Tips for Dealing with (and Preventing) Clothes Moths in Your Stash

May 12, 2015 by Sarah White

Once upon a time we had an infestation of moths in our house, but thank goodness they weren’t clothes moths. These are the moths that eat natural fibers, including our knit sweaters and unused yarn if they can get to it.

Knit Darling has dealt with an infestation in the past, and she has some great tips for how to store yarn and knit items so that you hopefully won’t attract moths in the first place (short version: store everything clean and sealed in plastic) and how to get rid of the moths and their eggs if you do get them.

This is a horrible problem I don’t wish on anyone, and I know I have been really lucky with my haphazard yarn storage methods (read: storing yarn in cardboard boxes in the attic for years) to not have had a problem. As I’m going through my stash and trying to use more of it, I’m definitely planning to store what I keep in better ways.

What about you? Any moth horror stories to inspire the rest of us?

[Image via Knit Darling.]

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Comments

maura hagarty bannon says
May 12, 2015 at 12:14 pm
After finding moths, larvae etc I did alot of research. I froze my yarn for 2 days bagged it in ziploc vac bags ( although half didnt work) I looked a long time for a product safe enough to use on clothing and everything I read recommended at least 0.5% Permethrin but no cleaning?spray product had it. Finally found a name-Sawyer’s Insect Repellent at some forum for campers to use on clothng and tents!
i found it in the Camping dept of Walmart and used it to spray all my containers rugs, floor cupboards etc. Hasn’t been that long so fingers still crossed. Have read they will get thru sealed plastic it needs to be taped as well

Have you read?

Stitch Some Seagulls on Your Sweater

It’s been well documented that I love a knitting pattern with a bit of whimsy, so when I saw the Mine! Pullover from Sarah L. Kelly recently I knew I had to share it with you.

I mean, who wouldn’t want to knit a sweater with a yoke full of seagulls? And another seagull at the waist? Chasing little crabs?

The story behind the sweater (and you knew there had to be one, right?) is that while Sarah was traveling around Europe there were a lot of cheeky seagulls about. They reminded her of the scene in Finding Nemo where the seagulls say “mine, mine, mine” and thus the Mine! series of patterns was born.

Oh yes, there’s a whole set. It was the sweater I saw first but there’s also a pair of socks (and the pattern says there’s a cowl, too, but I couldn’t find it as of this writing. If you see it let me know and I’ll add the link here!) so you can totally deck yourself out in pesky seabirds if you want.

But back to the sweater for now. This is worked in DK weight yarn from the top down in the round. The yoke and a section at the bottom are worked in stranded colorwork, with stripes on the body, though you could make the body a single color if you wanted. Details like the beaks and eyes are added with duplicate stitch to make the knitting a little easier.

The colorwork sections are charted. The pattern comes in 10 sizes, with a finished chest circumference ranging from 32 to 68 inches, or 80 to 170 cm.

The socks are worked in sock yarn and come in three sizes. There worked from the cuff down and change needle sizes to accommodate the less stretchy nature of stranded colorwork. You can choose from a side profile or a seagull that’s looking out from the sock. Make a matching pair or mix it up.

Both patterns are available on Ravelry: sweater and socks. If you make them I’d love to hear about it!

[Photo: Sarah L. Kelly]