Friday, September 15, 2006

Run for your lives! MOTHS!!!!!!!

I`m pretty good about moth prevention, but no-one is 100% perfect, are they? Most of my fibre and yarn stash is tucked away in ziplock bags, but there`s always a few things lying around. For instance, there is this huge fat skein of handspun Ouessant sock yarn hanging up waiting for a turn on the ball winder. It`s been there for quite a while now. I thought it looked decorative and I liked to give it a stroke now and again as I went past it.

Except this time, when I stroked it, something flew out. Four somethings, in fact. Little silvery grey/beige moths. EEEEKKK!!!! It was in a hot soapy bath of lavender handwash one minute later, I can tell you. I`ll soak it and dry it and freeze it and if that doesn`t work I`ll incinerate it down the allotment, despite the time it took me to spin. Moths...in a spinner/knitters house? Ultimate evil....

So then I turned my attention to the rest of the stash. Of course, it had to be that the main "exotic fibre" section of the stash lives right next to the place the Ouessant skein was hanging. Ulp. First though I cleaned out the drum carder, also right next too....well, most of the spinning stuff is within a six foot radius of where that skein was hanging. (Except the fleeces, thank the Lord...they`re up in the attic.) Then put the kittens in the kitchen with a very early lunch and started on the stash.

Well, all I can say is thank you to whoever invented ziploc bags. I`m positively addicted to ziploc bags. Sometines I have big ziploc bags filled with lots of little ziploc bags filled with related things. I even have a mini-stash of assorted ziploc bags. You never know when you might need one or ten.

Of course, it`s well known that the evil moth can sneak through hermetically sealed six foot steel doors, so I wasn`t taking any chances. I took everything out and looked at it. No moths. It was nice looking at the stash though. I was quite enjoying myself. There were open bags of fibre everywhere, yarn, tangles of this and that where I`d been stripping the last scraps off the storage bobbins. My bedroom was a shamble of wool and fibre and spinning kit....

Then ..........the kittens appeared. Through two closed (I thought) doors...........

I do not have a picture as I could not find the camera, but I assure you, it was horrible. Anyone want a kitten, before I decide to see if kitten fur makes good sock yarn?

8 comments:

Woolly Wormhead said...

eeek! That has to be the ultimate nightmare. Remember that cone of yarn I bought of Fred at Skipnorth, idenical to another I'd bought? One of them had eggs. I went mad. And I also use ziplock bags, vac-u-pack bags, and thatnkfully the rest of the stash was safe. Those two cones were dyed, boiled and no longer a problem.

Yikes. I'm feeling for you, I really am.

gourdongirl said...

OMG, nightmare....moths AND kitties!

I bet it was Missy who got into the yarn!

Wye Sue said...

I can only imagine....
They'd be the right size to make slippers out of ;-P
Think I might have to check mine now....

Robin said...

AAAARRRRRGGGGGGG!! Jack thinks I'm nuts when a moth flies into the house...I can't catch the thing fast enough!! Mr Aceman could care less about my wool...but when I bring fiber in, especially the expensive, exotic fiber he gets interested!

Anonymous said...

My stash is thankfully still moth free. I am a bad stash hoarder - it sits on open shelves where I can see it. Mind you, I spray lavender oil liberally about and hide cedarwood thingies in it. And The Greebolicious One eats moths for breakfast. Every single one of 'em. Though I am starting to think that perhaps I need to invest in some ziplock bags and underbed hermetically sealed storage bins.....Boo. When I can't see stuff I forget about it.

ra said...

oooh , bet kitty fur would spin up a treat!

Artis-Anne said...

OMG that is my nightmare and I have yarn ALL over the place . I really must do something about it as its getting out of hand. I was told that cedar balls and lavendar keep moths away !! Now were the heck do you get cedar balls; first catch your cedar ? sorry !!!!

Jo at Celtic Memory Yarns said...

Where where WHERE did you get the Ouessant/Ushant fleece? Somebody left a note on my weblog offering to sell me some but no contact. Was it you? Please let it have been you or at least someone well known to you!
Jo
Celtic Memory Yarns