaxing. Hope everything continues to run ok with the moth problem and there wasn't anything drastic. I lost a few sweaters to the b******s last year.
Oh this has made me so anxious about my own stash even though I check it every weekend
If you check it every weekend, you're probably fine...though I'd consider bagging and using cedar/lavender for anything that isn't a display piece (as well as any woolen garments in storage).
Moths are a natural disaster, not a moral failing 😉
Scared of mothinasion too, now I'm hoping for the best with sandelwood and soap... But what a beautiful colourful stash you have collected, wonderful🌼🌼
Good luck with your own efforts, and thank you!
I would have been horrified, but I’m a spinner fiber person who has a large stash of wool fabric too. I’m so hopeful that it will turn out well when you get back to the yarn that was most effected
I hope so too!
I too had moths this year - think they came from cardboard (hello Amazon) but am concerned about the stash ...it's a little here a little there 🙄 .... there was some serious skein envy though as you displayed your treasures. I too purchase yarn as souvenirs of places visited
glad ur stash seems okay ! i would definitely love to see more spinning content :)
I’d love to see spinning content!
Wow. Hope everything survives. (And I thought I had a big yarn stash, mine's small compared to yours! Not that that reasoning would mean much to my hubby, lol!)
I've been collecting yarn for a while 😁
I wish that you had shown us evidence of moths, I have no idea of what the eggs or larvae look like, next time? Very useful to know what to do, my fabric stash is big.
Birdy
I looked for little crescent-shaped shell fragments, mostly. Unfortunately, I haven't seen a lot of evidence of their presence aside from the one moth in the room. Looks almost like a fingernail cutting. Anything else just looked...fuzzier than normal? So not a lot of solid evidence to go by, unfortunately!
I would love to add you to my spinning creator line-up, along with Evie, Jente from Mijn Wolden, Jessie from Pioneer Lady at Pithy Ponderings and Becca from Becca's Yarn Crafts. And I have my fingers crossed for your beautiful floofy stash. Hugs
Thank you! I'll have to break out the e-spinner (it's easier to get on camera for a live, and my living room is a mess at the moment. I blame the new freezer.
I got moths in my stash. Including a fleece of a sheep I'd raised from a lamb. Guess what was so infested I had to get rid of it? Yep, that unreplaceable fleece and about a third to half of the rest of my stash. I cried as I tossed it all out. The rest got frozen for a couple of weeks and it seems to be ok now, but I'm not totally convinced it's not going to happen again.
😳 your poor fleece!
Yes please on the spinning content! Glad they didn't seem too prevalent before you became aware of them. Also very impressed with your stash. Many fiber artists seem to have taste that is odd to me but the stuff you have collected is just plain pretty.
I tend to enjoy pinks and purples in my yarn...maybe a little too much 😉
@@MaireColclough I love those in yarn too. And blues, grays and greens. So cool tones and happy sunset tones :)
I'm still recovering from acquiring moths from a skein purchased from a fair. Fwiw the worst attacked were finest fibers first. Angora rabbit skein: utterly decimated (p. sure that's the one that introduced them). Course AF Icelandic: they got near it, but gave up pretty quickly.
It's a ton of work, but what has helped is reballing EVERYTHING, while running the strand through my pinched fingers as it goes from ball/skein swift to ball winder. The Internet says their eggs are pretty fragile, so that's why the pinched fingers. I have found them quite deep, so inspection didn't work for me. After that, stuff got put in half gallon bags to isolate into smaller quantities just in case. I checked recently, and it seems to be working. I'm not free yet, as I've seen one flit by... So yeah... More covering things in plastic bags. Especially my finished items. I neglected to bag my hand knit socks... And holes appeared. 😢
According to my pest control person, lavender and cedar is worthless because the fumes don't last long and aren't strong enough. :( the surface of cedar oxidizes and then it doesn't really off-gas effectively anymore. You'd have to sand it repeatedly to keep it going.
I've got the small clear, flexible plastic sweater bins from container store now, and I think stuff is pretty safe... It's still in the half gallon bags in the bins, those just fit nicely double stacked in my Kallax thing.
I wish you luck!!!
Thank you! It sounds like you've been on quite a journey yourself!
Oh spinning yarn, how would it be for making some Halloween-inspired color combos?
