Tuesday, 15 January 2013

Stash Saving

wool in plastic bags

The other day I turned out my whole wool stash with the intention of checking what I have and re-organising it. Alas I found that some of my wool was disintegrating! I put out a plea on Twitter and was advised that this probably did mean moths. I sprung into action and chucked everything in the freezer for 48 hours and purchased a pack of ziploc bags.

packet of plastic bags
Moth-proof for 80p, well worth it
 On Thursday morning I retrieved it all, sorted it, and stashed it safely in the ziploc bags. Now any lurking moths about the house won't be able to get in, and anything that survived the freezer hopefully won't be able to get out. It strikes me that there's a similarity between moth-prevention and backing up your computer - a simple chore now will save a lot of heartache later.
I turned out my jumpers too and luckily didn't spot any damage but I'm definitely concerned about their safety and that of my woolly scarves, hats, and gloves.
I also want to make some more lavender bags - apparently they repel moths as well as being pretty and making my clothes smell nice. I'm not sure how using felt affects their usefulness but they do still smell despite the thick fabric and it's far easier to sew with. I think one can buy dried lavender fairly cheaply online. Lavender bags are a very satisfying little project, they take hardly any time.

Lavender bags I made earlier
I recently tidied my huge collection of knitting needles (passed on by a Flickr contact who doesn't knit) into this surprisingly perfectly-sized box. It also happens to be exactly the right size for this old Sirdar knitting pattern my Dad found in Grandma's caravan when he was clearing it out. Perhaps one day I'll learn to knit well enough to make jumpers.

Box containing knitting needles and pattern for a jumper

My embroidery threads found a new home in this nice little tin - it originally contained a kit for making a toy bunny which the boy gave me for Christmas two years ago. This is much better than the bag I had been keeping them in and is luckily exactly the right size for the cards of thread leftover from counted cross stitch kits folded in half (not pictured).

embroidery thread in a tin

Have you ever had moths? How did you get rid of them? I'm a bit concerned that they'll still be lurking somewhere so I think I'll be buying more bags and trying to prevent them reaching my new flat. I hate the thought of losing things without realising. Bleurgh.
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5 comments:

  1. Elise15 January 2013 at 22:52

    Pretty lavender bags! I've got a post scheduled with my crafty storage but the idea of moths has never occurred to me! Wonder how that happens... hope all your lovely wool is fine now! :)

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  2. Deborah Shaldon19 January 2013 at 07:40

    Moths?  I agree "bleurgh" and apart from the freezer trick I don't have any answers.  Zip loc bags seem very sensible though.  I love the bunny tin.  xx

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  3. Sarah24 January 2013 at 17:28

     Thanks :) I'm hoping I won't have to think about it too much again. I've just inherited some lovely woolly cardigans and jumpers which are probably a moth's idea of a feast! Back to Wilkinson's...

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  4. Anushka19 February 2013 at 01:27

    Ugh, moths - my main nemesis, and bane of my life! Lavender bags are great but more of a prevention rather than a cure. They're definitely worth having though you'll have to replace the lavender inside every year I reckon (we have lavender bushes in our garden at home, so my grandmother makes/gathers huge batches of dried lavender each year) - so it's best to have a removable insert of the dried lavender inside the pretty bag, if you see what I mean. Using loosely woven muslin, cheesecloth, or even those bandages you can get in Boots (that's what my granny uses - minimal sewing!) for the lavender insert is good as they are cheap materials to buy and later replace, and they are loosely woven so the smell can escape nicely but not the buds of lavender. 

    To get rid of moths completely, sadly I think you need that horrible chemical spray...Or find the source? A nest of moths? Hideous!

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  5. Sarah27 February 2013 at 12:58

     Sorry for my slow response.
    I think the source was the hoover in my old flat - there was a nest in it! I'm hoping there isn't an outpost in my jumper drawer. I've recently found holes in a cardigan that has been at my boyfriend's house and so missed out on my more recent checking. It's not one I'll miss too much so I'm going to remove the buttons and boil it into felt.

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Yay :)

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