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

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.]

Generally I like knitting patterns where I feel like you can use whatever yarn you have (because my stash is big enough and I want to use it, thanks) and make a successful project. This is one of those times when a special yarn makes the process that much easier.

The Floral Bouquet Shawl from Xandy Peters uses a specific extended color pooling yarn from Feisty Fibers, which allows you to place the bobble flowers with increasing frequency as you knit the project.

It starts with a solid color yarn, then the two color yarn is added in, and you make a bobble whenever you encounter the color pops. This would be hard to replicate with other yarn that doesn’t have the extended color pooling built in.

The background of the shawl is ribbed, making the project reversible.

The shawl uses fingering/sock yarn and comes out to be an asymmetrical triangle that’s 54 inches/137 cm long and 36 inches/ 90 cm deep and 60 inches/150 cm across the top edge.

Xandy says the pattern is for intermediate to advanced knitters. Knowing how to work traditional bobbles would probably help, but there’s a great video tutorial for how to work the floral bobbles so you can practice on other yarn or even incorporate the bobbles into other projects.

The bobbles are five-petaled flowers but they also kind of look like starfish to me, which could be fun on a child’s cardigan or other pattern. They’d also be fun on the leg of a sock or around the brim of a hat for extra whimsy.

The pattern includes photo and video tutorials, and written and charted instructions. It also includes tips on what to look for if you choose to use different yarn for the project, and instructions on how to dye your own yarn to use in the project.

If you want to give it a try, you can find the pattern on Ravelry.

[Photo: Xandy Peters]

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

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