My struggle with moths are infinite, usually my random checks on the stash is like the Spanish Inquisition, merciless,and no moth can expect them 😏😏
I'll have to see if there's anything worthy of Halloween 🙂
I’m new to your channel. I’d like to see you do some spinning!
I am so sick of the minimalist bullsh*t. Im not one either. I sew. I like fabric. I need to learn to tell people who say so condescendingly “you could open your own fabric store” to just STFU and get over themselves. I’m so very sad you have moths. I spent a lifetime collecting cashmere sweaters. I had about a dozen when moths struck, taking all of my beautiful sweaters with them. Now, at 59, I have a few cashmere sweaters again and I have cedar shavings, plastic bags, and moth balls all around them. I don’t like moth ball smell but I like moths even less. If I want to wear one of the sweaters I hang it to air for a day or two and it’s just fine. Moths must die. I hope all is well with your beautiful stash. What lovely yarns and wools you have.
Oh no, not the cashmere!! 😮
We're going to keep monitoring the stash to make sure it doesn't wind up as moth food, but the cedar and lavender will definitely help. As for minimalism...well, I'm living proof that in a crisis, having your own yarn-store's quantity of yarn is a benefit rather than a drawback 🤣
Love your stash❤
Thank you! 😃
God moths really are the horror story, hope everything will be ok
I do too! 😁
Finding a moth in your yarn is awful. I have those plastic cubes, I use them for costume shoes, hats, and purses. I bought them for yarn.
This has nothing to do with the video but I love your kitchen curtains.
Probably better to keep the costume accessories in the open bins and find sealed bins for the yarn... 😃
I don't really have a yarn stash, my weakness is fabric. I put my yarn in hard plastic bins that seal and I can stack. I also have more size 10 crochet thread than yarn and I found containers ( sold as paper storage) that are pretty much the same height as the balls so I can pop the top and see them.
omg yesss pls do spinning videos!
Noted! 😃
I'd watch spinning content!
Oh no, Moths! I once saw one in my fabric stash...i totally freaked out, but gladly it was only that one and nothing else was found. Do you have your stash digitized?
No...I'd made an attempt on Ravelry, but the stash got ahead of me 😉
@@MaireColclough haha..yeah same with my fabric stash...
Hmm, wonder how effective a sous-vide setup would be? 🤔
Good question...I've seen at least one other RUclipsr steam her stash, but I didn't feel I had the bandwidth for that this time around.
Spinning yes!!!
It was a fun time when you spun and chat the last time. Throw on the tunes and turn it into an every 2 week event?
We don't have moths. We have silverfish. Same result. Sigh. Chewed notable holes in some of my favorite clothing. Good luck with the de-bug-ing...
- Cathy (&, accidently, Steve), Ottawa/Bytown/Pimisi
Sorry to hear about the silverfish! That's definitely something I'll need to remember if we move back east for retirement...
Oh my i never knew that silverfish ate clothes!! I now have to check things darn.
Hi Cathy how are you doing. You ready for the heat they tell me is on the way! Hope all is well well there
@@robintheparttimesewer6798 Carpet beetles (which we also live with in our building) eat fabric. The battle continues.
We're doing OK. Been sleeping too much lately, but apparently my body needs it (silly body, naps are for kids...). Surgery follow-up is Thursday - I'm hoping for boredom. And maybe catch the south-of-the-border orange thing's perp walk while I'm in the waiting room.
How goes your world?
@@MaireColclough Yeah, silverfish and carpet beetles own our apartment building. Munch-munch.
@@stevezytveld6585 lol I’m looking forward to the perp walk too!
Another reason to hate carpet! Much rather have almost anything else instead of carpeting!
You must need it if are napping. The stress and worries take a lot out of you. Give yourself a break and nap! I’m also hoping that it will be a very boring meeting they are the best! Let me know how everything goes.
Kids are just finishing their sewing lessons. They have been really enjoying them. I also just found out that she took fashion in university! Which means if I sew myself into a corner I can take a lesson to get out of it. Fitting is hard alone as you already know! I sent them away with extra red fleece a little while ago. I’ve also promised to pull out winter patterns for polar fleece! Other than that we’re starting to gear up for school.
do they also come for cotton a lot? i strictly only use cotton and i never even thought about protecting it from bugs oopsie
I don't think cotton is on the list of munchies, but I could be wrong. I suggest checking with the Googles 🙂
Moth balls also give of a chemical that will destroy your cats liver when they breathe it in. (if you have any)
Thanks for the heads up!